Fly sh0ps and tying materials....

All about flies Fly Tying
1

Thread about ‘brick and mortar’ fly shops on the main board brought this to mind…

Local fly shops often carry fly tying materials. It’s where I got my first ‘stuff’ to tie flies with. I expect many folks did also. But any ‘small’ fly shop will always have a limited selection of materials. They usually carry the matterials needed for the favorite local patterns in additon to the basics of the standard patterns, maybe some a bit more than that. For the casual tyer they are often adequate at best.

For those of us who have got bitten hard by the tying bug, though, even the big shops are only a partial solution to the ‘where do I get THAT?’ question.

The internet isn’t just a place to buy stuff. Look at all the fly patterns you can find, all the tying videos showing you how to tie a particular pattern, all the article on sites like this one with how to fish a certain pattern, how to tie it, where to use it. I’ll guarantee that if you wanted to tie all the flies that come through the Fly of the Week here there isn’t one fly shop in the world that would have all of the materials required.

Which brings me to my point. Unless you have access to several fly shops that all have a decent selection of differing materials, you are forced to the internet for your tying needs. Not the fly shops fault. There just isn’t enough room in the average fly shop, nor the dollars to tie up in inventory, to carry everything.

Usually, if I need a material, it’s pretty specific. If the local shops don’t have it, the only easy option is the internet. And it IS easy. Find it, click a few keys and enter the required information. A couple of days later, it’s there. You got exactly what you needed, never had to leave the house.

Would it be nice to ‘support’ your local fly shop. Sure. That’s personal choice, though. You don’t really ‘owe’ your local shop anything unless you think you do. I try to buy from my local shop whenever they have something I need. However, after years of fly tying and buying materials, I currently have much more materials than my local shop stocks.

Which is one reason for having the internet in the first place. I use it frequently. I don’t feel guilty about it.

Buddy

2

I live in a little town 130 miles from the nearest large town and 170 miles to the nearest city. We do have a small fly shop in town that is ran by a friend of mine. I will always check with him but if he does not have what I want I head for the internet. Postage is cheaper than gas ($3.60 gal).

3

I too believe in support our local business. Being self employed I understand how hard it can be competing with the larger big boys.

I also live in small town here in N.W., IA and the closet Fly shop is about 5-6hr drive … not economical for me. So I rely on the internet for all my fly tying needs except for the occasional crafty materials I can pick up here local. I’ve been buying online for about 4yrs now and I found a few excellent online fly shops that I do business with all the time. Customer service is very important, prompt shipping and quality materials are areas I look for when shopping online.

Mike

4

Which reminds me - I hate to need just a packet of dubbing and pay $5 shipping for itl Have found a few shops that have free shipping - just google fly shop free shipping.

5

I am foirtunate as I have two large flys shops that are less than 45 minutes away. They both will special order, but on the rare occassions they cannot get the needed item(s) I will buy online. Craft stores are also a great source especially for beads.

6

I wish!! Try $8.57 gal. Though what really gets me is the postage surcharge that many retailers put on to send items to me here in the Highlands. It is spurious as the Royal Mail charges the same flat rate. I will support local retailers but they must get real with their pricing. Not three times the online price, including post and package, as I found for one item two weeks ago.
Cheers,
C.

7

What a lot of you don’t understand is the bigger the store the cheaper the material is. Most supplies I buy for my shop is only 32 to 30 % less than retail. where as a larger store is 50 to 60% less than retail. So how are we to make any kinda of profit if we don’t charge shipping too. We pay for shipping unless its large volume also…So tell me how to survive against these online stores who never even handle the materials. I know of several online stores who do not have one bit of stock and there fore don’t pay shipping, everything is dropped shipped. Some of us just can’t do it.

8

I understand what you are saying sandfly, and that is why I always try local first, and when I’m traveling/fishing and stop at a fly shop I always buy something. But given the option of $80.00 in gas and at least 6 hours on the road or postage. I’m retired on a fixed income. Also sometimes I call a fly shop/ store (Cabela’s) and they will only ship UPS/FEDEX for a box of hooks/ etc.which could be sent USPS for 1/2 as much. I won’t buy from them.

9

As a matter of personal choice, I will buy from my local shops first. If there’s something I want to order that is online, I check with them first to see if they can get it, or if they have a preferred online vendor. I’m willing to pay a little bit more to keep my locals in business than to keep an online retailer afloat. This isn’t a rant against online retailing. I buy plenty of things online. However, something like my local shop is an institution I want to have around for a while, and not simply as a part time shop. So…I consider it my small investment for the knowledge I’ve received from them.

10

85 miles to my ‘local’ shop with pretty limited tying suplies.(the owner is a good guy, but oriented more to steelhead and warm water stuff) I get what I can from John and sometimes he can order stuff for me, but I usually wind up on the internet. A good shop in California or Montana or Arkansas is only a couple of clicks away and I can talk to them on the phone. Still, I like to see and touch stuff and I buy what I can as local as I can.
Not to hijack, but has anybody else noticed that Cabela’s limited supply of tying materials keeps getting smaller?

11

These days I don’t know how even a local shop can make it without having internet ordering as well? The only shops near me are Orvis shops. Which I use for much of my tying materials. I also have a small chain of shops that I frequent when passing through the areas, which I like alot. For things I can buy unseen I order through them. If I had a solid local shop nearby I would use them for most of everything.

12

Last summer I needed some tying hooks and called around. I was up in the mountains and made all attempts to buy local. Nothing except snelled hooks. I bought from an online company (FAOL sponsor) and got what I needed without driving for an hour just to buy hooks. Small company and good delivery time. General Delivery at the P.O. made a difference too.

13

Actually, I sort of pity the OP, or anyone who does not have easy access to a decent shop, but this is often going to be the case due to demographics and market forces. The fly shops in my area do in fact carry nearly everything, including the kitchen sink. Between that and their expertise which they are always willing to share, and their friendly customer service, I would prefer to give them my business over a remote unknown location any day of the week. Times are changing, and the virtual shops and big box stores will eventually supplant the traditional ones except for some of the destination shops or nexus shops like those in my area (hopefully), and it will be a very sad day. Sure a few of the originals will make the transition and do both, but most will just disappear. Of course this is not a unique trend to fly fishing. The small privately owned business is practically an endangered species these days, but that is a discussion for another day.

14

Small businesses and that includes small fly shops are in many ways like the family owned farms. They are being slowly squeezed out of existance by large businesses and corporate farms, Prior to retiring I was a park ranger, several of our maintinance guys worked full time jobs to support their farming, which they loved. Corporate farms do NOT care about you or me only the bottom line. I just wish I had a larger local shop than I do here, but at least I have one and that is a place to start. Y’all take care, John.