I'm about ready to go back to nightcrawlers.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Fly Fishing has officially gotten ridiculously stupid.

 

$79 for a "CARP" line. Come on people, are we really that daft?

 

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9r5l

 

I tried to keep an open mind for several years when all the species-specific lines and gear started being marketed, but it has reached the point of almost being insulting. Hell when I started way back in the middle ages (about 1980) we had LEVEL lines, and we caught every damn thing that could swim in fresh water including the worshipful CARP when the "game" fish were slow (trout, bass, panfish, pike, everything.) No, it wasn't ideal but there was nobody telling us we had to have special gear for each individual fish or fly we used. And we caught a hell of a lot of fish, and had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. It is absolutely no mystery why fly fishing is more and more getting the reputation of being difficult, expensive, and exclusive---- either you are a rich guy, or a dope-smoking "bum" of some sort who has been fishing for two years and is an expert on everything, using somebody else's money to pay for all your crap.

 

I hate marketing.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[eastern fly 0]

Poor mans bonefish, got to cash in on it. Its gaining grown.

 

Kevin

[Rolf Jacobsen 0]

so much for my 444 Peach DT......................

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

Just wait till you see the new range of creek chub tapers! *eyeroll*

[Rocco 0]

J,

 

I have had the same generic reaction to everything related to fly fishing. Rods, reels, waders...you name it. And don't even ask about the cost of components on some 'gotta have' new patterns.

 

Ever added up what each new fad fly costs for materials alone? Figured out why this year's graphite rod is the absolute answer for your casting needs -- til next year's model comes out at $150 more, making your 'new' rod totally obsolete? How you ever landed any steelhead and salmon on those ratty old Scientific Anglers reels of yesteryear that cost $100 at most? Have you ever actually urinated in your old non-zip-up waders? How you ever caught fish without a fish scale pattern on your reel?

 

Yuppification at work? No doubt, but human gullibility also plays a big role.

 

casting night crawlers on a fly rod requires a super soft action fiberglass rod that costs close to a grand these days....

 

Rocco

[Guest rich mc]

have you seen the price of live nightcrawlers at least $3.50 for a dozen and that means only 12. rich mc

[mikechell 0]

Cheap rods (except that one I got from you, Steve), cheap reels, cheap fly lines and mono for a leader. All of my set ups cost less than $150 for everything.

My flies are tied on $5 per 50 or less hooks, with FlyTyer'sDungeon materials as the most expensive component.

 

I hear other's talking about the black hole of fly tying hobby, but I can tell you, I DO save money by tying my own flies.

 

And I catch enough fish to keep me happy.

[mybadhabit 0]

I think that if you want to spend money on ridiculous items, then have at it, if you want to do a little research and make smart choices, you score one in my book. Stupid and ignorant people keep some companies in business, I hope to make smarter choices in life rather than follow every back road path someone wants to send me down. If someone decides that they need that special line over what they've got to catch fish, they are already a lost cause. The line I throw isn't going to catch me more fish, but if I believe it will then I have the right to believe that(doesn't mean I'm right, just stupid).

 

With my line of business there are always new things and chemicals that are coming out, if I fell for every deal then I'd be broke. The fact is if it is working for you why change it, if it's not, then do a little research from a reliable source. That may be a local guide or a book, but check on it before buying it. The saying "A sucker is born every minute", isn't a myth, it's a fact.

 

Blane

[FrequentTyer 0]

You hit nail on the head Blane. People buy stuff they don't need all the time. I just noticed last week that our dishwashing detergent is packaged in little single use dissolving bags. Its not hard to pour the stuff out, and the dishes are not any cleaner. But it costs more and we buy it. Fly fishing is no different. Tungsten beads, fluorocarbon leaders, Orvis/Simms/Patagonia anything. They are all unnecessary. But as long as there is a market, there will always be a new must have item. Don't blame the marketing guys, blame the unthinking consumers that keep them in business.

Mike.

[Chase Creek 0]

Couldn't agree more with you guys. If it's for "fly fishing", it's gonna cost 3 times (or more) as much as the very same thing you find at the craft or hardware store. Kinda butters my biscuits. Can you REALLY tie better flies on a $500 vise?? Does the fish know the difference between a $60 and $400 reel or a $75 and $1200 rod?? I don't think so. And I have yet to talk to a fish who refuses a fly tied on a hook that costs $7.95 for 25, as opposed to a hook that costs half that. I have several rods, and not one of them costs more than $100. I can see why we end up chasing off prospective fly fisherman (including youth). I for one would not relish the idea of explaining to my wife that I wanted to try fly fishing, but we'd have to sell the firstborn to get rigged up. Marketing.

Of course, that happens with other products, also. Some folks will pay extra (sometimes A LOT extra) for the name. Look at cars,

binoculars, almost anything. I'm glad I'm not the only one standing on this soapbox.

Stepping down.

[utyer 0]

I have said this before, and I will say it again, its the Indian, not the arrow. I started with a crap outfit, and caught plenty of fish. I worked in the tackle industry, and our job was to sell this stuff. Every year, the price just kept going up, and the number of anglers kept going down. The fly tackle seemed to lead the charge into the stratosphere as far as tackle prices go. Since I was working in the biz, I could buy what ever rod I wanted, at cost. I got a Fenwick, then an Orvis, then a Winston, and a Sage. Each one more costly than the next. At one point, I even got a Loomis rod for free. I caught just as many fish on the free rod as any of the others, and I could cast it just as well.

 

I left the industry 18 years ago, and from that point on, whenever I needed a new piece of equipment (which wasn't too often,) I would look for a close out, off brand, or some other type of bargain. My last fly rod cost all of $69.00. My last line was $14.00. My last reel I went big, and spent $70.00 but that came with an extra spool. My casts all go where I need them to, and I catch just a many fish as I want to.

