ok, im not one of those super eco freaks but i do care lot about recycling. i try to use stuff for fly tying rather than throwing it away but theres only so much you can do. does anyone know of any flies that use stuff that you would normally throw away, or any ways to substitute materials with stuff that you would normally throw away? ive been looking through the bulliten about interesting materials but i havnt found any that are very common that would normally be thrown away. so any ideas would be nice.
How about the guys that are cutting up potato chip bags and the like for mylar…
Just thought this one up, The plastic grocery bags that you normally throw away from Nob Hill or Safeway…Could be cut up for scud back, Or color it with prismacolor pens and laquer it for cool realistics. 
how abouts all that christmas tinsel on the tree. and some bows on presents are made of a kinda mylar material. i believe one could use dryer sheets for wings too
Make sure you use the dryer sheets first to get rid of the odor!!!
Hi Group,
We like to use the silver bladder from a box of wine (after the beverage has been consumed) to cut into strips in place of a tinsel body. Take care & …
Tight Lines ? Al & Gretchen Beatty
BT?s Fly Fishing Products &
Flyfisher Magazine
albeatty2@aol.com
beatty@keokee.com
208-362-2663 (phone & fax)
208-861-0564 (cell)
Last night I stripped the strands out of some old speaker wire to tie up some Copper Johns. It was perfect for a size 16 and 18 fly.
fur, feather, and cotton bits go into the garden recycling.
Just about any plastic bag can be used for wing cases and hard backs for insects or crayfish imitations, the silver bags from computer parts are among my favorites. Watch garage sales and thrift stores for old coats that use fur either as fur coats or around the neck or other decorative parts of the coat. These can ofter be purchased for next to nothing and used for fly tying materials. Same thing for many of the materials that stuffed animals are made of. Craft fur is great for streamers and other uses and it’s alot cheaper to get it this way than via the fly shop. Plus you can get just about any color if you watch.
how about rubber bands, and rubber gloves
bands for grubs, gloves for grubs and scud back