i’ve found that making a list is helpful before going to a fly shop. I take away items on the list that aren’t really needed or that i forget what i wanted them for. The only problem is every time i take something off the list more goes on 
WWFF
I make a list also, because I don’t want to have to go back to soon. The closest Fly shop is 75 miles away and its an Orvis Shop. Next closest I know of and can find is Bass Pro in Nashville, 150 miles away, and I don’t want to forget anything.
Doesn’t this go against the whole concept of shopping? Aren’t you just supposed to go into these places and do “Oh mys!” :lol: JGW
When I shop online I always like it when a retailer offers an online wish list. I put items in my wish list as I think of things I “need”. Then when it comes time to place my order, I look through the list and try to be pretty brutal with pruning out stuff to stay in a predetermined budget.
i always make a list also!
i hate forgetting something even if its not an important material 
and for some reason i can never only get whats on the list :lol: 8)
I make a list also, but I list the pattern I want to tie with the material next to it.
Also if the pattern is in a magazine, I list that also. then before I orfer I look at it again to seeif I still want to do it.
Rick
I make a list also, but I list the pattern I want to tie with the material next to it.
Also if the pattern is in a magazine, I list that also. then before I orfer I look at it again to seeif I still want to do it.
Now that’s organisation for you! I run a list but usually I either buy something on the list and forget what I wanted it for, or forget where I saw the recipe.
D’Oh!
ussually i’ll forget to bring the list or i’ll always end up with more than what was on it
Hi WWFF,
I’ve actually gone one step better than just making a shopping list. I have a list of all my fly tying materials (item by item) recorded on an Excel Spreadsheet. Yes, it took a little bit of time to do that but it’s well worth the effort. After a tying session, I subtract the approximate amount of the material I’ve used. I keep a pretty accurate hook count and change the background color of other materials that are running low. I use yellow to show heavy use of a material, pink to show almost gone and red to show I’ve used up all of that material. I can then tell at a glace what I need to put on my shopping list. This way I don’t buy stuff that I already have. I hated buying a pack of copper Flashabou and then discovering 2 other packs stashed away in another drawer. My Excel Spreadsheet has really worked well for me. Try it—you’ll like it. 8T
Eight Thumbs,
I am very impressed by your organization! I would like to know more details about how to set up the Spreadsheet??
Unlike going to the grocery store, where I take a list of items and I ONLY buy what’s on the list and behave myself, going to the fly shop with a list doesn’t work that way! When I go in a fly shop I’m like a kid in a candy store. It’s sort of like, “Let’s hurry and get the stuff on my list so I can spend 3 hrs snooping around the shop and developing new ideas!” Yea! I’m like a Mad Scientist! :lol:
Being a perfectionist drove me nuts because it had to be the exact material made by the correct company or I had a fit. I appreciated the Post a while back about ‘Where Do You Store Your Materials?’ because it proved I wasn’t completely off my rocker, since my materials weren’t neatly stored.
Doug
I think I have found a long lost brother!
hmmmmm i might have to try this spreadsheet!!!
whoa… you guys are scarin’ me 
MOM ALWAYS LIKED YOU BEST! :lol: :lol: :lol:
took my list to th shop today and got all i wanted and more. Now if i could just remember what i wanted everything for. I got a bunch of stuff for soft hackles. I went to the 1st shop and asked if they had mole skins. The guy laughed and asked what i wanted them for. Says hes never heard of them. The 2nd shop only had 2 one tan and one black. they were on sale for a buck so i got both. i also picked up some hackle and imitation jungle cock both of which i didn’t need. The guy gave me a discount cause i bought a lot. It was like $5 off.
WWFF
kool ! lucky you have 2 shops close! haha i only have one ! but it has pretty much everything you could ever want 8)
Doug,
My spread sheet system is really very basic but effective. I use a separate work sheet (page) for each major category of material. My pages include 1. loose feathers (marabou, grouse, duck breast) 2. bird skins (saddles, capes, pheasant skins) 3. animal tails (bucktail, kip, squirrel) 4. thread 5. chenille 6. floss and yarn 7. dubbing and dubbing fur 8. Quills (peacock, duck, goose, pheasant) 9. Synthetic wing (craft fur, flashabou, krystal flash, Farrar’s H2O) 10. Hooks 11. Eyes and beads (stick on, bead chain, lead eyes, beads) 12. Legs and body (rubber legs, foam bodies foam sheets) 13. Misc (anything I can fit in the above categories)
Within these categories I separate different types of materials on each worksheet with labels in the material column and empty rows. Dry fly hooks are all listed first and each brand or model is separated by an empty row. Then wet fly hooks are listed and separated by an empty row for each brand and model.
On each work sheet, I have major categories for each item which usually include 1. Name of Material, 2. Color One, 3. Color Two, 4. Size, 5. Amount, 6. Quality, 7. Quality 2, 8. Source, 9. Date of Purchase, 10. Cost, 11. Location (drawer or bin in which it’s stored). Some of these categories change with the type of material.
So an entry for a Rooster Cape would read:
Conranch Rooster Cape Furnace Dark Large 1 Grade #2 Excellent Conranch 2006 Apr $46.00 Drawer 12
An entry for hooks would contain different information and would read:
Mustad Dry Fly 94840 56 #8 Standard (length) 1X Fine TDE H & H 2003 Dec $5.88 Box 4
This spread sheet is only as good as the data you enter. If you fail to keep it up with new purchases and use, all your work will be wasted. Record any new material right after you buy it. Record material decreases due to use right after your tying session. Some material like hooks can be counted directly. If I tie two dozen gurgle pops, Mustad hooks listed at 56 drop to 32 in the quantity column. Some material is hard to quantify and I use normal black text to signify no use to light use, yellow text to signify over 50% gone, pink text for 90% gone and red text for a completely used up item.
You wouldn’t believe the time I save with this system. Do I have Crawdub in medium olive? Easy to check. Do I have enough pearl Krystal Flash to tie a dozen Deceivers? Where is my bleached elk hair? This system may sound complex at first but it really very simple. Most tyers can record their materials in three or four sessions if they are reasonably good typists and have a good reference for spreadsheet use.
I hope this answers everyones questions. It’s probably more information than you ever wanted. Honestly, its far harder to explain than to use. 8T
8T,
Your Spreadsheet makes sense to me but updating is what makes me doubt MY abilities to keep it online.
I record a check transaction and deposit in my checking account but that doesn’t happen very often. I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill probably. I can see you can’t get lazy and let it go or you have to play catchup with the updating of the inventory.
The reason you perked my curiosity is because my Brother inlaw uses a Spreadsheet to keep track of his hobby. His system is so detailed that I told him that I couldn’t explain it to anyone because they wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about! :lol:
Thanks,
Doug
Doug,
It only takes a minute or two after each tying session to do the update. Since my computer is usually on, it’s really quick and painless even for a habitual procrastinator such as myself. I also have a page that I didn’t mention where I keep track of the pattern and number of flies I tied that session. That is very rewarding to fill in; a dozen of these or half a dozen of those. 8T
And you can compare last yrs production with this yrs!
Have a record of where your flies went, so if someone says you NEVER give them any flies you will have evidence.
Doug