Tie or buy?

I've tied my own flies for almost 50 years. Wouln't find satisfaction in catching fish on a fly that I didn't tie.
 
Don't pick up tying to save money, do it because it's a different, but related, hobby.

Also, there are many patterns you can tie that aren't offered in any catelog or shop. Variations and personal creations are what tying is all about.
 
I started tying flies this winter and I jst caught a trout on one of my own creations for the first time yesterday. It was only a green weenie but it felt awesome. I will continue to tie, but when i want a size 22 blue wing olive CDC cripple pattern I will be buying!
 
I tie because I really like to tie flies. I think I would probably tie even if I couldn't fish. The only time I ever buy flies is if I'm visiting a new shop and getting some good free advice from the owner.
If you find yourself buying the same flies over and over (PTNs GRHEs etc) then I do think it is cheaper in the long run to tie them yourself. If your the kind of guy that has to have the hot new pattern, then you will be spending a lot of money buying the hot new materials.
 
I tie what I can tie, which is mostly all of my nymphs and streamers. For some odd reason, I can tie the most intricate flies, but as soon as I attempt to tie a dry fly. Everything goes bad, lol.
 
I buy my flies. I don't have the time or patience to tie my own.
 
I started tyin mostly because I was tired of spendin money on flies that didn't last. Plus u can tie what u want, when u want it and how u want it done.
 
Because I lack time to tie much, I tie flies that I cannot readily buy - specific flies for specific hatches / water, etc.

This year, because I have even less time than usual, I have purchased more. Barely had time to get my minimum needs met.
 
I tie my nymphs and buggers but haven't tied a dry yet! Gonna try one here soon. Tying is something to do on those miserable rainy days when you are stuck inside. It gives one something fishing related to do even when you can't fish! Plus the first time a trout takes one of your imitations it's like magic.
 
Tie all my flies and can't remember the last time I bought one. I'm convinced that tying does in fact save money, esp when one goes through as many flies in a year as I do. However, I'm not sure it really saves as much as I'd like to believe. Moreover, I don't factor in the amount of time I spend tying and arguably this could be considered part of the "cost."
Nevertheless, fly tying in my view is the most satisfying and personally rewarding aspect of the entire sport and I couldn't imagine fly fishing without fly tying.
 
Fishidiot wrote:
Tie all my flies and can't remember the last time I bought one. I'm convinced that tying does in fact save money, esp when one goes through as many flies in a year as I do. However, I'm not sure it really saves as much as I'd like to believe. Moreover, I don't factor in the amount of time I spend tying and arguably this could be considered part of the "cost."
Nevertheless, fly tying in my view is the most satisfying and personally rewarding aspect of the entire sport and I couldn't imagine fly fishing without fly tying.
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Ditto for sure. Tying flies for me is a big part of FFing for me. I started both FFing and tying at the same time in my early teens. I would feel cheated if I bought all my flies...lol.
 
afishinado wrote:
Fishidiot wrote:
Tie all my flies and can't remember the last time I bought one. I'm convinced that tying does in fact save money, esp when one goes through as many flies in a year as I do. However, I'm not sure it really saves as much as I'd like to believe. Moreover, I don't factor in the amount of time I spend tying and arguably this could be considered part of the "cost."
Nevertheless, fly tying in my view is the most satisfying and personally rewarding aspect of the entire sport and I couldn't imagine fly fishing without fly tying.
Click to expand...

Ditto for sure. Tying flies for me is a big part of FFing for me. I started both FFing and tying at the same time in my early teens. I would feel cheated if I bought all my flies...lol.
Click to expand...

At 60 being ham handed with bad eyes I have enough trouble tying a clinch knot. Fly Stop is my go to place. Especially since I have been waiting for over a year for the Afish specials I was promised!
 
as to the question of money, that was the original reason I started about 5 years ago...now it's more of the self-satisfaction and the ability to tweak a pattern into exactly what I need. I also find tying flies very relaxing and a great escape from my often stressful working life.
 
I prefer to tie because I enjoy the craft and there is a lot of satisfaction in catching fish on a fly I tied myself. I'm sure I save money, but that is an ancillary benefit. Lately, time has been an issue so I have been buying more flies than I used to in order to spend the little time I have on the water instead of at the vice. I also buy flies for samples so I can mimic the pattern and when I travel to a new place I'll stop in the local shop to buy a day’s worth of flies. I like to support the local fly shops. Also, in some places the bugs are just a little different in size or color than commercial patterns so the locally tied pattern is a perfect match for the hatch and can make a big difference when the trout are discriminating.
 
i agree with most here, it is a great satisfaction when you land a trout on something you tied yourself. as for the money savings, that's debatable i guess. when i go into the fly shop i somehow buy a few more materials than i went in for.lol. add that one up over many years of material shopping and you get a room full of a few extra's.
 
I tie all my flies. I really don't think we save as much money as we would like. I like it because you can tweak a pattern to fit your own wants and needs. Nothing like fooling a high pressured trout on a fly of your own creation. Flyfishing and flytying go together and encompass one GREAT sport. Each is fun by itself but combine the two and it almost becomes a way of life.
 
I tie all of mine. Can't remember the last fly that I purchased. I do it as part of the experience and something to pass the time in the cold winter months. Also I enjoy customizing my flies to match what I've seen rather than what a book is telling me a fly should look like.
 
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.
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Don't get me wrong, I take my tying stuff with me on overnight trips. Just find that I rarely actually do it. While I appreciate tying as an art, and feel more satisfied if I catch fish on my flies, I still somewhat consider it a chore and when I'm on a fishing vacation, I'm on vacation! I often fish myself to exhaustion, and plan on doing it again tomorrow. So when I'm back at my camp or motel, the priorities are food, beer, B.S.'ing with fishing partners, preparing my equipment for tomorrow (drying waders, making sure I have leaders, etc.), sleep, and flies, in that order. Unfortunately I rarely make it to the end of that list, and the last few categories suffer.

Every winter I sit down to a few marathon sessions to restock my box. After that, its the occasional emergency that gets me to tie. For instance, if I'm on a trip, last night sulfur spinners were deadly, but I ran myself out and the close clones just didn't work. I plan to do it over again tonight. They're quick easy to tie and I have the stuff, and the nearest shop is an hour away. Yeah, I'll sit down and make a few. But that usually means changing my daytime fishing plans, so it better be important!
 
I do both. I tie all my salmon and steelhead flies along with a majority of my trout flies. I will buy half of the dry flies I use since I suck at tying them.
 
My dad gave fly tying kits to my brother and I when we were eight or ten. We would tie up unseemly hopper imitations and use them to catch chubs in the creek by our house. After that I never had a need to buy flies.

While I don't recall ever purchasing trout flies, I will buy poppers for bass and panfish, and once I bought pink jigs from walmart to fish for hickory shad.


 
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