Tie or buy?

[sniperfreak223]

The biggest question in fly fishing...do you tie or buy your flies? weigh in if you wish, and explain why. I personally tie, simply because it's cheaper and a lot more adaptable.

 

[Crotalus]

Will buy samples (usually area specific), but tie everything I fish.

 

[pcray1231]

Both. I'm a bad fly tier, but I do tie. I tie the easy ones, buy the tough ones.

And sometimes when I want to learn a new fly, I buy a few as examples. Also, I tend not to tie on fishing trips where I'm away from the house for extended periods, so if I run out of something I often buy more even if I could tie it.

 

[k-bob]

I tie ultra simple flies, buy some, and have a third way: trading gear to PAFFers who can tie great flies, and getting high quality flies just as I like them.

 

[dryflyguy]

You'll put out some money when you first get into tying.
But in the long run, it's cheaper to tie your own flies.
And a lot more satisfying to catch fish on flies you make yourself IMO.

On lengthy fishing trips, I take my tying box with me. And have would up tying on the tailgate of my pickup a few times.

 

[pete41]

Tied the little ones,bought the larger ones,except woolly buggers.
Tying the larger streamers to catch fish was easy but I could not fish crappy looking flies.It bugged me-lol

 

[whheff]

I tie almost everything I use.
I will buy if I go smeplace that a special local fly works best at.
Then I will see how well it works on my home waters and if it is good, I will tie them too.

 

[gfen]

Tying. I thought I'd save money, or something...

 

[AdamM]

Buy, iv tied some but done have the time any more. I do what to get back into tying the bigger flys like wooly buggers. Some time i will but until then i will buy.

 

[ryguyfi]

I haven't bought a fly in about 3-4 years. Even if some of my flies look like crap, that just makes me want to make them better. The only reason I have contemplated buying recently is time. Got a little one at home and the time usually spent at the vise is now spent with her.
Also if I went on a trip to someplace out of the ordinary... out West, Alaska, etc. I would probably buy at least a handful of flies due to the large amount of "new" flies needed and the time it would take to fill the boxes.... especially hoppers... I HATE tying hoppers.


Ryan

 

[dreamsofstreams]

I tie all the basic/standard streamers, nymphs, and dries that I fish.

I evaluate on a pattern by pattern basis for everything else by using the rule of 3 - If I have to go purchase 3 or more materials to tie a specific pattern, I just buy the finished fly. If I can tie a pattern with what I already have plus 1 or 2 purchased materials I take a crack at the tie and add to my inventory.

Note: I've been tying for less than 1 year and have not built up inventory, so most recipe's I see require the purchase of "ingredients."

 

[gutcutter]

anybody that says "tying flies saves money" is lying to himself, or to his wife.

 

[TDB]

If you fish enough (with clients!) tying is definitely cheaper. For those that don't fish much, or lose much then maybe tying isn't the answer.

I tie, and have realized that since i started tying (which is about the same time i started FF) is when I really started to be more addicted to the sport - just something about fooling a large wild brown on something you created.

 

[gutcutter]

i tie almost every day of the year. some days it's only one fly. other days it's 4 dozen.
if you factor in:
equipment
hooks
materials
time - not just spent on the one or twelve flies, but also the time spent reading about a fly or watching a video...
then check out the discount on-line fly sellers -
$.99 a fly is CHEAP

 

[MKern]

I tie all of my own (and most of my friends).

I can't bring myself to pay $2 for a fly, or even 50 cents from online places.

But yeah, I'm not saving any money. I don't lose many flies in a year, but spend enough on tying materials.

I have enough stuff to start my own fly shop. (and still want more)

 

[OldLefty]

I "roll my own." I must admit that I question whether I save money tying my own flies. I used to go into a fly shop and see materials of interest saying to myself "I need to try this." I always had a application for a material in mind. Getting behind the vise to experiment with said material(s) was something that just didn't happen as I had planned. Time, procrastination, whatever; something always got in the way of my good intentions. It was amazing all the materials I've accumulated. And I still don't feel I have enough.

As I've grown older I've settled on most of the pattern styles I tie and fish. I'm a finnicky old codger and I just can't find the flies available in shops that I want to fish. With time at the vise I can tie the patterns I want. If I'm out on the stream and pick up a rock or capture a natural critter I can sit down at the vise and put my materials choices and techniques to apply those materials to a hook to work. Of course, the final judge as to the effectiveness of any fly is the fish; however, if the fish judges in my favor there's really nothing like the feeling of satisfaction that follows.

Dave R.

 

[jdaddy]

gutcutter wrote:
anybody that says "tying flies saves money" is lying to himself, or to his wife.

Quoted for truth!

 

[frankm205]

Mostly the wife!

 

[PatrickC]

I tie, because it is part of the experience for me.

 

[SBecker]

I tie because everything is new and fun to me. The only thing I would buy right now would be some very large streamers, just because I do not have the materials.