how many types do you tie?

[flybinder]

For me, I guess it depends mostly on "where I'm going" and "what am I fishing for", plus the "time of year".
Right now, it's three, solid, proven, Steelhead fly patterns. I've had 11 Steelies in hand, this season, already on patterns I've used for years,.so, no use in expanding THAT series!?!!
Trout, if locally being fished, it's 8 patterns, for 99% of the water I hit.
When I head for North Idaho and Western Montana, it's another 4 or 5 patterns, that work better over there than they will here and I leave all but two, of my "home patterns" at home.
So, thanks to this good topic, I'm now wondering "WHY" I always carry at least 9 fly boxes with me, on every trip!?!??
Of course.... I also wonder about a lot of things, I do, that make no sense!?!

[PaulY]

I live in Minnesota and tie for local use only. For nymphs, I tie Pheasant Tails, Brassies, Caddis Larvae, and Soft Hackles. For dry flies, BWO, Elk Hair Caddis and Parachute Adams are all I tie.

[DDRRedneck500]

I have to agree with DG and Philly in that you don't need a huge number of patterns to be successful. I guess I have a little over a dozen that I tie regularly and they work well for me. I am trying to expand my skills, however, so this winter I will be tying new patterns that require me to try different things. I look them over beforehand as to whether I think they will be successful, so I think I will have some new favorites this summer. Just about everything is in the attractor fly family, so the odds of them working are good!

yeah i can understand that. i probably dont really need anywhere near that many patterns, but i also try to catch a LOT of different types of fish, and its pretty fun learning a new pattern, trying it out, and catching fish with it. and also, i only get to fish about 35-40 days a year, and i just enjoy tying flies. so ill still probably learn more, and try them out, just because i enjoy that

[cholcomb13]

Personally...I probably only tie maybe a dozen or 20 different patterns...these work well on the waters I fish and it makes no sense on fixing something that isn't broken...if I go somewhere new though, I'll tie several new patterns that reports say work for that area....

....I tie maybe a 100 different patterns/variations a year with all of the fly swaps that I participate.... The swaps allow me to refine and practice tying...experiment and try new patterns.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Well I have this problem. When fishing I can't seem to get away from my old tried and true patterns. I tie about 50 different patterns. I have gotten quite good at some of them. I have however only fished about 10 of them. Each year I only add one or two patterns to my trusted list. I take them all out with me in the flybox but only use one or two different per trip. Its a problem I have tried to shake rid of but so far cannot. I even tried taking only new patterns with me fishing, but then i broke down and borrowed some cause I just couldn't do it. Strange huh?

I used to have the same problem with my own home tied flies versus store boughts. I wouldn't use my own only store bought. Once I broke that mold it is now the complete reversal and I only tie and fish my own. Now I don't even own store boughts.

[Gigmaster]

On a regular basis, I probably tie 20 patterns, but I'm always eager to try new ones. If they work, then I add them to my repertoire. Out of those 20 patterns, I probably use about a dozen most of the time, and the rest for special situations.

[Greg H]

My inventory list is 59 different 'patterns' and a total of 67 different flies (considering both colour and size). However to avoid boredom I will tie a regular Usual for size 16, and a Rusty Usual in the same size, and one with a slimmer quill body for the size 18, and one with a fold-over wingcase/tufted wing for the size 14, so I am not sure if they are 4 'patterns' or just one.
I guess if a person tied only Catskill dries, EHC, GRHE, WB, and Clousers; but in several different colours and sizes, it would be a challenge to say that they only tie 5 patterns or they tie 5 patterns x 4 colours x 4 sizes for a total of 80 patterns.
Like the others I usually only fish about 15 or 20 patterns over the year (trout - bass - steelhead), but the less-used patterns (like a grasshopper) are there in case I need them.

[bugman]

i tie 150 different paterns & types of flies regulary, only fishing about 15 to 20 paterns out of those........i enjoy tying as much as fishin......sure ya can catch a fish on a bought fly but to me its just not as satisfyin as landin a fish with a fly i tied myself

[Gardenfish]

I have ADHD. Every fly I tie is different.

[darenwh]

I tie and fish probably 20-30 patterns regularly. This is more because I fish a large variety of fish and find some patterns work better than others for certain fish. I fish Walleye, Small Mouth and Large Mouth Bass, Northern Pike, Musky, various panfish species, White Bass, Stripers (on occasion), the three stream trout species, two Salmon species, Steelhead, Lake run browns, Carp, and what ever else I can get to hit a fly. Though there are many universal (or nearly universal) patterns, there are also some that work very well for specific fish, so it pays to tie and carry a variety. Besides, when the old reliables don't work sometimes going to something different for that fish can pay big dividends....
Daren