Tie vs Buy

[darrell]

I only have about 3% bought flies.
Then there's the 2% of the flies I have that are ...... acquired from someone elses fly box.
And then there's the 2% of flies I have that someone noted 'here, try this'.
And the other 93% are flies I tied.

Hmms ..... comes to thing of it ..... I acquired another fly last nite


darrell,

[Gigante]

I'm still somewhat new to tying but I love it and have already managed to do both thinks, enjoy the tying itself and save money. Of the flies I currently have on me when fishing, more than 60% probably are ones I tied and use. I bought a very cheap tying kit to start that was at a non-profit auction with a class (cheap) vise and built my own desk out of very cheap wood. It is big and very functional. I had bought a super cheap rolling drawer system from Fred's and have since been given one of the big nice tying chests for materials as a gift. I use every cheap source available to find materials and when added up my flies cost barely .40 to make, that's with Tiemco, Mustad, Dai-Riki hooks and the like and some nice beads. If you are resourceful, it is well worth the effort IMO. I have a hard time not running out to buy specific materials for patterns I want to tie but I resist and use alternate materials and the fly rarely comes out very different. And for tying bass flies...just use your imagination and whatever materials you have, it is so easy to invent an effective bass fly. I have two originals just from the past week and a half that I am very confident using.

If you can't see well, that's definetely understandable. Me? I see like a hawk thank the good Lord.

[Steven]

Don't know my percentage, but for trout - and unless I'm on a trip and a guide hands me something - I fish all my own flies except for Dave's hoppers and LaFontaine DSP's and ESP's. I've never made either of the three close to my liking.

I buy poppers (both deer hair and cork) for bass.

Panfish are all me.

I'll say this - there ain't no way I'm saving money.

[nuthatch]

I am a buyer. I havn't the time to tie flies, or to learn how. Maybe once the kids have grown and things quiet down at the office... It looks like a lot of fun.

[Coach Robb]

i tie not to save money ,but because I enjoy it. I had a lady tying flies at a demostration tabl ask me why I would tie my own leaders? I asked why she tied her own flies? It 's all part of the challenge and the satisfaction of catching a fish on a fly I tied ( fish do eat ugly flies), on a leader I built, on a rod I made. It's the journey not the destination that makes life fun.

[Lucky489]

I have bought all of my flies. Haven't tied a single one. Been fly fishing for 5 years or so. When I add up the costs to get started and the varied fishing I do. Doesn't seem to add up.

I have built a couple of rods and I enjoyed that, but I keep thinking about tieing my own. I need a couple of more rods when that phase of the accumating hits the end. I figure I will have about 15 rods, so will need a new excuse to buy stuff. I guess tieing will take that place.

[Buddy Sanders]

I don't buy flies.

I fish either mine, or flies tied by one friend of mine (he's a guide and always knows the 'exact' pattern for the 'Juan, so I use his flies there unless I have tied 'that' fly).

I've been given flies by others, but these go into the 'copy but don't fish with' cabinet. These come with memories and are too precious to throw inot hte water.

I enjoy catching fish on flies I've tied. I'd rather not use store bought flies.

If I'm visiting a 'strange' fly shop, I'll look at the 'local' patterns (and tie my version of them later), but what I'll buy is tippet, leaders, a cap or something with their logo on it.

Good Luck!

Buddy

[KOA-1]

In the recent past, one of the fly fishing/tying magazines had an article stating that it is not cheaper to tie your own flies. Most of us tell our spouses that tying saves money but tiers all know that is not true.
I use my own flies 100% of the time. I enjoy tying and enjoy catching fish with something that I tied. I take great pleasure in fooling that pea-brained cutt with a fly that I designed and tied.

[Rich Ward]

I never go any where and ask a shop owner or employee what they are hitting and not buy a few of what he said works even if I have some. As for tying all my flys, I don't. As I get older I have trouble with drys smaller than 16 and nymphs smaller than 20 so if I need those I buy them (not many LOL)like most of you on this board when I put my fly bag in the truck it doubles in value.

Rich

[bassman]

I would have to Ditto what WarrenP said. I Tie because it is fun and I can be creative. I am just now getting into teaching fly tying. I tell my students that You do not have to be exact in your tying. You can subsittue many materials with others at a cheaper cost. I tell my students that I look at most anything I see as a potential tying materials. My tying materials would scare a purist. But most of my flies do catch fish. I only buy these days to get a pattern to look at. John