Cheap Tying Materials
I just got into tying and I was woundering where I could find any cheap but good materials, as I'm only 13 funds are really short. Thanks in advance for iny input.
- Mike
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If people concentrated on the really important things of life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
~ Doug Larson
[This message has been edited by FlyTyer819 (edited 08 April 2006).]
Hi FlyTyer,
I have a lot of found materials: feathers in the park, foam packing material, craft stores, etc. I bought a marabou feather boa at a thrift store for $5. That should last me a year or more. An extremely kind gentleman sent me some elk hide. I have even tied something using feathers from our pet finch. I recently got a tail from a slow squirrel that didn't run across the road fast enough.
At our local sports store, there are three grades of feathers. I'm on a very tight budget, too, so I buy the cheapest. With careful selection, I'm hoping that the fish won't care half the time.
If you hunt or have friends that do you can get turkey tails and wings at this time of year. Shoot one of those pesky starlings in the front yard for soft hackles. Check out hobby lobby for foam, beads, raffia, pheasant tails, goose biots, tinsel, dyed hackle for wet flies etc. Road kills (only with some adult supervision) can provide dubbing and feathers also. Make sure they are fresh and handle with care.
I can think of few acts more selfish than refusing a vaccination.
A source for especially goose feathers...usually wings... is a golf course...most have geese on them....at least where I come from...
I second the craft stores idea. Also dollar stores, odd lots stores, Salvation Army stores,fabric stores, etc. You can find a lot if you scrounge and improvise.
Old electric wires are a cheap source of wires in various sizes and colors.
Send me your snail mail address and I will send you a package of feathers, fur, chenille, punch yarn and maybe some other odds and ends.
Tim Anderson
I see that Mr. Anderson has beaten me to it...But heres a link to a site for Punch Yarn...Great material..Cheap and very versitile..
[url=http://www.punchneedlemarketplace.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_list&c=8:c655b]http://www.punchneedlemarketplace.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_list&c=8[/url:c655b]
Wish ya great fishing,Bill
Initially just tie a few patterns that work in the waters you fish...
Stick to those until you have mastered them. Don't be tempted to spend money you cannot afford on material you may never use. However never look a gift horse in the mouth and if you find stuff offered or cheap in craft shops or second hand stores, grab it quick.
Never be afraid to tie with what you have. If a pattern calls for one material or other you do not have or cannot afford, don't be scared of substituting. You will find fish won't mind. You may also invent yourself a special killing fly!!
You do not need to spend a fortune to tie nice flies. Lots of materials are lying around for free. Lots of us on here spend fortunes on collecting feather and fur we will never use!! It does become somewhat of a disease!!!!!!!!!! Get your wife to sew up your wallet, and only allow you to leave the house with a little money!!!! (Just noticed you are only 13, so probably won't have a wife yet!! Lucky person.....)
[This message has been edited by mickporter (edited 08 April 2006).]
Best regards and tight lines
Mick Porter
You can also try any local hunters clubs (check in the sports sections of your newspaper for meeting times and places), Ebay is a god source for lots of cheap material (be careful who you buy from), I have also gotten cheap furs at hunting/fishing shows.
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Fish more, work less!
Good advice mickporter
This kind of thing can't be stressed enough
Many people claim that tying your own flys is more expensive than buying them.
Follow Mick's advise and you'll find this is not true.
The simpler the outfit, the more skill it takes to manage it, and the more pleasure one gets in his achievements.
--- Horace Kephart
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