spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowmike 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaydub 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowmike 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowmike 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowmike 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1hook 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowmike 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinsheet 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2013 @bowmike - we do most of our fishing for bluegill, they'll bite just about anything so I doubt that she'll be disappointed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites