Fly tying buyer's remorse

[Bimini15 0]

Luckily it is a very small item, but I am going through buyer's remorse after getting some fish masks the other day.

 

What is your biggest regret when it comes to fly tying/fishing purchases?

[Stippled Popper 0]

My purchase regret would be the guinea skin I bought way back on ebay that was infested.

Luckily nothing crossed over to my other feathers.

[Dave G. 0]

Just as with yourself, simple items. I have some orange and also some dark green marabou I never use and probably never will. Red dyed peacock herl, really ugly stuff that I rarely use or struggle to find a decent piece if I do use it. I've just never been pleased with a bag of loose India partridge feathers I got long ago ( but mostly because it's too light for my waters) and I bought a blue dun skin of the same ilk but it isn't so much useless as what is usable is probably best used as stripped quills or tailing fibers, as wrapping hackle for dry flies it's too sparse and too long. I could have done without all of these items, I wouldn't call it so much remorse as just disappointing or wishful thinking at the time of purchase. Most of it dates back to when budget really mattered though, And Yet I Still Hold Onto The Items!

[mvendon 0]

My biggest regret to date is the Sili skin that I bought years ago to make Gummi Minnows when they were all the rage. I never used a lot of it, but got a bunch in different colors. While looking for something else, I noticed some of the packs were faded. Faded is an understatement. The color they used to be absorbed into the white undersheet making them complete garbage. At $5.95 a pack back then, I feel ripped off. My tying area is always cool, dry, and away from sunlight, so I know it's the material, not a storage issue.

 

Regards,

Mark

[Poopdeck 0]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, nothing yet but there's always tomorrow.

[JSzymczyk 0]

If you hang on to anything long enough, you will find a use for it. Even clear sili-skin I have a few materials lying about from the old mail order Reed Tackle which have to be 35 years old. I can think of some dark brown marabou and some carded red floss off the top of my head. This was from back in the middle ages when I had to fill out an order form on paper with a pen ( !!! ), give my Mom allowance and paper-route money for her to write a check, mail it in, and wait 3 weeks or more for the materials to show up! I may never use it. It's there if I ever need it though.

[Flat Rock native 0]

Ok, this is a little embarrassing but will tell on myself.

 

I have over 1000 yards of 8-strand, polyolefin yarn, in about 20 colors. I cut off about a 10 inch hank of each and looped them together over spindle on a thread rack. I originally had only the five colors they usually sell in craft stores for Macramé.

 

Lee Clark is one of my inspirations and some of these colors are really nice. So I looked for more colors and found a source with a pretty good deal but had to buy in 50 yard lots. It was still cheap, when the tier's market sells this stuff or equivalents for about 5 bucks for a 1-5 yard card that is equal to one strand.

 

It combs out nice and straight, with little effort in 2-3 inch chunks and the 8-strand separated easily with a re-cycled dental pick (have 2 daughters who are registered hygienists) or a needle.

 

I use this on virtually every streamer, emerger or floating fly tied. Nonetheless, on my thread rack the shortest hank now, is still about 7 inches. I think (certain of it) I have enough to last for infinity.

 

Maybe after the new year we should organize a surplus material swap, with real and/or white elephant items.

 

I thought maybe I would re-package and sell in terribly generous amounts, to pay for my share, labor at federal minimum wage, and original costs but after seeing a lot of posts here, maybe a swap would be the way to go.

 

Ideas anyone?

[DrVette 0]

About 6 years ago i won a $100 store credit with a local tying shop for a fly i entered in their competition. I decided to get a Wasatch full presentation case of tools for my-self for Christmas. I think i paid another $250 or so. It showed up with the wrong scissors and i had to search down a correct pair.

To date i have only used about 5 of those tools...and only a couple of times. But it is pretty to look at...LOL

[agn54 0]

If you hang on to anything long enough, you will find a use for it. Even clear sili-skin I have a few materials lying about from the old mail order Reed Tackle which have to be 35 years old. I can think of some dark brown marabou and some carded red floss off the top of my head. This was from back in the middle ages when I had to fill out an order form on paper with a pen ( !!! ), give my Mom allowance and paper-route money for her to write a check, mail it in, and wait 3 weeks or more for the materials to show up! I may never use it. It's there if I ever need it though.

I'm with you on this one. I guess my only regret so far is that I don't have a full shop in my house. My father-in-law used to get his stuff from Reed Tackle back in the day. He gave me some imitation polar bear fur that is awesome. It's basically craft fur but more bristly and sparkly, and I haven't seen a equivalent anywhere.

[Hatchet Jack 0]

Furry Foam & mayfly wing burners.

[Flat Rock native 0]

H Jack, if that Furry Foam is in Cream, Orange or Yellow we may be able to swap out something.

Sorry about the Mayfly wing burners; I tie for the fish and I do not believe they ever see them, may be mostly to catch fly buyers. Now if you want to get rid of some Blados' Crease Fly cutters, my ears are on.

[Hatchet Jack 0]

FRn -

 

I binned all my Furry Foam long ago, after I found it literally disintegrating.

 

May fly wings?....yes, to catch a fish with a fly, first the fisherman must be caught with it.

 

Do not have any of the Blados Crease fly cutters.

[troutah 0]

Not really regrets, but I don't really use a lot of the stuff I got when I was beginning to learn. Hooks I don't use or enjoy anymore and materials that don't match the flies I tie these days. Just part of the learning process I guess.

 

More recently, I did purchase a bag of loose partridge feathers too for some nymphs. They were kinda beat up and I quickly worked through the more usable feathers. Wish I had thought that through a bit more.

[DrVette 0]

I think my biggest regret was buying Paul Whillock's book; "Flies as Art".

He actually miss-names materials in it. When you try to follow his instructions, it never seems to work right.

I hate that book, and paid full price years ago.

I now use it to press leaves. I acid wash them to get realistic looking wings. He never mentioned that.

[bass master 0]

Its not really a regret. But my vise. I cant seem spending hundreds on a hook holder. I bought a nice rotary, And totally happy with it. I have to stop looking at them I guess. I keep looking and thinking...I could have that one for $50 more.