Tying versus Buying

[stenacron]

Tying versus buying is the conundrum that all anglers face eventually. Some hear the voices earlier into their fly fishing lives than others, but it is something that we all should consider (or have considered). Personally I have been tying flies for about twenty-five (25) years so I get asked this question quite often by those that are relatively new to the sport, and my answer is a three-pronged one that has never changed… The only way you can be 100% in control of the; design, quality, and availability of your flies, is to tie them yourself.

Now that is not to say that you absolutely must tie your own flies to be a satisfied and successful angler. I have a few friends that have been fly fishing for decades that still buy all of their flies and are quite happy doing so. Having said that, there have been times when one or all of those three prongs have gotten to them… and each has muttered the phrase, "I really need to start tying" right before they would borrow flies from me (or ask me to tie replacements).

I won't even touch on the degree of satisfaction one feels when duping fish on a fly you have actually tied, or about the fun in developing custom patterns and sharing them with others, or that fly tying can be a great cure for cabin fever. Instead I will keep to a brief elaboration on the three (3) "prongs", and let you decide for yourself which (if any) are important enough to motivate you to start tying.


DESIGN

Unless you order flies from the same catalog (or buy them from the same shop), all tyers have their own style and slight variations in the same pattern will occur from tyer to tyer. Plus, there are always local hot flies or tweaks to existing patterns that make them more effective compared to the traditional design. New materials are constantly being introduced and folks find ways of spicing up older patterns with different materials. So the randomness of supposed "common" designs is already there.

If you do decide to tie you will invariably start imparting your own tweaks or style into the patterns that you carry and fish. This is one of the great advantages of tying your own flies in my opinion… the ability to decipher situations in the natural world, and then work those ideas into your own successful patterns. Few things in angling are more gratifying.

Some shop or catalog flies are tied outside of conventional design purposely for the sake of convenience, saving time, or just plain old corner cutting … which leads us to the next topic.


QUALITY

When buying flies, sooner or later, you may encounter issues with (poor) quality resulting in either; a short life span of the fly, or a fly that fishes poorly. Just looking through the mass-produced bins of retail outdoor stores you can see that the level of quality varies greatly within each bin. This is not to say that all purchased flies are of lesser quality. Quite the opposite actually as most flies produced by reputable tyers (or suppliers) are of very fine quality; however, in some cases as it is with any other manufactured product, the "Clint Eastwood factor" is always a possibility… there's the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Think about it, time and materials are "money" to the average commercial tier. And they need to optimize the usage of both in order to remain profitable. It is as simple as that. Tying your own flies allows you to chuck a couple of feathers here or there, or send a fly or two into the recycle bin because you don't like the way it looks, or take those extra steps necessary to ensure a longer fly life. Two flies that come to mind that I use a lot are Soft Hackles and Comparaduns… I've seen show tyers, YouTube videos, and flies in mass bins routinely tied incorrectly (at least for my purposes). But tying them right, and tying them to last may take twice as long, per fly! This added work times a thousand flies means nothing to the person at home tying their own flies, but it is money flying out the window for some trying to make a living at it.


AVAILABILITY

It used to be a running joke in fly shops when I lived back in PA, "You want to know what's hatching? Take a look in the bins and see what's sold out!" This was especially true during the highly-anticipated "sulphur" hatch. If you didn't have your season's worth of #14, #16, and #18 Sulphur Dun patterns by the time May rolled around… you had to do some real searching! Not a problem for those tying their own flies, but a potential disaster for those relying on store bought supply. This could be the same for any pattern really. Stores can randomly sell out of popular patterns at any time. We've all heard the excuses, "Yeah, I just ordered some more and they should be here by Monday." And while comforting in some small way, that won't help you NOW!

