What Do You Do WIth Your Surplus Flies? / Confessions

[terp 0]

I've been tying roughly 20 flies a week now for about 1.5 years, to the point where I can't possibly use them all and I'm running out of room in my fly boxes (I even had to buy a few more, despite already bringing about 10 on each trip).  I used to tie in my teens and early twenties, then gave up for 30 years, and resumed two years ago with a vengeance.  My kids are teenagers now and don't seem to have much interest in me (or fly fishing), so I have more time.

Below are some ways I've tried to dealing with the surplus, but I wanted to hear what others do:

1. Cull flies based on expected productivity (bigger #'s of known producers, smaller #'s of experimental flies).  Put surplus in a big "Bugger Box" type fly box.  My Bugger Box is still pretty empty.
2. Don't cull any flies, just use more boxes, and try to bring only "some" of the boxes on each trip.  I have failed 100% at this approach.  I just bring more boxes with me.
3. Where there is an excess of one fly that is drab, put half of them back on the vise and add a hot spot.  Then put them back in the fly box.  I've done this but haven't used the "new" flies.
4. Reject some flies, trim off the matieral with a razor blade, and re-use the hook/bead for a new pattern.  I think I've done this only once because it's painful to destroy one of my creations.
5. Stop tying.  Can't be done.
6. Give flies away.  This is somewhat promising, but I mostly fish on my own.
7. Lose more flies on the river by getting snagged more often.  Not a bad idea, but I hate tying on new tippets and new flies.

 

Now some confessions:

• I'm at the point where I think about fly tying more than I think about actually fishing. 
• I go to bed early and come in early to the office just to look at fly-tying stuff online before anyone else gets here (like I am right now)
• Fishing has almost become a secondary hobby to justify my fly tying. 
• Some days I force myself to fish instead of sit at the bench. 
• When I fish, it's a mere laboratory to test my flies.
• I'd rather tie flies than talk to anyone in my family, read a book, watch a movie or pretty much anything else when I'm home
• My home is in a state of disrepair because I'm always "going to tie just a few more flies" on the weekends
• I bought two expensive vises instead of just one inexpensive one which probably would have been just as good
• I inherited a few thousand dollars of materials in the fall, but still spend $50-$100/week on new materials
• I have more flies than I could possibly use, yet I keep tying, so clearly I have a problem

[cphubert 0]

Donate to worthy (your choice) groups.  i.e.  Casting for Recovery, Project Healing Waters or other groups there are growing local groups that will take flies. I try to keep a standard for donations ( durable well tied) other patterns that did not fish or swim to my expectations get the razor. When I was working I used to leave my used flies in a box with a free sign before fishing season, they always disappeared and I started the season with fresh boxes. You could give them away on the stream, I always give flies to kids that are fishing to help them along into our sport.

[Rocco 0]

Give some flies  to a local kid new to the sport and not yet into tying his own along with a little tutoring on how to rig and fish them.  Could kick start his appreciation for the sport. 

[dave 0]

First off, find a doctor.  If all the things you say in your "now some confessions" are true, you have a problem.

[cphubert 0]

1 minute ago, dave said:

find a doctor

If you find one make sure he doesn't fish and hopefully we can get a group session and rate 😁

[Chris_in_Louisiana 0]

28 minutes ago, terp said:

Reject some flies, trim off the matieral with a razor blade, and re-use the hook/bead for a new pattern.  I think I've done this only once because it's painful to destroy one of my creations.

I've taken to this method in recent years.  Lots of "gone wrongs" were filling up make shift rubbermaid fly boxes in my closet as a result of working on my tying skills.  I sat down one evening and recouped probably 50 nymph hooks and as many tungsten bead heads one evening this fall.  Well worth the effort as it cleared space and restocked supplies I'd otherwise be spending more on in the coming months.

[mikemac1 0]

I'll second the giving flies to deserving groups - Giving Back - MGTU 2018

EBAY is also a good alternative

32 minutes ago, terp said:

I've been tying roughly 20 flies a week now for about 1.5 years, to the point where I can't possibly use them all and I'm running out of room in my fly boxes (I even had to buy a few more, despite already bringing about 10 on each trip). ate tying on new tippets and new flies.

