For non-tyers...is the quality of flies in stores going down hill?

[Glennie 0]

I couldn't help but notice that when I go to larger fly fishing suppliers, the quality of the flies and the selection seems to be going down fast.

 

About 15 years ago, a partner of mine and I were sourcing out feathers and flies and starting to wholesale to stores. It was turning into something but some health issues with my partner and a breakdown in his personal life brought it to an end. We were getting flies from two tying houses, one in Sri Lanka and another in Nigeria. The flies were good quality and the Nigerian supplier was very accommodating in supplying us with flies for our local market based on our samples and advice. The cost to us for the Nigerian product was about 60 cents a fly for the most expensive and about 48 cents for chironomids depending on if a bead was in the pattern.

 

The Sri Lankan supplier had good flies but they had something about them that just made them look plain. That same look now is prevailing in the fly selection at the larger stores. Not that consistency isn't a good thing but everything seems to have a look to it that's hard to put into words.

 

On the other hand the small store near my home relies on many local tyers to supply his fly trays. The patterns look like something that will actually work and you would want to use. If a person wants a nice mayfly nymph a GRHE from Cabelas will probably do. But when I see a pattern tied by a local and presented because it works for our local waters, why do I want to use it or copy it? It just gives me more confidence that it will actually work.

 

To those who don't tie this should be an incentive to seek out smaller stores. Not only do they need the business but if they are getting some locals to tie for them, the flies just may work better than the patent patterns you see at the larger store.

 

Ideally though, start tying your own. Join a club and make some friends who tie because most of us have acquired enough materials for several lifetimes and can help you get started.

[utyer 0]

I haven't purchased a fly in over 50 years, but I do look over the bins in most shops. I have seen some well tied patterns in some small shops, and some fairly well tied patterns in larger local shops. The quality of the flies in some of the big box stores leaves a lot to be desired. There is a local shop here in Orlando that has a very good selection of well tied flies, and many of them come from local tiers.

 

In general, shops that pay attention can still get some fairly good patterns from some of the import suppliers, but shops that don't watch or don't know what to look for, are not showing a very good product.

[mikechell 0]

Most people I've seen, buying from those bins, will probably lose those flies before they "wear out" or fall apart. As utyer stated, people who tie flies rarely buy any. People who buy flies probably don't tie ... and don't recognize the quality or lack there of.

[SilverCreek 0]

There was an article about the cost of commercial flies rising. In a search for cheaper labor, companies are moving their manufacturing to the same countries that tie commercial flies. So the rates paid to fly tiers have to rise to keep them from defecting to factory jobs. SE Asia and Africa were mentioned in the article.

[tidewaterfly 0]

When I tied commercially I often got information from over seas operations wanting to sell me flies. There was a wide range of "quality". IMO, shops buy based on either quality or price & that doesn't mean they go hand in hand. However, it's highly likely that many of their customers don't know the difference as far as quality, and as stated the shops may not. I too have seen some very good flies that were imported & some not so good.

 

I tie most of my own, but have purchased some in the last several years mainly because they were cheap & I needed to add to what I had tied. Generally, the quality has been good. Not as good as what I tie myself, but certainly good enough to fish with. Had I been purchasing at full retail prices that shops charge, most I would not have bought.

 

I bought some Orvis flies a few years ago when they had a sale. 50 cents a fly I think it was, and they're very good quality. I was actually surprised at how good.

 

I don't feel the quality in general is going downhill, but some shops may be going to "cheaper" flies to offset slower sales & higher costs for better quality. Unfortunately, that's the case with many products we buy, not just flies.