Then there are those patterns that are simply not available everywhere, or at all. Every fly shop tyer has a home-spun pattern or two that they can recommend. And truth-be-told they usually work out… sometimes so well that you want to try them elsewhere. Now if these "specialty flies" hit a home run on your local waters, you had better be able to tie some replacements yourself. Or else you may have to wait until your next fishing vacation to grab some more (if they're still around).

One last note on availability with respect to soft hackles (and flymphs)… If you find yourself really loving these types of patterns (like I do)… your only option for total involvement is to tie them yourself. Sure you will find the Partridge & Orange and Partridge & Yellow in most shops, along with the occasional other random pattern. But if you are looking to fish Slattery's Triple Threat Caddis, Libertone's Lil' Dorothy, Leisenring's Black Gnat, Nemes' Syl's Midge, (all highly recommended by the way), or the dozens of other relatively obscure – and highly effective - patterns out there… you simply have to tie them yourself to guarantee their availability. And I'm sure this applies to many other genres of fly types as well.


So there you have it… three (3) of the most important things to consider (in my opinion) when it comes down to tying versus buying. Although I do claim to tie all of my flies that is not entirely true in that I do sometimes purchase flies when visiting fly shops in new areas… mainly because I would feel guilty about asking shop owners for fishing information without buying something. So even though I am capable of tying all of the flies that I use, nothing greases the gears of fly shop conversation quite like a fresh purchase.

In closing, there is one more (controversial?) topic to cover, and that is on the proper way to get started. Let's say for example that you have made the decision to start tying. The very next thought that comes to your mind is, "should I buy a fly tying kit?"

The answer to this question can be a simple yes or no, but the precursor to that answer is wherein lays the problem. If you can somehow decipher definitively that "YES, I want to tie flies!" Then my (strong) recommendation would be to buy a decent vise, good quality tools, and fill out your hook and materials needs a few flies at a time. Kits are enticing with their array of "everything you need to get started" but in most cases what they really should say is "you will need to replace everything in this box immediately if you really want to keep tying." And that is the sad truth for those committed to taking the plunge, but it could also be the answer for those that want to try it to see if they like it before jumping in with both feet. The problem is that not all fly tying kits are created equal, and the tools/materials may be of such poor quality that using them will amount to nothing more than frustration. The truth however is that most folks ignore this advice, get into fly tying via tying kit, soon regret ever buying it, and then need to replace everything in it (and that includes myself, many years ago).

In the end, fly tying is a lot like fly casting (or fly fishing), it matters little how you got there… the important thing is that you got there.


Tight lines!

 

[moucheur2003]

stenacron...

Better to buy "the better or best" in the beginning, choose and tie a few patterns instead of them all, and add more of the "good stuff" as one goes along...

Until you reach the point that whenever some great new floss or dubbing or whatever comes out, you buy one each of all the colors just cuz ya never know when it will come in handy.

Of course, that's the point when you realize you're tying mainly to amuse yourself, not to save money on flies. If you only wanted to save money on flies, you'd buy them all from Jerry.

 

[mcnerney]

Joe: Very well written, this subject comes up so often I made this thread a sticky so others can find it.

 

[bigjim5589]

Joe, I agree with what's already been said, very well done and some excellent points that should be considered by anyone who may desire to start tying their own! :clap:

I started tying before I started fly fishing so all of this was a non-issue for me. I also started at age 11, mainly because I felt I could tie the flies I saw in magazines. It was a matter of doing something myself, with my hands, which is something many at that age may look to do, even though I lacked obvious talents at the time, or at least none that had become obvious at that point in my life.

Now, all these years later I've accumulated quite a large stock & investment in tying. (Not to mention lure making too. )

Had I known then, what I know now as far as the money spent along the way I likely could have reduced it considerably by simply buying my flies.

However, as you've pointed out, there are other factors to consider besides the investments in dollars spent.

IMO, I'm a better angler because I've been tying flies & making many of my own lures all these years.

 

[stenacron]

Thank you for the kind words guys, it means a lot! :thumbsupu

I specifically avoided the "tying flies is less expensive" topic, because I secretly know the answer to that one!

