Commercial tying

[spinsheet 0]

Let me start by saying that I have no delusions of being a commercial tier or even selling any flies. That being said...

 

I was in Bass Pro Shop and another local fishing shop and saw that flies are running anywhere from $.50 to $5.00 (or in that ballpark). I'm just curious as to what the business model is for that. Does Bass Pro (for a fly that they sell for $3.00) buy the fly from Orvis for $1.50 who pays the tier $.75 per fly? Do people actually make a living just tying flies or is it more a labor of love?

 

Again, I'm not in anyway trying to break into the business (I would starve), just wondering how it works?

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

I tie for a couple of shops for extra cash to buy gear, tying materials, and fishing trips. Maybe someday when I retire I will tie more for a secondary living but for now I don't try to live off of my tying.

[spinsheet 0]

I hope you don't mind me asking, and I'm not being nosy, but how much do you get for a fly that the shop sells for $3.00? How long does it take you to tie such a fly? This is just my curiosity getting the best of me. I never really thought about it till I starting tying and saw how difficult it was (is).

[bowmike 0]

I tie for a few guys in my area. A few forums i belong to guys contact me to do an order. I do not make a living this way but it does add a few bucks for gear, that my wife can't yell about. I get up early and tie before work or tie on my lunch break. I started this when my wife was on maternity leave and we needed more income to make it. I made about 400.00 the first month. I slacked off a bit. If you have a business number you can also get set up with hairline and save tons of money on material. This is worth it to me and you are covered with taxes.

 

I love hearing feedback and such on my flies. Getting satisfied customers to repeat, I thought of branching out to fly shops and such but I feel that I am happier just supplying the little guys and keeping it personal. I have made friendships, and shared a few honey holes. These are worth more than the extra cash for buying gear. Plus you can never be over stocked. LOL

[Jaydub 0]

The majority of flies sold at retail stores are tied in third world countries. A few people in this country make a living tying specialty flies for shops or other clients. A few more supplement thier income that way. Most people tie to fill their own needs or simply as a hobby.

[bowmike 0]

I typically charge 1.00-1.25 for nymphs, and 1.50 for streamers. I charge 2.00 and more for crayfish and stuff like that. I will be getting into bass flies and such but not good enough to sell. I will sell at lower cost if a customer wants that.

 

I know my ties are worth more than that in most cases but I want people to buy them. Most of my guys like my custom stuff. They also like that if they are going fishing tomorow i will do my best to get them the flies they need quick. I try to gage it that i will make 12.00 to 20.00 an hour on flies. If not it is not really worth it to sacrifice my free time.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

What I do spin is I try to figure out material price then time to tie 1 dozen of a particular pattern then figure 10 to 12 dollars per hour and that is how I charge I only tie orders of a dozen or multiple dozens unless it is a presentation or realistic fly so if a fly costs me 30 cents in materials and takes me an hour to tie a dozen I charge 15 dollars a dozen

[bowmike 0]

What I do spin is I try to figure out material price then time to tie 1 dozen of a particular pattern then figure 10 to 12 dollars per hour and that is how I charge I only tie orders of a dozen or multiple dozens unless it is a presentation or realistic fly so if a fly costs me 30 cents in materials and takes me an hour to tie a dozen I charge 15 dollars a dozen

 

Similar practice for me as well. I do special orders though. I try to get at least a 15.00 order. If you are contemplating, this i would highly suggest getting a business number and get set up at wholesale. It will save you about 50% material cost per fly or more.

[spinsheet 0]

I guess that it's something that I might be interested in down the road but my fly tying would have to get a lot better! It would be a nice way to finance the hobby I suppose. I did that with straight razors. I shave with them and started honing, restoring, and selling them and it's a great way to finance that passion. It took a few years to get where I felt that my razors and honing were marketable and I'm sure that it will take a year or two if I decide to try that with fly tying.

[bowmike 0]

You wont regret the descision. It is great to teach people to tie. Many of my best customers have been instructed on how to tie my custom stuff. I would rather see more get involved in our hobby and see the enjoyment that i do than make a buck. Not great business practice but i never was much of a businessman anyway.

 

I am not the best tyer out there but one thing i do say about my flies is that you will catch fish. If a customer doesn't i let them send the flies back to me. Then i take these flies, catch fish, and send them the pictures. LOL it is part of my guarantee so to speak.

 

I am trying to get out of the mentality of being a fly fisherman, so i can hit up these fly shops with perfectly proportional flies and great looking patterns. I just cant let people be the judge of my flies, I let that up to the fish

[spinsheet 0]

My flies do look like real insects, the kind you find squashed on the sidewalk. Once I get past that 'squashed on the sidewalk' look I might entertain the thought of selling a few but till then that would be a good way to make enemies

 

I should probably stop using head cement on my flies (except for the occasional good one) so I would be easier to cut everything off and start over. Or maybe just file them away so I can have a good visual representation of my improvement.

 

My 11 year old daughter wanted to tie a fly of her own creation. Let me tell you, that kid has an imagination, that looks like a bug from some fantasy world!

[1hook 0]

Every now and then I sell some to friends or people I work with. People like to buy custom flies. I don't make a lot of money though I just sell for a dollar a fly no matter what it is. Only reason I do it is to remove some inventory so I have reason to tie more. Gives me a reason to revisit some old patterns too.

 

[bowmike 0]

My flies do look like real insects, the kind you find squashed on the sidewalk. Once I get past that 'squashed on the sidewalk' look I might entertain the thought of selling a few but till then that would be a good way to make enemies

 

I should probably stop using head cement on my flies (except for the occasional good one) so I would be easier to cut everything off and start over. Or maybe just file them away so I can have a good visual representation of my improvement.

 

My 11 year old daughter wanted to tie a fly of her own creation. Let me tell you, that kid has an imagination, that looks like a bug from some fantasy world!

as long as the fish like them thats all that matters

[spinsheet 0]

Any idea on what percentage of fly fishermen tie their own flies versus buying them? I would certainly expect in this forum that it's heavily weighted to the 'tie your own' group

[spinsheet 0]

@bowmike - we do most of our fishing for bluegill, they'll bite just about anything so I doubt that she'll be disappointed.