Bought my first fly tying kit...

[k9mark]

Well, I finally broke down and bought a kit. Tired of buying flies. Anyway, it had a nice little video in it and all. But the only problem is my first two flies look nothing like the ones the guy in the video made :(. The woolly bugger wasn;t too bad, but my pheasant tail was hideous! :crybaby: I have a bad feeling I'm actually gonna be spending more money of fly tying supplies than if I just keep buying flies :eek:

[Hairstacker]

Congratulations! My first couple of flies (caddis patterns) looked like egg patterns. :lol: You'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Save money at it? :lol::lol::lol:

Anyway, good luck and try to keep it fun!

[Mike O]

Seems like a lotta people laugh about saving money on flies.

When I tie a PT, it costs me about 10 cents, I don't include my time, because tying is therapy...it has to be, I don't fish enough.

The hook costs somewhere around 7-9 cents, a fraction of a cent for lead, the flash came from Wally World after Xmas, and I killed the pheasant and peacock myself. Ribbing from electrical wire.

Wooly Buggers? A little more for the lead, hook price is around the same, the chenile costs about a couple cents, and the hackle a few more...call it 25 cents.

Royal Wulff? peacock -see above, tail from harvested deer, wings are either harvested turkey t-base, or yarn from jo-ann's, hackle a few cents. another quarter.

Stimulator? Now we are talking real money. Hook about same, legs from broken bungie cord from a trash can, tail and wing from same deer hide as above, body by a few cents poly yarn, hackles maybe 10 cents. I am out about 40 cents.

I ask you: Where can you buy flies that cheap?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

For many years we have had fly tying classes at Kiene's and one of our best instructors, Alan Barnard, said that after all those classes he still saw most of those same people buying flies?

I think the reason that many still buy flies after a fly tying class is because they are finding they just don't have time to tie them.

Some don't have the hand-eye skills either.

Actually, by taking a basic fly tying class you will learn much more than just how to tie flies.

Also, for $20 you can sit with Andy Guibord for one lesson and learn a lot about fly tying.

I think for most, they don't save money by tying flies because they buy some much material.

The two best reasons for tying your own flies is for the enjoyment and so you can get them tied how you want them.

[rusty fly]

fly tying can be three things, 1. fun (a hobby ) or 2. a job ( tying flies the night before a trip when you should be sleeping ) and 3. expensive ( by the time you buy some quality capes, a Nor-Vise, magnafying light and twenty-five hooks for every size and pattern you think you need.

Fly tying is a great 2nd sport, but sometimes it's just easier just to buy 2 of every fly you the day before you leave. Bill will be happy either way

[Hairstacker]

I ask you: Where can you buy flies that cheap?

I ask you, for those of us who have several grand sunk in materials, threads, hooks, what-have-you, how many flies do we need to tie and fish to simply break even? :lol:

I wouldn't have it any other way though . . . such a great hobby!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I tell people, who seem to be headed toward fly tying because of the cost of flies, that they are not going to save money, but if it seems like fun then go for it.

[davkrat]

In the beginning you can save money tying just a few patterns. It gets pricey 10 years from now when you have boxes full of "why the hell did I buy this?" for all the must have patterns you thought you'd never get along without. In the end those first 10 flies you ever learned will really cover 99% of all your fishing. As others have said hooks are the priciest part of the fly. Learn to limit your selection and I like to skip a size i.e. 6's, 10's, 14's and 18's in nymphs and 8's, 12's, 16's and 20's in dries.

If you ever figure out how to walk in to a fly shop and just buy the 3 things on your grocery list without tacking on $30 worth of "why the hell did I buy this?" PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

[Hairstacker]

If you ever figure out how to walk in to a fly shop and just buy the 3 things on your grocery list without tacking on $30 worth of "why the hell did I buy this?" PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

Yeah, no kidding. And $30 worth is after you agonized about what you could fit in $30 and placed a half dozen other things back on the shelf. :lol:

[Terry Imai]

Congrats on taking up fly tying. Best piece of advice is to take a group lesson “Introduction to Fly Tying” and learn the basic structure of a fly (dries, nymphs or streamers are all built and tied the same in concept). There are a few books where they are THE FLY TYING BOOKS to teach you the basic along with the unusual techniques along with finding very good info from YouTube. You will NEVER save money from tying your own bugs versus buying them from the shops. However, if you decide to take up fishing for educated "catch and release" and trophy fish; these fish have seen every store sold flies hundreds of times and often won’t bite on them. Your specially tied fly may be that one fly that will fool the "fish of your lifetime".

When you start tying and improving your skills, start with the standard 20-30 nymphs and streamers in various sizes and colors. Within a short time depending upon your devotion to tying will find an improvement to your overall appeal (to the fish) of your tied bugs. After you have passed that hurdle will allow you to start getting creative to start tying those special flies that may assist you in catching really tough fish...

Good luck...

[Charlie S]

My wife calls fly shops "money stores" because I go in with a big bag of money and come out with a little bag of supplies....doesn't stop me from going tho!!! LOL

[jcc]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the best part of tying your own...

And, that is, catching a fish on a fly you tie is very rewarding. I can't remember the first fish I caught on a fly I tied. It was some 45 years ago in a stream in Colorado. No doubt the fly was hideous (they haven't got all that better, yet..), but I had done it! I fooled a fish with my creation. It set me on the path to all those "why the heck did I get this?" acquisitions and the thousands I've spent on this sport. But, that's why we're all here, isn't it?

Good luck, and enjoy the process.