Bargain/Craft Store Materials

[Pontus]

The question is pretty simple. What fly tying materials can you/do you buy or obtain from a source outside of a fly shop? Obvious ones are feathers and furs from hunting, but what could I buy from the local Michael's for cheaper than marketed "Fly Tying" materials?

 

[gfen]

Beads. Wire. Mylar tinsel. Oval tinsel. Flash. Floss. Wool. Chenile. Angora or sparkle yarn. Antron yarn. Microfibbets. Swiss straw. Almost-Thin Skin (leather). Foam. Felt. Craft fur. Bead chain. Hot glue. Puffballs. Hook, bead, etc boxes. Thread racks. Hook threaders. A killer Ott light at a massive bargin.

That's just off the top of my head...

I've been told pheasant tails and biots, but I haven't looked for them, yet.

 

[BelAirSteve]

Hook organizers and foam mostly. I did buy some biots, but have not used them yet. I bought a peocock eye, and it was very low quality.

 

[Padraic]

BelAirSteve wrote:
Hook organizers and foam mostly. I did buy some biots, but have not used them yet. I bought a peocock eye, and it was very low quality.

I think that is what you are paying for when you buy fly-tying specific materials... quality.

Flies have to have good movement, hold up well and retain their color. Cheaply made materials won't hold up. The stuff you get a craft stores may or may not be as good as the flyshops. Caveat emptor!

 

[Festus]

BEAD BOXES! Man there's some killer bead storage boxes in those craft shops.

 

[gfen]

Padraic wrote:
I think that is what you are paying for when you buy fly-tying specific materials... quality.

Flies have to have good movement, hold up well and retain their color. Cheaply made materials won't hold up. The stuff you get a craft stores may or may not be as good as the flyshops. Caveat emptor!

The synthetic stuff at fly shops, in many circumstances, is the same stuff at craft shops.

Look, this stuff has to come from somewhere..The fly tying industry isn't so big that companies are going to produce much in the way of things that aren't used elsewhere for other purposes. Sure, there will always be examples of where this isn't true, but for the most part, its all the same.

Natural materials? I do believe that fly shops certainly have higher quality feathers and natural hair, although in a pinch a craftstore can do quite nicely for alot of those materials, too.

 

[BelAirSteve]

Padraic wrote:

I think that is what you are paying for when you buy fly-tying specific materials... quality.

Flies have to have good movement, hold up well and retain their color. Cheaply made materials won't hold up. The stuff you get a craft stores may or may not be as good as the flyshops. Caveat emptor!

I agree...the peacock was an experiment. I do have a hard time justifying $2.50 for 2 2X3 black foam sheets when I can buy a 8 1/2X11 for 99 cents.

 

[bam]

I should buy some containers. I have a shopping bag full of packs and boxes of hooks and beads...

I'd say glue, razors, maybe some yarn, foam, etc. I'll stick to the fly shop stuff when it comes to most materials and dubbing. When a pack of $2 fly shop peacock can tie a couple thousand nymphs, no need to look elsewhere.

 

[flipnfly]

i got some nice rabbit furs there not to mention beads so small they look like gravel......

 

[gfen]

What section is the rabbit hair from, and is it full skins?

 

[flipnfly]

it was the back and sides no legs or tail of mask