How did the Great Tiers get into the Business?

I am re-reading Eric Leiser's book on the Dettes' and other early New England tiers.

What I have wondered about for years is this: What separates/separated an enthusiast tier from one who ultimately has a fly shop?

Hard to explain what I am getting at here. I know many guides who tie a lot. I know many purely non-professionals who tie a great deal. Many have tied a great deal for 30-40-beyond years. Now, I venture to say that most would tell you that during the first one to three or more years their flies were not consistent, high-quality flies even though they were tying high volumes.

Now, picture a young Walt Dette taking a Rube Cross fly he purchased apart one thread turn at a time to determine how it is tied. Then, in short order, be selling flies for a living and doing well at it. This without help from others in learning how to tie flies. No books with good instruction; no videos; no willing mentors; etc.
Now, you cannot say, I believe, that somehow Walt, Winnie and their daughter each happened to possess some miraculous talent from nature. Certainly they were talented, but they weren't born with their skills.

So, for example, what did their first 800 dozen flies look like? At what point did their flies become high enough quality to have fishermen come to seek their flies?

Walt did not fly fish until a teenager. I don't think he started tying flies until his early twenties.

I find this so interesting. I wish there were a better historical documentation of how they developed. How long it took them to "perfect" their craft. What did the first flies they sold look like. etc, etc, etc.

Anyone else wonder?

To the basic terms Ability - Passion (Dedication) - Location. All three are necessary to be successful and move from a guy who piddles in his basement to a fly shop owner. A little good luck and expert guidance along the way will make it easier. You can improve your ability with practice if you have the passion, you can move to a good location if you have the passion and be successful if you have the ability, but you have to have all three to run a successful fly shop and sell your own flies.

While I agree with all the other answers you've gotten, I think that there's another element that should also be taken into consideration. The law of supply and demand has always driven any marketplace, including flies for fishing. When many of these great tyers started their journey, the supply of well tied flies was not as abundant as it is now, nor were there so many other talented tyers out there. When you combined unique, high quality products with fish catching reputation, people beat a path to their doors to buy their flies. Now, most flies are tied over seas, mainly by women who have never fished and probably never will. They are fairly well tied, certainly good enough for most fish (and fishermen for that matter), and they can be purchased for about the same cost as just the materials here in the States. You just can't compete with the priceing and still make a decent profit for your time.

To be successful in any business venture, you have to provide a product or service that people want and that they can't get cheaper elsewhere. Even if you invented a great new pattern that was catching fish like crazy, once you put it into the marketplace, it would only take a matter of weeks before it was being replicated by other tyers around the world and sold for cheaper than you can tie it and sell it. That's why I think most new inovative tyers, "invent" new products to tie new patterns and then sell their products not the flies they tie. Just my 2 cents worth.

Jim Smith

Right on the money James.

I was taught by the dette's, Flick, Darbys, schreibert, etc. Spent alot of my youth at their places. I didn't open my shop till 4 years ago. 40+ years after learning to tie.

Byron, If you haven't read the biography,s on both the Dette's and Darby's you should. You will have your questions answered. Also Mike Valla's book on Tying Catskill Style Dry Flies.

Do you have to be a great tyer to be in the "business"? If you are in the "business" does that make you a great tyer? Are you only asking about the Dettes?

I don't think you have to be a great tyer, but you do need to be a consistent in your tyes.

Narc
I have read leiser's bio on the Dettes' as I said in my post.

It doesn't explain how long they tied before their flies became good enough to warrant customers - unless I missed it.
How about you telling me?

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Originally Posted by DUB

Do you have to be a great tyer to be in the "business"? If you are in the "business" does that make you a great tyer? Are you only asking about the Dettes?

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Dub
I'm asking about the "great tiers", meaning the famous ones.
Even I did some commercial tying on the side for a while. But, that was after tying for 15 years or so.