The price of flies

[Tull66]

I don't understand your post. I don't get the picture. I tie. I just didn't have any subsurface flies with me. I think $4 is steep, especially for a simple beadhead. Admittedly the scud took more time, worth $3.00.

I’m not sure I understand yours. You paid right? Obviously you thought it a fair price.

 

[phiendWMD]

The last fly I recall buying was a Rainy's grand hopper from Cabela's. That was last Fall and it was $4something. I just wanted one to copy. Before that, I seem to remember flies costing about $2 back in 2015ish.

Some of you guys that paid $7 for a saddle back in 1973 could clean up now.

 

[PennKev]

Just tie your own!


Oh wait the experts here have ruled that tying doesn't save money. Never mind.

 

[Swattie87]

Maybe you should have considered a vice, scissors, cement, hooks, beads, thread, feathers, fur, ribbing, flash…you get the picture. Those would have been $50 considering my time.

I’ve been thinking about this Mr. Hand. If I’m paying you to tie flies for me, doesn’t that make it, “our time”?

I’ll take 2 dozen. Let me know where to send the $1200.

 

[Bamboozle]

Okay, I had a real harebrained idea this morning. Drive up to Big Spring, where I have never caught a trout, and fish in a totally blue sky and 91 degrees. Not using my head. Anyway I realized that there wasn't one single sub surface fly in any of the six fly boxes in my vest. I stopped off at TCO Boiling Springs and bought one scud and one (I have no idea what it is) bedhead nymph. I figured worst case $5.00. The guy behind the counter just looks at me cooly and says "That will be $8.37". I was numb! How could two nymphs cost $4.00 each?

Because it's TCO which stands for Totally Crap Outfit...

 

[Old Town]

I agree that the prices you mentioned are on the steep side. However guys go into a fly shop and spend $80.00 or more on a shirt. Waders cost well over $500.00 and . I can go on but remember there are only two things that the trout care about that you buy. Number one is your fly and number two is to not see your tippet. I have been given some of those flies from the discount online fly companies. Some are not too bad but some are really second rate. Quite often they use cheaper hooks, second or even third grade dry fly hackle. To each there own. Personally if I can not catch a certain fish I do not want to blame it on a poor quality fly.

 

[jifigz]

Because it's TCO which stands for Totally Crap Outfit...

I usually don't give them much of my money, but the State College store is pretty nice. I've never been in any of their other locations.

 

[Bamboozle]

I usually don't give them much of my money, but the State College store is pretty nice. I've never been in any of their other locations.

I've been to three of their locations; West Lawn (once), Boiling Springs (once) & the original Bryn Mawr store (once) in that order and they all have that sterile look & feel that reminds me of the very first Orvis store in Manhattan that opened in the 1980's or a Mercedes dealership...

One visit each was and is enough for me and I won't bother with any others...

On the subject of buying flies, about the only time I buy flies is when the pattern appeals to me and I'm too lazy to tie them myself. Poppers are a perfect example. In those situations I pay the price knowing I saved myself hours of trial, error & frustration.

Other times are on the rare occasion I go to a show and there is a local club or outfit peddling locally tied flies to raise money.

I'm not particularly fond of going into a fly shop and buying Asian sweatshop flies at a 78% margin...

 

[coyoterahn]

I've been to three of their locations; West Lawn (once), Boiling Springs (once) & the original Bryn Mawr store (once) in that order and they all have that sterile look & feel that reminds me of the very first Orvis store in Manhattan that opened in the 1980's or a Mercedes dealership...

One visit each was and is enough for me and I won't bother with any others...

Agree with your take on TCO. As I’m sure you know, the Boiling Springs fly shop was a pretty good shop back many moons ago prior to the present owners.

 

[wgmiller]

Unfortunately the old mill apartments have not had any work done on it for over a year. I have asked what is going on and no one seems to know what the problem is. When they did the initial clean up and securing the site they had big plans such as a restaurant and so on. I am having my doubts!

I think you're thinking of the apartment building in Boiling Springs. The house referenced above would presumably have been along Big Spring Rd.

 

[Old Town]

I think you're thinking of the apartment building in Boiling Springs. The house referenced above would presumably have been along Big Spring Rd.

Yes I was. Sorry for the incorrect info.

 

[keirns4]

The prices of everything are higher than a hippie on a helicopter ride.

I order from BigY Flies. Check them out.

 

[wbranch]

I’m not sure I understand yours. You paid right? Obviously you thought it a fair price.

