Flies: To tie or to buy?

[tctrout]

Who better to ask this question to than fly tiers! For the majority of flies, I tie myself, but in the video I share one of the few patterns I purchase. Do you buy, and if so, what are you reasons?

Tim

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcpxYfUI2GI&t=1s[/youtube]

 

[PennKev]

Here's a fly that's replaced a lot of my pan fish sliders:

The color combinations are endless and the fly scales up or down pretty well.

As for conventional poppers, I still tie them, buying the preformed bodies from Hareline. Actually, I tie them more often now than I have in the past. UV resins have made whipping up a batch of poppers a lot easier, and a lot less trouble. I can paint the poppers with nail polish or model paint and then give them a hard, deep finish coat without screwing with epoxy or a million coats of clear lacquer. Most decent commercial poppers are pretty costly. For the same cost as a few store bought poppers I can spend a winter evening cranking out enough to last all my warm water trips for the year.

 

[redietz]

I probably buy in pretty much the same circumstances as you do, and in about the same proportion to what I tie (95%). It's probably been a couple of years since I've caught a fish on a store bought fly, but that's more because I haven't fished anywhere but familiar trout streams for which I'm well supplied.

Like you, I will buy a bass popper or slider, but only if it's got a fancy paint job; I prefer to tie one with only one color.

Again, I'll buy on a trip, both because there are unexpected bugs on the water, or to get a model for future reference, or because I feel that if the shop keeper has given me some good info I should buy something. Unlike you, I don't usually carry tying equipment on a trip. If I'm going by plane, that would be never, and even if I do bring some tools along on a trip where I'm driving, I can't possibly carry every material that I own with me.

There are a couple of patterns that, while I can tie, I absolutely don't like to. Top of that list is a Humpy. I use them, can tie a reasonable one, and so hate the process that I'd rather buy.

 

[JerryCoviello]

Good Question.

I tie all my flies. Very rarely do I purchase them unless it is a fly I have never seen before and I want to copy it.

I tied flies before I fly fished. It is the satisfaction of catching a fish with a fly you tied.

 

[dryflyguy]

I tie all of my flies - with 1 exception.
My TU chapter has a fly sale every winter at the monthly meetings.
These patterns are tied and donated by members. All proceeds benefits the chapter.

I'm glad to donate to, and buy flies at this event.
And gives me an opportunity to try some different patterns

 

[MKern]

I tie all of mine. I have thought about buying bass flies but I enjoy the process of learning new techniques and styles.

I must admit that they are not very good, but they do catch fish.

I don't have the patience to tie with deer hair so I usually substitute foam in its place.

 

[JerryC]

I very seldom buy flies. I'd rather tie my own Sneaky Pete than buy one. If I do it's usually a fly that looks interesting and I want to have an example to reverse engineer so I can tie it myself or as mentioned already if the money spent is going to a good cause.

 

[poopdeck]

I have bought very few flies in my life. I buy my flies unassembled and then assemble them as needed. It gives me something to do and keeps the hands busy.

 

[Solitariolupo]

If I buy 1 then it’s something I like and I’ll take it home to copy it. Other than that I tie my own.

 

[melvinp]

I tie all my own but it is not cost effective but when you really like something does money really matter.(Dont tell my wife that i said that)

 

[D-nymph]

Buy - Green Drake dries & midge dries (anything size 20 or smaller)
Tie - everything else

 

[PennKev]

melvinp wrote:
I tie all my own but it is not cost effective but when you really like something does money really matter.(Dont tell my wife that i said that)

While I've certainly spent a lot of money over the years on tying, I really can't fathom how much I would have spent paying retail prices on flies. When I go on extended fishing trips away form home, I find that I often run out of one particular pattern or another and am forced to buy some flies. I'm not the type of person to only buy one or even two of a fly. I usually want 5 or 6 and usually of multiple patterns or sizes. What that means is that I easily spend $30 on just a few different flies. In comparison, I can spend a similar amount on all the materials needed for a particular fly and tie far more than just a half dozen. I have no doubt that tying flies has been more cost effective. While it may not have actually resulted in more money staying in my pocket, it certainly has resulted in having a greater number and variety of flies available to me.

 

[tctrout]

Thanks for all of the comments, and glad the video spurred some discussion. More importantly, I love hearing the reasoning behind why we do what we do. Thanks again, and happy holidays!

Tim

 

[poopdeck]

PennKev wrote:

melvinp wrote:
I tie all my own but it is not cost effective but when you really like something does money really matter.(Dont tell my wife that i said that)

While I've certainly spent a lot of money over the years on tying, I really can't fathom how much I would have spent paying retail prices on flies. When I go on extended fishing trips away form home, I find that I often run out of one particular pattern or another and am forced to buy some flies. I'm not the type of person to only buy one or even two of a fly. I usually want 5 or 6 and usually of multiple patterns or sizes. What that means is that I easily spend $30 on just a few different flies. In comparison, I can spend a similar amount on all the materials needed for a particular fly and tie far more than just a half dozen. I have no doubt that tying flies has been more cost effective. While it may not have actually resulted in more money staying in my pocket, it certainly has resulted in having a greater number and variety of flies available to me.

I like to say that with every fly I lose the cost of tying flies goes down per fly since I have plenty of material to tie gobs of flies.