 

As far as flies go, I don't buy every trendy new wonder fiber, or glue, or super duper dubbing. I shred up wool for dubbing, and use macrame cord for synthetic hair, I don't use hackle much on dry flies, and I keep my patterns as simple as I can. When I started tying, hooks were all of $3.00 a HUNDRED. Today 3 bucks won't even get you 25 (unless its a "house" brand.) Premium hooks start at $20.00 a hundred, and go up to $40.00. A few strokes with the hone, and my hooks are sharp enough. and I don't feel too bad to loose a few.

 

I keep the costs down by limiting my patterns to what I have learned works. I keep searching out the low cost alternatives, Congo hair or macrame yarn will make a fine bait fish pattern, and it won't cost you 8 bucks for a little bitty hank.

 

This hobby got expensive because we keep believing that each and every new product will solve all our problems. Instead of learning to cast, we buy a new rod. Instead of learning how to present a fly, we buy the new wonder product, and try and tie the new magic pattern. Oh well, some where some place some one is making money, and that must be good, right?

[Simplejack 0]

I thought all the line types where BS before I ever got my line in the water for the first time. I mean come on.. Why would it be better to use one species specific line over another. I can't catch Bluegill on my 5wt line as well as I could if I got pan fish line? I can see getting a better line that is more slick or weighted, but 10 or whatever different species specific lines, do I need to get them all to catch each fish? Do I need to buy new spools for each line or strip my spool every time I go fish at a different place?

Isn't carp the same fish that eat cigarette butts or is that a different carp?

[Goats 0]

I went to an Ice Fishing show last winter and I can tell you it's not just fly fishing but any outdoor pursuit, you can do it cheap or you can go big. There are ice fishing set-ups that could runs thousands of dollars between a quad or sled to haul your portable ice house, gas augers, live bait bucket systems, tip-ups, sonar systems, seats, heaters, blah blah blah. Look at what Lake Michigan salmon fisherman need to go out trolling for salmon during the summer: boat, downriggers, lead cores, poles, reels, gas, etc.....

 

As with most hobbies, fly fishing can be a relatively cheap endeavor (one I believe can be the most self sustaining after entry costs) or ultra expensive. Like most things separating wants from needs is paramount to controlling the money spent.

[fshrmanms 0]

being retired and on a fixed income I have to be really careful not to get caught up in the hype. Good fortune has smiled on me though, like a few months ago I was able to buy a nice jet wood lathe for only $450 why I've already turned 100 nice popper bodies and done a real seat and cork grip! Then there's that Benelli shot gun. It was only $1100 but I harvest plenty of buck tails, hair for spinning, turkeys, squirrels, etc. and the atv I use to get that shotgun into the woods was on a really good sale, had to have it though the four wheel drive on the truck still wouldn't let me navigate some of the narrower trails. I could use some duck feathers how much is that duck stamp? boat? camo waders?.... Yep gonna save even more money!! Glad I'm a do it yourselfer.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Couldn't agree more. Like many people, I started out fly fishing on the cheap because I had no other choice if I wanted to do it at all. With every new and increasingly expensive unnecessary gewgaw that comes out, I am more grateful that I was forced to learn that expensive tackle is not necessary to succeed in this sport. True, I do spend more now on tackle and related items than I did when I was just starting out, but not that much more, and I still always look for bargains - as Utyer said, the closeouts, the off-brands, last year's models, etc., and I catch all the fish I want.

 

I have a friend who used to have me build all his rods and furled leaders for him, and he was not only satisfied with the quality he got at bargain prices, he actually made a point of showing the stuff to other fishermen we'd meet and talking it up, even when I wasn't there with him. That was all before his father, a wealthy entrepreneur, decided to rescue him from his meagerly-paid teaching job and groom him up to take over the family business. In the space of just a few short years, my friend became quite a wealthy guy himself. Don't get me wrong, he worked his ass off for it, learned a ton and even started his own business from scratch and made it take wing right in the very heart of the recession. He deserves every penny he's earned and I don't begrudge him any of it. What makes me sad is how it's changed him. The last time we fished together, shortly after I'd lost a job and was forced to take a lower-paying one to keep afloat, he found a reason to turn his nose up at every piece of tackle I brought with me. Before I could even get my self-built rod strung up, he hauled out one of several high-end numbers from his new SUV and all but insisted that I fish with it instead. (I politely declined). Then he talked me out of wearing waders in the boat when he saw that my new ones were a brand he didn't recognize. He-even acted appalled that I had showed up to meet him in my little used commuter car. "What the hell are you driving that for?" he asked. I explained that it was a 3-hour drive up there, that we weren't going off-road, that gas was $4-something a gallon and that my car gets 41mpg, but those facts seemed lost on him.This from a guy who once went with me on a ten-day trek across Michigan, camping out every night in the back of my '89 Chevy van, and agreed with me that life didn't get much better than that.

We barely talked at all during our 5-hour float. This was a guy with whom I used to be able to talk and laugh like a couple of hyenas, non-stop and far into the night, slowly emptying a cooler of cheap beer in front of a campfire way the hell back in the woods by some little no-name creek or other, but suddenly it was like we didn't even speak the same language anymore. If that's what money does to you, They can keep it. I don't begrudge anybody his toys, but I do miss my friend.

Okay, I guess I've wandered a bit from the original topic, but not that far. By way of reeling it in (pun intended), I offer this hopeful ending to my melancholy little tale: on that last trip, I outfished my well-heeled friend about 3 to 1. With my homemade rod, no less.