Also, I tried to avoid sounding too preachy on the subject of tying "kits" because I myself fell for it TWICE! Like BigJim I started tying flies before owning a rod from a kit that my uncle gave me when I was around 9 or 10 years old. All junk of course and the flies (along with my interest) faded away. Then I started fly fishing here and there and suddenly got real serious about it about 10 years later and decided to start tying. I convinced myself that the kit I had was simply not as good as the one's on the market at that time, so I bought a second, "quality" tying kit, and you can guess the rest. Luckily the bite was bad enough for me to stick through kit disaster #2 and I forged on with wiser investments.

Larry, you're absolutely right... the topic does come up quite often... which, oddly enough provided the inspiration to write this. Thank you for pinning it.

P.S. Strange how the lighting near my tying desk makes my hair look gray... What's up with that?

 

[zug buggin]

I've been tying for 28 years, I got into it for many of the reasons given and it has become a hobby.

 

[duker]

Joe, I love your post, and it really resonates with me. You've described exactly the reasons I started tying flies, and why it has made my fishing that much more meaningful.

I still have a long way to go before the quality of my own flies is up to the standard where I want them, but I love being able to make those small changes that make me believe this fly--this one!--is going to catch a fish. And, as you mentioned, the feeling you get when you catch a fish on a fly you've tied yourself can't be beat. Your smile is just that much wider.

A quote from the great Tom McGuane is apt here:

"I still have many friends who prefer leaving this to the experts, as I once did. But now that I know that the object is to please myself, that the machinelike finish possible for the professional who ties a hundred-dozen of the same pattern doesn't matter much to the fish, nor does it necessarily subject the tyer to repetitive motion diseases or dark hours at the county nut farm. I try to tie flies that will make me fish better, to fish more often, to dream of fish when I can't fish, to remind myself to do what I can to make the world more accommodating to fish and, in short, to take further steps toward actually becoming a fish myself."

--from Tying Flies, The Longest Silence

Scott

 

[troutbum33]

The best (or worst, depending on how you look at it..$$) is when you have enough materials to stock a fly shop. You then collect bugs with your entomology kit. Next, you brainstorm to create you own patterns using your extensive materials......The downside, if you're like me.....unorganized....is you end up with 4 of the same thing a lot cuz you forget you already have 3 when you're buying materials!

I do like to tie tried and true patterns such as prince nymphs and parachute Adams....but I typically prefer to come up with my own patterns. Its fun.

 

[ontheflymn]

In the beginning.....of when I started fly fishing, all my flies were hand me downs from a buddy who got me into it. It quickly became apparent that learning to tie was going to be the most cost effective way to reasonably pursue this hobby. Nymphs were the way to go at fist since I didn't have the money or knowledge for dries. Collecting road kills rabbits, shooting some pheasants and woodies in the fall, an perusing local craft stores was the norm.

Once my hobby became more than a hobby, the money poured into tying and buying gear (still does). Up until a few years ago, I tied all of my own flies. Guiding, fishing, giving them away necessitated the production of 80-100 dozen flies yearly.

Now I buy 8-10 dozen a year, mainly things that I'd rather not fart around with at the bench - rubber legged stimies, for example.

Looking back, buying flies early on might have been more effective in giving me the variety to catch more trout, but being forced into learning how to tie certainly put me in a better spot in the long run.

 

[the_pyromaniac]

My tying sucks, so I buy. I'm practicing to get better, but I'll still buy, so I can get new patterns to learn. It's how I operate.

 

[huntschool]

Great post Joe.....

Truth is, for me, after all these years, I tie due to need. I can not buy what I want and in fooling around trying to find a particular set up I found it was easier and some what enjoyable to do my own. Thats it, short and simple. I buy a bunch of trout flys and tie about five very different flys for my personal (and my wife) use.