No, not at all. I thought it was terribly overpriced. But I wasn't going to cancel the purchase. Based on their fly pricing I should be able to sell my Clouser minnows for at least $8.00 each. More expensive hooks, the cost & margin to the eye, the materials, and my reputation.

 

[wbranch]

I think you're thinking of the apartment building in Boiling Springs. The house referenced above would presumably have been along Big Spring Rd.

That is correct. It was at the corner of an adjacent road & BSR.

 

[wbranch]

Just tie your own!


Oh wait the experts here have ruled that tying doesn't save money. Never mind.

Maybe it doesn't save money for some people but when you choose to tie a lot of flies, at one time I had over 10K, it has certainly saved me a lot of money. Money I could spend on higher end rods & reels.

 

[hendeylathe]

I'm self employed, machinist/tool & die marker by trade. I think your missing out on a great opportunity to start a fly tying business. Then you'll see all the money there is to be made. All your labor hunched over your tying bench and then have somebody tell you that you charge too much. Real kick in the shorts when somebody tells you what they think your time, labor and talent is worth. Worst than guide tipping.
This is just a joke folks, so don't get too bent outta shape.

 

[Swattie87]

I'm self employed, machinist/tool & die marker by trade. I think your missing out on a great opportunity to start a fly tying business. Then you'll see all the money there is to be made. All your labor hunched over your tying bench and then have somebody tell you that you charge too much. Real kick in the shorts when somebody tells you what they think your time, labor and talent is worth. Worst than guide tipping.
This is just a joke folks, so don't get too bent outta shape.

The market decides all of this. I bought a handful of flies in TCO last time in. Needed a few Sulphurs, and they had a kinda unique Slumpbuster pattern and Hopper kinda pattern that I liked and wanted to try a couple of. Yeah, even though the prices are posted by the flies I was a little surprised by how much a dozen flies ran. I had already picked them up, and had the kid ring them up, so I paid for them anyway. Probably won’t moving forward though. Or just limit myself to one of a new cool pattern I want to try. This was TCO is SC, and I like the store, and have had nothing but good experiences in there. But yeah, $3-$4 for a fairly standard issue dry or nymph pattern is steep. And $5-$6 for a fairly simple streamer like a Slumpbuster is kinda getting silly.

Tie your own, or buy your bulk at one of the online vendors for $1/fly or whatever. You can get 3-4 for the price of one in a shop, and yes they don’t last as long, but collectively 3 or 4 them absolutely do hold up longer than one shop tied fly. I don’t notice any difference in their ability to catch fish, just more so how long they last before they start to unravel. As to dries, FWIW, Catskill ties from the online outfits seem to hold up better than the parachute style flies. On the parachutes the hackle seems to unravel pretty easily. Not sure if there is a solution to reinforce those somehow before you start fishing with them.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I don't like the monopoly TCO has on fly shops, but I will say the current staff at the Boiling Springs shop make it a decent shop. The current staff has really turned that place around.

I still miss Cold Spring Anglers though.

 

[HopBack]

Go to prestige fly shop next time.I think you can get a dozen flies for $20. That’s a steal anywhere.

 

[wbranch]

The market decides all of this. I bought a handful of flies in TCO last time in. Needed a few Sulphurs, and they had a kinda unique Slumpbuster pattern and Hopper kinda pattern that I liked and wanted to try a couple of. Yeah, even though the prices are posted by the flies I was a little surprised by how much a dozen flies ran. I had already picked them up, and had the kid ring them up, so I paid for them anyway. Probably won’t moving forward though. Or just limit myself to one of a new cool pattern I want to try. This was TCO is SC, and I like the store, and have had nothing but good experiences in there. But yeah, $3-$4 for a fairly standard issue dry or nymph pattern is steep. And $5-$6 for a fairly simple streamer like a Slumpbuster is kinda getting silly.

Tie your own, or buy your bulk at one of the online vendors for $1/fly or whatever. You can get 3-4 for the price of one in a shop, and yes they don’t last as long, but collectively 3 or 4 them absolutely do hold up longer than one shop tied fly. I don’t notice any difference in their ability to catch fish, just more so how long they last before they start to unravel. As to dries, FWIW, Catskill ties from the online outfits seem to hold up better than the parachute style flies. On the parachutes the hackle seems to unravel pretty easily. Not sure if there is a solution to reinforce those somehow before you start fishing with them.

Occasionally I have bought a few flies that I had no interest in learning how to tie, or had the proper materials, from two on line sellers. If links to vendors aren't allowed mods please feel free to delete this. I have used "Hillsdiscountflies.com" & "Discountflies.com". I have always been satisfied with their quality, durability, and pricing.