Even though I'm a commercial tier, I need to note that this is simply incorrect, at least for the major companies producing flies primarily in southeast Asia rather than Africa or China. Fly tying is skilled labor in a part of the world where unskilled labor sweatshop jobs (i.e. shoe factory) are the norm for most people, particularly women. It takes time to train someone to tie flies, so the fly companies invest much more in their employees than you'd think. I know MFC has childcare, etc. available for their employees at their factories, and the pay is dramatically higher than in unskilled labor factory settings. It's a win-win for American consumers and the women doing the tying. The main losers are American commercial tiers like me who have to sell my flies wholesale at $13.50/dz to compete. The only way it works for me is because I do most of my tying while sitting in the store during the winter XC ski rental season.Originally Posted by Fontinalis
As to materials, there's a reason Umpqua bought Metz and is the largest Tiemco distributor... Also why MFC and others are getting into the wholesale materials game --they're using their own stuff as well as selling it.
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