The Lies of Flies

[PA Dave 0]

My wife actually pushed me into it before I even tried fly fishing. She said I needed the "creative outlet"...she's a theatre person, what can I say? Oh yes, now I have saved a fortune tying my own flies, building rods... :hyst:

[seanrus 0]

I started tying because I could't get the flies I wanted in the sizes I wanted. But the biggest factor was that I lost a whole box of flies and I thought it would be cheaper in the long run to ty my own. Plus I'd get what I wanted not just what was for sale. I think I am saving money if you don't factor-in time and those dry fly saddles. :hyst: Even if I spend more money it more than pays for itself as tying made me a better fisherman.

[oatka 0]

I think originally I started thinking I could save money.

 

Then I realized that was a joke.

 

Now I tie because the voices in my head tell me too! :devil:

[Fly_guy_stu 0]

I started tying flies before I actually learnt how to cast one. I don't know what attracted me to it but I started tying flies on paper clips etc and I've never looked back. As for saving money... im sure its true to a certain extent as I've just tied some salmon flies that cost me about $1.45 (£0.80) to tie, when they cost me about $3.50 (£2) to buy. I just love that I can catch fish on something that i have created... I wouldnt trade it for the world!

 

Stu

[flygirl08 0]

I started tying just a month or two after I learned how to fly fish. Then my dad took me to an estate auction, and I bought a small kit that had REALLY limited materials for about 20 bucks. I never thought about it as a way of saving money. I knew when I started that I was going to over do it, as I did with all of my previous hobbies. (This, I hope, will be a more permanent hobby. Hopefully, I won't get tired of it as easily as my previous ones. Doubt it. ) Every time I start something, it becomes an obsession, and I buy materials because I like them and I like to see how big of a collection I can get. "Some day," I think, "i'll need this material..." (Ha!) As of now, I'm $400 into this hobby, but it doesn't bother me because I enjoy it. What's life, after all, if you have money and don't spend it on something you enjoy?

[Ephemerella 0]

Definitely started as a way to save money on flies...and as another "angle" on fly fishing. I suppose considering the number of flies I have currently in fly boxes, say 250 nymphs, and maybe 1000 dries in 18 compartment bead boxes, that's about $1500-$2000 :bugeyes: plus streamers, maybe 50 (another $100), plus the Carrie Stevens streamers (about 50 at $4.00=$200) I'd say I've got maybe $2000 worth of flies. Now assuming I need half of those (who am I kidding? ), and I've gone through that many since I started, we're back to $2000. I'd say I have NOT spent that much (yet) on materials and equipment. Now that will all change as I seem to be slowly learning Classic Salmon flies, which are essentially not for fishing (some would argue...) but use expensive materials. So I'd say I'm ahead. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Yes dear, it is to save money...

-E

[madkasel 0]

I'm a woodworker and I've brewed my own beer... I had no delusions that I'd save a dime by tying my own!

 

[beaverfsu 0]

I'm a woodworker and I've brewed my own beer... I had no delusions that I'd save a dime by tying my own!

 

 

 

Sounds familar....problem when brewing my own beer is that I (and my neighbors) drank it too fast cause it was soooo good...

 

 

 

Back to flies...I started because it was a pain to even get flies where I lived, much less the size and colors that I wanted.

 

 

[Soft-hackle 0]

It has been nearly 45 years for me, and I guess I got started because it was a natural thing. I wasn't thinking about saving money. I was just thinking it was something that a fly fisherman did. Yes, it is the creative side of the sport, and for me creativity is important. Over the years I've come to realize that tying your own makes one a more versatile fly fisherman. It also adds another dimension to fishing with flies-catching fish on one's own flies makes it all the better.

 

Mark

[maddog48 0]

I tie because I enjoy it. I guess I'm like most of the gang that answered this, too. It's hard to find exactly the patterns I'm looking for so I invested some cash and now I can make those patterns. I love tying and fishing "off the wall" colors and combos of Zebra midges. Where could I find the color combo I use now if I hadn't tried it on a whim? I guess I'm the local shop guinea pig. I get to try all the new threads ordered first to see what works. The biggest reason I tie is I can get exactly what I want in the sizes and colors I want. The bad part is I have thousands of $ worth of gear and tie one or two different patterns. I'm hoping that changes after the last 2 or 3 trips I've taken. I have probably used more patterns in those 2 or 3 trips than I have in 2 or 3 years.

 

 

Mike

[flyDology 0]

why would I "WANT" to save money tying flies when fly tying is the cement the binds fly fishing to the soul.

 

[Trichoptera 0]

The thought of saving money never really occured to me. I do occasionally wonder how flies can be sold so cheap I read articles in Field & Stream and Outdoor Life as a youngster growing up and I just knew that I would learn to tie my own flies. It's just part of fishing. I have bought flies when I did not have the right flies with me and I enjoy fishing with them as well. I have a very nice big bass bug bought from "The Troutsman" in Traverse city that I display on my desk with the box it came in. I have never really given much thought to why I tie my own flies, it just seemed like the right way to go about fishing.

[7wt 0]

I don't even consider the cost. Since I live in an area that doesn't allow me to fish how I want to fish, I end up chucking most of what I do anyway. I know it sounds weird but I just like tying. I always wanted a fully loaded nicely organized box with everything I need in it. Trouble is I don't need anything right now. This will change when I move but as it stands now I only tie for the practice.

[cutbow 0]

I took a tying class with the local TU. I thought it was extremely cool and before the class never considered tying flys. I do it now for several reasons; it is FUN, I tie flys that are usually more durable than store bought,I can tie what I want, son of a gun my flys actually catch fish. I also find it very relaxing; turn on the geezer rock sit down at the bench and get into the zone.

 

Dave :headbang:

[nemoblackdog 0]

I did a bit of guesstimating and I'm reasonably confident I'm now past the point of breaking even and have probably now even saved a bit of cash, and I'm only a couple of seasons into the fly tying game.

 

The main flies I tie are very simple. I can tie a thread midge for 15-20 cents. I use a lot of them and buying them for $1.50 to $2 a pop lets me catch up in a hurry. My most expensive material is one good grizzly neck. I don't own any other dry fly hackle.

 

I almost never buy materials that can be found/scrounged or bought cheaper in other forms. Tying "yarns" are a classic example of this. So few materials are actually made for the fly tying business, and it doesn't take much effort to find them in forms that are orders of magnitude more economical.

 

Hooks and beads are about the only "staple" items I get from the fly shop on a regular basis, but I've got a few specialized bits like a package of crystal flash and a few patches of deer hair - both of which will probably last my lifetime.

 

I've also made some of my own tying tools (not because it saved time or money, but because it was fun to do so - much the same reason one ties flies!)

 

It is possible to save money in this game!