Do You Save Money Tying Your Own Flies?

[bulltrout]

Not an easy question,

you are assuming that by buying a vice and some materials you can tie all flies you want and need, and maybe you can, but there is a learning curve, normally many years. The average guy doesn't use up all his materials, often buys hundreds of dollars worth to tie a few flies or gives up on it. Then there are those (I'm guilty) who make it part of a lifestyle akin to religion. Tying becomes a zen and so part of life. I tied commercially for years (my sons still says his education was paid for with fur and feathers) it's more of a hobby now with just a few clients. I've seen and taught countless people at many levels of tying, the bulk give up on it for various reasons, lack of dexterity and patience is the most common. I'd say that if you want to tie just to save money you won't. If you want to tie to learn more about trout hatches and the sport itself then it's worth it. What I find odd is people who do not hesitate to lay down hundreds if not thousands of dollars in rods reels wader etc. and refuse to invest a few bucks in the most important piece of equipment you can have that is closest to that elusive trout. They buy cheap offshore flies that often unravel quickly, have no bearing on what is hatching locally and thus support questionable labor laws offshore. Effectively destroying local markets.

 

So I guess the question is why do you want to tie? If its to save money it will take a long time to realize a return on investment.

 

For some it is good for the pocketbook for others it's good for the soul.

 

[Gil]

Not an easy question,

you are assuming that by buying a vice and some materials you can tie all flies you want and need, and maybe you can, but there is a learning curve, normally many years. The average guy doesn't use up all his materials, often buys hundreds of dollars worth to tie a few flies or gives up on it. Then there are those (I'm guilty) who make it part of a lifestyle akin to religion. Tying becomes a zen and so part of life. I tied commercially for years (my sons still says his education was paid for with fur and feathers) it's more of a hobby now with just a few clients. I've seen and taught countless people at many levels of tying, the bulk give up on it for various reasons, lack of dexterity and patience is the most common. I'd say that if you want to tie just to save money you won't. If you want to tie to learn more about trout hatches and the sport itself then it's worth it. What I find odd is people who do not hesitate to lay down hundreds if not thousands of dollars in rods reels wader etc. and refuse to invest a few bucks in the most important piece of equipment you can have that is closest to that elusive trout. They buy cheap offshore flies that often unravel quickly, have no bearing on what is hatching locally and thus support questionable labor laws offshore. Effectively destroying local markets.

 

So I guess the question is why do you want to tie? If its to save money it will take a long time to realize a return on investment.

 

 

Very well said .....

 

For some it is good for the pocketbook for others it's good for the soul.

[Wolfie]

Not an easy question,

you are assuming that by buying a vice and some materials you can tie all flies you want and need, and maybe you can, but there is a learning curve, normally many years. The average guy doesn't use up all his materials, often buys hundreds of dollars worth to tie a few flies or gives up on it. Then there are those (I'm guilty) who make it part of a lifestyle akin to religion. Tying becomes a zen and so part of life. I tied commercially for years (my sons still says his education was paid for with fur and feathers) it's more of a hobby now with just a few clients. I've seen and taught countless people at many levels of tying, the bulk give up on it for various reasons, lack of dexterity and patience is the most common. I'd say that if you want to tie just to save money you won't. If you want to tie to learn more about trout hatches and the sport itself then it's worth it. What I find odd is people who do not hesitate to lay down hundreds if not thousands of dollars in rods reels wader etc. and refuse to invest a few bucks in the most important piece of equipment you can have that is closest to that elusive trout. They buy cheap offshore flies that often unravel quickly, have no bearing on what is hatching locally and thus support questionable labor laws offshore. Effectively destroying local markets.

 

So I guess the question is why do you want to tie? If its to save money it will take a long time to realize a return on investment.

 

For some it is good for the pocketbook for others it's good for the soul.

 

 

One of the "Most logical Reads" I've ever read in this forum..well done SilverDoctor.....Wolfie

[beedhead]

Not an easy question,

you are assuming that by buying a vice and some materials you can tie all flies you want and need, and maybe you can, but there is a learning curve, normally many years. The average guy doesn't use up all his materials, often buys hundreds of dollars worth to tie a few flies or gives up on it. Then there are those (I'm guilty) who make it part of a lifestyle akin to religion. Tying becomes a zen and so part of life. I tied commercially for years (my sons still says his education was paid for with fur and feathers) it's more of a hobby now with just a few clients. I've seen and taught countless people at many levels of tying, the bulk give up on it for various reasons, lack of dexterity and patience is the most common. I'd say that if you want to tie just to save money you won't. If you want to tie to learn more about trout hatches and the sport itself then it's worth it. What I find odd is people who do not hesitate to lay down hundreds if not thousands of dollars in rods reels wader etc. and refuse to invest a few bucks in the most important piece of equipment you can have that is closest to that elusive trout. They buy cheap offshore flies that often unravel quickly, have no bearing on what is hatching locally and thus support questionable labor laws offshore. Effectively destroying local markets.