Do I like tying.... yep. I continue to try different things with those five flys just to see if something new works.... sometimes yes and sometimes not so much.

That number may grow just a bit now that I am experiencing a retro thing to glass rods..... we'll see.

 

[dwizum]

Your three points are in perfect alignment with my logical side. I agree with you that the argument of "I tie to save money" is not very sound, but I could see myself making those same three arguments.

But then the creative side of my brain would speak up and point out that my own flies lack consistency and quality, and half the time I go off the rails when trying to follow patterns, and/or end up tying things I'll probably never actually fish with. So I'm probably not actually living out those logical arguments after all.

Which leads me to a point that can be a powerful motivator but doesn't really fit as a logical argument: the sheer enjoyment of the creative process. Like a lot of people these days, my "day job" is abstract and has no real connection to anything tangible. Fly tying is a creative outlet with a (hopefully) recognizable and useful end product that you can actually hold in your hand. It feels really good to put a hook in a vice and a few minutes later take a completed fly out of the vice and put it in a fly box. The process of tying flies fuels my soul in a way that few other day to day activities do.

In other words, I may make the logical arguments, or use those as reasons why someone else should start tying, but in truth I don't actually tie because of those reasons - I tie because I like to tie.

 

[losthwy]

Your three points are in perfect alignment with my logical side. I agree with you that the argument of "I tie to save money" is not very sound, but I could see myself making those same three arguments.

But then the creative side of my brain would speak up and point out that my own flies lack consistency and quality, and half the time I go off the rails when trying to follow patterns, and/or end up tying things I'll probably never actually fish with. So I'm probably not actually living out those logical arguments after all.

Which leads me to a point that can be a powerful motivator but doesn't really fit as a logical argument: the sheer enjoyment of the creative process. Like a lot of people these days, my "day job" is abstract and has no real connection to anything tangible. Fly tying is a creative outlet with a (hopefully) recognizable and useful end product that you can actually hold in your hand. It feels really good to put a hook in a vice and a few minutes later take a completed fly out of the vice and put it in a fly box. The process of tying flies fuels my soul in a way that few other day to day activities do.

In other words, I may make the logical arguments, or use those as reasons why someone else should start tying, but in truth I don't actually tie because of those reasons - I tie because I like to tie.

Good post.
Tying flies is a mental exercise, a relaxing Zen exercise. It's detail work. Who ever said,"the devil is in the details". Is a liar The devil is not in the flyfishing details. Hope is. Hope these feathers, # 18 chemically sharpen hook and some glue bring a trout to the net. Verses some person in China making .05 per fly who really could care less about your day on the river. O/K maybe not Zen but reality.

 

[stenacron]

Hope these feathers, # 18 chemically sharpen hook and some glue bring a trout to the net. Verses some person in China making .05 per fly who really could care less about your day on the river. O/K maybe not Zen but reality.

Amen brother!

 

[hokiehunter07]

Fly tying sure made life better me in many areas. First and generally most important my wife supports my hobby. Maybe not always in the ways I'd like her to but she thinks it's cool, buys my fly fishing related presents for birthdays, etc., and doesn't have a problem with me buying the odd material here and there. I'd love more time to tie and more time to fish, but with a 13 month old time I spend on myself is time she's a single parent. We compromise.

But...

We used to get in knock-down, drag out fights over the craft and fabric stores. I couldn't understand why it wasn't ok for me to run in to Dick's or Radio Shack while she was in Joann's, Michael's, or Hobby Lobby. We don't go nearly as often now and when we do I tend to buy more than she does. Feathers, balsa, yarn, glue, paint, Copic Markers.... You name it.

Tying started off as a way to save money. When just tying Clousers and buggers I was doing pretty well. When I met my first native trout things went south in a hurry. Now I'm sitting around on a pile of materials to tie every fly from every book and magazine printed over the past few years. I could have bought a lifetime supply of the 10-20 flies I use with any regularity for the same price but then I'd only be in it halfheartedly.

