Tie vs Buy

[Bamboozle]

As I perused one of the many catalogs that clutter my mailbox this time of year; I couldn't help but notice how many have pages and pages, (32 in one!); of flies for sale. It made me wonder who is buying all of those flies at $2 a pop? Is it because imported flies equal good profit margins or more people buy flies than I assume?

One of the first questions I get asked by the uninitiated when I mention fly fishing is: "do you tie your own flies" to which I answer, "of course, doesn't everybody?" As most of us did, I didn't tie in the beginning but I soon realized that it was necessary to me and a whole lot of fun too.

Although maybe if I still could buy flies for $.80; I wouldn't 'cause I ain't savin' no money!

In any case, I tie 99% of the flies I use and only buy poppers because they are too much trouble in my book to tie myself. I am excluding local flies I may buy when visiting a local fly shop since they are usually souvenirs or tying guides; not fishing flies.

So what's your percentage of buy versus tie...

...and why?

[gqualls]

I've been tying for about 6 years. During the past 6 years I have only purchased flies out of necessity 1 time, and that was for my first trout fishing venture. I believe I purchased 4 flies at the time. Since then, I've probably purchased a total of 8 flies. I not only tie flies to save money ( ) but I also tie because I truly enjoy tying.

[Jerry]

Folks that tie 99% of the flys they use are tying for the satisfaction and not to save money.
When I started tying flys I invested in a vise, tools and a couple of hundred $$ worth of material. If I would see a pattern in a magazine I wanted to tie I never had the materials called for. I would either have to drive 30 miles to a fly shop or substitute which made the fly an "original" pattern.
If you buy a top of the line vise, the best tools and equiptment and have enough material on hand to tie 99% of the patterns you want to tie you have invested enough money to buy a life time supply of flys at a place like Hill's discount flys.
I buy 99% of the flys I use.

[Robert Taipala]

I tye 99% of my flies, but I do buy for two reasons. First is if I find an interesting pattern at a fly shop I want to tie I'll get one to copy. Second is very small hook flies. Just too much bother for the amount I would use.

[Rick Z]

I tie at least 99% of the flies I use.
For some reason, when I look in fly-fisihg catalogs the warmwater flies are poppers.
To get the flies I want, I need to tie them.

When we are on vacation I may but a few flies that the shop recommends.

Rick

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I see tying and fishing as two separate though related entities . I would continue tying even if I could no longer fish. I get more out of tying than fishing simply because I can tie all year round but can only fish for 1/2 of the year. I tied about 1000 flies last year. I used about 20 Myself (You don't lose many when you stillwater fish). I gave away about 500 to friends and strangers.

Once while I was in a tying mood,I ran out of hooks at 2am in the morning. I just couldn't wait for the store to open in the morning so I cut the materials off of about 10 or 15 perfectly good flies so I could continue tying all night. So for me it isn't the money or the fishing it is the tying that is important. I have never worried about what each one costs me. I'd probably scare the heck out of me if I ever stopped to figure it out. Thats why I don't

[dudley]

I've tyed all my own flys for around 35 years.
I just could not afford the price of store bought flys when I was a kid, and there were no fly shops around anyway.
When people repeat the mantra that you can't save money by tying your own, I just smile. I guess they didn't come up the way I did. Cheapness comes naturally to me

One guy that I fish with sometimes carrys a duffle bag full of fly boxes with him. All store bought as far as I know.
He also wears coke bottle glasses. He says that seeing to tie is just too tough, so why bother. I can't argue with that although I would never go store bought myself.
The cheapness thing again..

[northjerseyflyguy]

I've been tying for about 3 years and I tie about 99% of my flies. The main exceptions have pretty much been mentioned above. Tiny dry fly hackles drive me nuts, and every so often I'll buy a fly to use as a model, or if I'm on vacation and away from my vice I'll grab a few at the local shop if I'm running low on certain patterns.

[Vulture6]

I tie the vast, vast majority of the flies I use. I started tying back in the mid 1970s, and I can say that fly tying, like fly fishing, doesn't have to cost you a fortune. I don't own a Renzetti vise, nor do I own a G. Loomis rod. My Thompson "A" vise clone works just fine for the majority of my flies, and I built most of my flyrods, and my store bought rods are mostly Fenwicks and a St. Croix pack rod bought at a going out of business sale. (Okay, I did break down and buy a Norvise back in the mid '90s and use it some too, but it hasn't revolutionized my tying and really isn't my "go to" vise.)

That being said, I always buy local flies if I'm not fishing home waters. I try to research and tie approriate flies before the trip, but as mentioned above, there are local patterns to be used for fishing and/or tying models.

As far as buying materials, that does require some significant up front costs (mainly in quality dry fly necks), but craft stores offer affordable alternatives (compare the price of bead chain eyes from a fly shop with the price of a ceiling fan pull chain from Home Depot). Also, I'm fortunate enough to not have bought deer hair, buck tails, elk hair, turkey feathers, wood duck feathers, or pheasant skins in 20 plus years. I have purchased a few rifle cartidges, shotgun shells, and a bottle of scotch or two for my friends who hunt elk, pheasant, grouse, and wood ducks.

[WarrenP]

I have been tying flies for about 12 years and will always tie flies. I tie for my fishing and I tie because I love to tie flies and it is relaxing for me. I enjoy the creation part of tying. If I see a fly in a book that I think would work for my style of fishing, I can sit down and tie it. That gives me great satisfaction. I do not care which way, tying or buying, is cheaper. My personal opinion is that to purchase my flies I would need to have the cash in my pocket at the time I needed them and that is not always possible. The set-up cost for tying your own flies is all up front and from there on it is will not cost you anything for a particular fly except your time. Tying material goes a long way and will tie 100's of flies before need requires another purchase of the material. If you only tie for your own needs and for your local waters you will not need a huge selection of tying material. If you tie commercially then you will need tons of material and that is a whole another story! I still have more tying material than I will ever need, but, this is my hobby and it can never be taken away from me except by the Almightly. I love it so much that I have been teaching beginning fly tying twice a year at the local college for the past 8 years and love and look forward to each class.