 

So I guess the question is why do you want to tie? If its to save money it will take a long time to realize a return on investment.

 

For some it is good for the pocketbook for others it's good for the soul.

 

That about sums it up....Very well said, Silver....

 

Cheers...Jeff..

[kungfool]

I certainly save money on the flies I use that I tie however I tie so many, and so many variations that I have 1000 times more flies than I need so I wouldn't say I'm saving money overall

[ironfly]

When I first got into flyfishing and flytying, money was real tight. My wife was a bit concerned about the expense, so I saved every receipt. I never showed them to her, obviously, but I did get a lot of comfort from them. I lose/give away over a hundred flies per year, maybe even 2 hundred. In my first four years of tying flies I spent about $200. So that's about a 75%-90% saving.

 

Then it became a hobby of it's own, and my finances improved. I stopped keeping receipts, and now estimate my materials alone to cost $4000 to replace.

 

The problem as I see it; if you enjoy tying flies it will become expensive sooner or later, and if you don't enjoy it, you'll stop. So realistically, you'll only save money short term.

 

All in, it's still a small fraction of the cost of golf or skiing.

[CanuckCamper]

I'd say that if you want to tie just to save money you won't. If you want to tie to learn more about trout hatches and the sport itself then it's worth it.

 

Completely agree.

[trailhead]

If you fish a lot and you give flies away, and lose at lot of flies I say you save money. I typically lose 12 flies every day I go out. So if I get out 100 days and say a fly costs $2.00 that's $2400. For one year, so multiply that for a lifetime and figure it out for yourself. Plus I donate flies to various charities, and give flies to friends. I'd probably spend 3 grand a year if had to buy all those flies.

[Ulmo]

well said SilverDoctor! me, im new to the sport, even more new at tying, my goal is to be able to open my fly box and look at my own hand tied flies when deciding how best to fool a trout, i mean - how cool would that be? money? pah! fun...

[fisherman96]

with flies costing a $1.69 at wholesale you definatley don't save money but I recently got into fly tying and like it much better than just picking the flies out if the bins plus you can create any fly you want and when it catches a fish there will be more satisfaction that you did it with something you made

[Garhan]

After seeing the prices for some steelhead flies (some around $20 a piece for an intruder style), I won't feel as bad if I lose a couple to fish or snags.

 

At the end of the day, I don't think we really tie flies to save money. It is more the pleasure of the art form, would you not think.

[regdunlop]

After seeing the prices for some steelhead flies (some around $20 a piece for an intruder style), I won't feel as bad if I lose a couple to fish or snags.

 

 

Agreed, but it still hurts when you lose a fly that took 45 minutes to tie!

I don't think tying your own saves money, but having the ability to tie exactly what you want is worth it IMO. Catching fish on your own creations (or imitations of other patterns) is one of the great rewards of fly fishing that you just can't put a price tag on.

 

 

[whataniceguy]

Do you remember the first fish you caught on one of your own flies? Its an excitable feeling!

[jksnijders]

 

I do it mainly, because, much like casting a flyrod, I enjoy it. Do I save money by doing either one? The answer to that is a resounding "not likely", but I stick with it regardless, even though my skills at both leave alot to be desired.

[bowbuster]

It all depends on how u look at it. It takes me 2 hrs to get to a fly shop and my truck is a pig. That adds up. Also, ordering flies has a shipping cost. No , i dont save money buy tying my own flies but i do save money by not having to travel to get flys or order them. However u want to look at it i guess.

[regdunlop]

Do you remember the first fish you caught on one of your own flies? Its an excitable feeling!

 

Yep. Big ugly whitey down in Fish Creek on a beed head hare's ear. First fish I caught on a rod i built was a whitey too. I guess that's why my buddies call me the "Whitey Slayer".

Still a great feeling though.

[LastBoyScout]

I will stick with yes. I went through several fazes including the dozen boxs of seldom used ties and a bunch of stuff I was going to use, now I go with the ties I use. Further to that I only use traditional materials but I'm not saying what anyone else should do, and it may be hard for many of you to believe but I catch my share, enough to make my sport very enjoyable. In the words of a wise old conservationist, "The vast majority of the new ties are nothing more than slight variations of existing patterns, and they probably contribute more to the vanity of the fisherman than to the discomfiture of the fish." RHB.