For a couple years I'd take the fly rod and the spinning rod whenever I went fishing. Sitting on a pile of materials and not using them feels like a cardinal sin to me and it's been 3 years now since I've busted my spinning gear out of the garage. Tying forced me to fly fish exclusively and I haven't looked back since.

Hokie

 

[JDR]

Simply stated, depending on who you are: one is more fun than the other.

 

[streamseeker]

I have only been fly fishing for a couple of years and I started tying about a year ago.

1st, don't start tying to save money. You don't need to break the bank but you will spend a couple hundred bucks to get started. After that the cost is relative to your personal itch. Most of us have itches for materials and cool tools that are beyond our actual need.

2nd, Do start tying if you have time for a hobby and like the idea of something keeping you on the stream in your head even when you aren't physically there. My brain works every fly on a river as I tie it. What will this look like to the fish? How will I play it? etc. etc.

3rd, Do start tying if fly fishing is puzzle you like to ponder and figure out. When I am working on a new fly or technique I often find myself daydreaming about how to accomplish a step with which I have struggled. There is always something to figure out. How do I make it smaller? How do i use less thread? How do I make it smoother? It is an ongoing puzzle that becomes more difficult as your skills progress.

4th, Do start tying if you want to learn more about entomology, ie bugs. Tying makes me ask: what are the bugs? How do the bugs act? When and how do fish key on bugs? Why this pattern? What does the natural look like? Where in the stream would they find this bug? This is becoming a better fisherman even when you aren't on the stream.

5th, If you are a beginner take a fly tying class at a local fishing club. I was blessed to take 2 classes at 2 clubs. The people I met are not only friendly but they are patient, willing and able to help you, and they love seeing someone new catch the bug. If any of those guys ever read this A big shout out to the fly tiers at Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers and at the Long Beach Casting Club.

My point is try tying for your heart and soul, not for your wallet!

 

[rsagebrush]

It is an enjoyable pastime, you can tie what you want and need (or think you need) and resupply certain stock, try new patterns etc.... You can tie patterns that are simply unavailable in the market too.

You won't save money though.

You can purchase some very good flies on E Bay for a pittance. This did not use to be the case.

So, I tie because I like to and I buy because it is convenient.

 

[JDR]

Like everything, money can be saved. I bought a couple of boxes of materials from a tyer that was giving up. I spent $300, and in return received more material that I can imagine using for the rest of my days. Included were four capes and saddles (Whiting), almost 50 baggies of already sorted feathers (like the 100 packs), a 36" x 48" piece of elk hide, more zonker strips than I can count, enough dubbing and floss that it is easier to describe by weight, and maybe 80 spools of thread and wire, and more than a thousand hooks of various sizes. There was a lot more stuff including a nice vise extension. I don't think I will have to spend more than a few dollars on materials for the rest of my life. I have had to buy a few more hooks, but I think that is a good thing. BTW, I found the ad on a regionally focused fly fishing forum. My only regret is that I didn't buy a lottery ticket on the same day!

 

[hokiehunter07]

Like everything, money can be saved. I bought a couple of boxes of materials from a tyer that was giving up. I spent $300, and in return received more material that I can imagine using for the rest of my days. Included were four capes and saddles (Whiting), almost 50 baggies of already sorted feathers (like the 100 packs), a 36" x 48" piece of elk hide, more zonker strips than I can count, enough dubbing and floss that it is easier to describe by weight, and maybe 80 spools of thread and wire, and more than a thousand hooks of various sizes. There was a lot more stuff including a nice vise extension. I don't think I will have to spend more than a few dollars on materials for the rest of my life. I have had to buy a few more hooks, but I think that is a good thing. BTW, I found the ad on a regionally focused fly fishing forum. My only regret is that I didn't buy a lottery ticket on the same day!

Dang that's some haul!!! Wish I could luck into something similar. Anyone I've run into with a similar lot wanted >$1000