  Only 20 a week?  My obsession results in at least a dozen a day.

[WWKimba 0]

I worked with various youth groups when I was a little younger and had my health and can honestly say I've lost FAR more flies to kids than to fishing!  Even with MANY of my questionable casts!!

I, too, donate to worthy groups.  Worthy groups to me include veteran/military groups (spent 8 years with the Red Cross working with Service to the Military and Their Families), youth groups, and cancer related groups (volunteered the first 7 years at Camp TaKumTa in Vermont and lost my Dad to pancreatic cancer a couple years ago).

I know ALOT of tyers that believe in the saying "He who dies with the most stuff wins!" when it comes to tying materials so I just keep tying.  Living in central NY (with it's lake effect snow!) keeps me tying and with COVID I'm tying even more!  As long as you are having fun - who cares!

Kim

[DFoster 0]

1 hour ago, Chris_in_Louisiana said:

I've taken to this method in recent years.  Lots of "gone wrongs" were filling up make shift rubbermaid fly boxes in my closet as a result of working on my tying skills.  I sat down one evening and recouped probably 50 nymph hooks and as many tungsten bead heads one evening this fall.  Well worth the effort as it cleared space and restocked supplies I'd otherwise be spending more on in the coming months.

Same here, I've been tying for a decade and each year my skill at the vise improves thankfully.  So each year I find flies that relative to my tying skills fall into the "got wrong" category (I love that term Chris).  If I know that I can tie a much better example of the fly currently in my  I remove the got wrong and cut it down for the hook/bead.  I have a large active family so the amount of time I can devote to tying and fishing is not unlimited.  It seems like someone has a birthday party or wedding every weekend.  So winter is fly tying season for me with free time in the warmer weather is use for fishing mostly.  I do tie all year but the winter is primarily when I fill the holes in my boxes including those once occupied by got wrongs.  Constantly looking at my previous creations with a critically with an eye that becomes more trained each year is what keeps my fly collection from overpopulating like rabbits.

 

[Current Angler 0]

Not sure where you find all this time!  I would suggest that if you do end up giving some of them away (I can tell you that there are many great organizations and young kids that would be thrilled to get some new flies), take pictures of at least a few of them.  It's always fun to look back and see how your tying has improved, among other things.

[DFoster 0]

1 hour ago, WWKimba said:

I know ALOT of tyers that believe in the saying "He who dies with the most stuff wins!" when it comes to tying materials so I just keep tying. 

Kim

Kim I would consider it a "win" if by the time I die someone like a Davie McPhail could open a fly box of mine and say "Not bad". 🙂

[chugbug27 0]

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[Stippled Popper 0]

I donate my surplus flies to my local club for our annual conclave for the raffles and to other fly fishing clubs and other fly events where I am invited to tie.  Individual flies are generally handed to people watching you tie at tying events.

[flytire 0]

i tie way too many flies that i'll never use in my remaining life time on earth

i also have way too many fly boxes containing way too many flies that will never get used

i should start selling my Hairwing Atlantic salmon and Hairwing steelhead flies just to get rid of them but i have never had any luck selling anything on this forum website

i have a plastic shoebox half full of swap flies i'll never use

i have in the past donated fly boxes of midges to the cutthroat chapter of trout unlimited in colorado for their annual chapter and state fund raising auctions

i have tried to donate flies and fly rods to regional wounded warrior chapters but they never returned any correspondence.

i think i need a fly tyers 12 step program

[mikemac1 0]

1 hour ago, flytire said:

i tie way too many flies that i'll never use in my remaining life time on earth

i also have way too many fly boxes containing way too many flies that will never get used

i should start selling my Hairwing Atlantic salmon and Hairwing steelhead flies just to get rid of them but i have never had any luck selling anything on this forum website

i have a plastic shoebox half full of swap flies i'll never use

i have in the past donated fly boxes of midges to the cutthroat chapter of trout unlimited in colorado for their annual chapter and state fund raising auctions

i have tried to donate flies and fly rods to regional wounded warrior chapters but they never returned any correspondence.

i think i need a fly tyers 12 step program

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