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Husky9000

A quick thank you...

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I just got an e-mail alert from Orvis...Seems they are having a "Fly Sale"...so I opened it and the first fly I see is an Elk Hair Cadis (On sale for $2.35) then a BWO (On sale for $2.15).

 

Now my tying skills are in the toddler stage with only four fly patterns...but the EHC and the BWO are two of the four...and that is thanks to you folks here and the info contained on this site...so I am finally on the road to saving money...

 

well... Two vises, a ton of hooks, enough thread to stretch around the world 1 1/2 times...saddles, necks, hides from elk, deer, moose, rabbit...beads, peacock feathers, funny shaped tools and hooks....

 

OK maybe not saving money yet...BUT...I'm still gonna show my wife how expensive tied flys are and try to convince her that I'm saving money...wish me good luck with that

 

I really do mean thank you...this is a great hobby and It is very gratifying to see the add and go, "nope I tie those myself and I think mine look almost as good"

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I just hope that when I die my wife doesn't sell my gear for what I told her I paid for it.

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Nope honesty is the best policy. Especially with this, best to get it out right up front, you aren't ever going to save any money doing this but it's worth it to you. Just use the new shoe analogy, she will understand that. A woman can never have too many shoes, PERIOD. I don't care how many pairs she owns and only wore once ! Hah, my wife bought a new pair of walking shoes ( basically sneakers), they are some kind of blueish green with pink shoe laces. That was day 1. Comes day two a new outfit to match the shoes. Day 3 new finger nail polishes to match the outfit. See how this works ? Suddenly that Hungarian partridge cape for $39 looks pretty cheap but remember this. That partridge cape means she now has to go shopping and it will never be equal LOL !!.

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I save a ton of money. I also convinced my wife the more flies I lose the quicker I recoup the start up costs and save even more money.

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You CAN save money by tying your own flies--Poopdeck and Mikechell are good examples--but most people don't (including me) because they discover that, like fly fishing, fly tying is enjoyable and well worth doing for its own sake. Besides, "expensive" is a relative term--compared to a two-pack-per-day smoking habit, fly tying is downright cheap. When you factor in the money saved on medical bills that come with more destructive habits, and the psychotherapy I don't need because I can get to my happy place on the river or at the tying bench, I'm way ahead of the game. :)

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Well I can honestly say I am not saving absolutely one red cent on any of this fly tying stuff but I do not care. I never discuss what I spend on my hobby with my wife and I always have stuff I order sent to my work. When I get home I make a bee line from my truck to my shop where I tie flies with crap I have ordered or bought at Hobby Lobby or any other craft store. She been out to the shop a few times and she sees everything I have on shelves and hanging from the walls. She's made a few comments about I sure have a lot of stuff but that is about it. I figure what goes to the shed and happens at the shed, stays at the shed! LOL LOL

 

In all reality though you most likely will not saving any money in the long run it will cost you more money but as I said earlier I do not care!!! Bryon Anderson makes some very good points. I could be spending my money on a hell of a lot worse stuff in life! I say buy what you want when you can afford it and have fun with it. One only lives once on this ole earth...

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When ever I tell the wife I can tie flies for less than half what I would buy them for, she ask, How much did the materials cost? Then grins.

 

She figures at least I'm not at the bar looking for women with questionable reputations.

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You CAN save money by tying your own flies--Poopdeck and Mikechell are good examples--smile.png

Thank you, Bryon.

I've given up on this argument.

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Well mikechell is an exception! He is very very frugal indeed!!! I have fished with Mike back in November at Toledo Bend Lake and he gave me some wonderful flies that would be lucky to have a nickel invested in their creation. Mike has some great ideas on stuff one can use from the dollar store. He thinks outside the box and I frequent Dollar Tree and Dollar Store for stuff all the time.

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If your goal was to save money, you wouldn't fly fish or tie flies at all. It's a self-defeating argument. IF your goal is to catch a live fish from it's habitat, you're going to invest something of value into it- whether you fashion your own spear from a streamside sapling- investing time and work or going to a floofy high end fly shop and spending a couple grand for stickers and labels on equipment. You smuggle supplies from "my truck to my shop" but you're worried about justification of your hobby?

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The late Jack Gartside, who was one of the most respected tyers who ever lived, was known to get on a plane with a one-way ticket (and no money) and fly to wherever the fishing was good at the moment. He'd make his return fare and food money by tying and selling flies on-site. Jack could sit down with a ring-necked pheasant skin and tie incredible flies that could catch absolutely anything. Now THAT guy knew how to save a buck. When a sordid past and old age finally catch up to me, I plan to donate my materials to a worthy cause. They'll never bring what I paid for them anyway. Big Jim's (Tidewaterfly's) stash, however, could probably fund a full-scale model of the Lincoln Memorial when he passes on.

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I married a woman with similar interests in several categories of my life. I can go to the fly shop alone or with her uninhibited, the only problem is it usually costs more when she is with me, she encourages purchases for one thing but it generally costs lunch out as well. I have nothing to hide anyway.

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If your goal was to save money, you wouldn't fly fish or tie flies at all.

JS ... you know I usually agree with your statements ... but this one is just wrong.

By your statement:

People, the world over, do their own car repairs ... to save money. If their goal was to save money, they shouldn't own a car.

People, the world over, do their own home repairs ... to save money. If their goal was to save money, they shouldn't own a house.

Etc.

Etc.

 

If you enjoy a hobby like fly fishing, and you do a lot of it, like I do, then tying for fishing does save me money.

The problem, with most fly tiers, is they start tying so many flies they'll never use them all. Fly tying becomes THE hobby, and they end up spending more and more.

I wouldn't make it to July with the flies I have on hand. I sit down and tie flies when I get low on stock. Normally, the only time I experiment with tying something different, is when I am stuck in a hotel in the Winter. Once in a great while, I might try something different ... but for fishing, not just to tie a different fly.

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