Riverbum

[Troutking]

Here is my first dumb question. I saw the web site riverbum and their prices are better than most places I seen. Do they have good flies. I am pretty new to this and only have a few flies and was going to add some more but I don't want to waste money on bad flies. I am still learning what is a good tied fly and what is not.

Thanks

 

[surveyor06]

I have bought flies there and they are good quality, but they are not the cheapest around. I go to anglersdream.net and theflystop.com for most my flies. If you do a google search on discount flies, you will find lots of sites that sell them at 50 cents a piece. I beleive riverbum sells them at 1.00 a peice. theflystop.com has really nice flys, i pretty much buy exclusivley from them. Hope this helps.

 

[Troutking]

Thanks, I check them out

 

[sandfly]

yeah and you wonder why the smaller local shops are going under !!!

 

[tomgamber]

sandfly wrote:
yeah and you wonder why the smaller local shops are going under !!!

My guess is that they fail to meet the needs of their consumers. First, money is tight right now. If don't think anyone, except those with a lot of disposable cash ( I currently know of no one personally who believes they have this), will be paying extra for something they can get for less. Sure the whole steam knowledge thing is of value but I find spending extra money on gas or fishing time to drive to a shop when I can leave the house prepared a waste.

If I lived near a creek with a shop I might feel different. I have little use for fly shops, right now, expect as a curiosity and then the weather must really stink to make me get off the water. I used to feel differently and I know its not PC on this board but I'm not really concerned.

 

[surveyor06]

I didnt say i only buy from these shops, but the question was where to get cheap flies. I still buy flies at my local fly shop for specialty things, and my tippet, and split shot etc. But im not going to pay 2 dollars a piece for generic flys, when I can buy them for 50 cents.

 

[pete41]

About the third time I agree with Tom
and I don't even buy online if I can get something at Walmart-

 

[buffalo]

I feel that paying the higher prices that the local guys need to charge is part of the price to get the info I want/ need about the local stream conditions / hatches and patterns. I usually try to buy something or contribute to the web sites that the local guys maintain whenever I can and just add it into the cost of that outing.
I still buy from the online sites and some of the big guys ( especially Bass Pro in Hsb. ‘cause Bobby Clouser runs the FF hut like his dad runs the family store)

Buffalo

 

[Troutking]

The reason I am going cheap right now is because I am new at all this. I don't see why I would not like fly fishing or why I would not get the hang of it but I don't feel like putting down a ton of money until I know for sure that this is going to work. When I get the hang of it and know this is for me then I will upgrade and spend more money. Why pay $1 or $2 a fly when I can get them for $.50. I have a lot of learning to do. I have nothing against local tackle shops. I been to my share of them and I also have a very close friend of the family that owns one. My grandfather and this guy were war buddies and started up the business after the war. Grandfather got out but they stayed friends until my grandfather past away. My old man still goes there all the time. Since I moved I don't go there anymore but I still call the guy's son up (The owner is up in age and not there much) and place an order and they ship it to me (They don't ship usually) once or twice a year. I will always support the local guys but I not going to pay the prices they charge (you do get a lot for the price) unless I know what I am doing and have the money. The guy was just helping me out with the question.

 

[fadeaway263]

I like the FlyStop as well but 2 wooly buggers I bought unraveled after an afternoon of fishing. If you are looking for a good leader that really turns over well try the Red colored Hott Butt leaders sold by a fly shop in Yellowstone....you might be better served on the "gear" forum though. Here is the ling for the Hott Butt leader
http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/index1.html

Looks like this:

 

[pcray1231]

The key to good flies is durability. A poor fly will begin to unravel after a fish or two. A good fly will hold together under some real punishment. In the long term, poor flies aren't necessarily more economical.

That said, poor does not necessarily = cheap, and good does not necessarily = expensive.

 

[fadeaway263]

Pete 41 wrote

"About the third time I agree with Tom
and I don't even buy online if I can get something at Walmart"

I went to my local Walmart last year which is located in ChiChester PA right off I95 and about 5 miles due west of Chester Pa. I asked he sales clerk in the sporting goods section where the FF stuff was. He gave me this funny look and ISTG*d this is what he said: "Fly Fishing...you can't be serious the fisherman who shop in this Walmart probably fish with dynamite"

 

[Fredrick]

fadeaway263 wrote:

I went to my local Walmart last year which is located in ChiChester PA right off I95 and about 5 miles due west of Chester Pa. I asked he sales clerk in the sporting goods section where the FF stuff was. He gave me this funny look and ISTG*d this is what he said: "Fly Fishing...you can't be serious the fisherman who shop in this Walmart probably fish with dynamite"

I can see that happening I live 5 minutes from that walmart :-D
They do sell some flies I think thier in white packages made from Bett"s

 

[YoughRiverGuide]

I've worked in fly shops for years, so I'm biased. That being said,
I can't believe that people are willing to actively participate in the disappearance of the local fly shop.

Fly shops all over the country are responsible for the cultivation of the sport that you all spend so much time discussing on this site every day. For that reason alone, they deserve your patronage. Fly shops are part of the network of people who keep the sport alive: shop owners, guides, industry reps and so on. Without them, you have one less member of the community contributing to the sustenance and growth of the sport.

As for cheap flies on the internet, you very often get what you pay for. I for one would much rather support local tiers who tie with quality material and hooks that won't rust out or straighten than buy flies fresh from Sri Lanka (nothing worse than water damaged hooks). Sure, there are shop owners who try to pass off junk flies on their clients--in that case, I'm all for getting the flies elsewhere. A couple of years ago I was finishing up a semester of graduate courses and coming up fast on the guide season. I knew I wasn't going to have time to tie flies so I bought about 25 dozen cheap ones online. I think that maybe 50% of the dry flies were fishable. On the others, the hooks were flawed or the hackle came unwound while bending them to the tippet. Of the ones that were fishable, I found that I could catch very few fish on them before they fell apart.

In short, they were junk.

More than that though, this sport is one that thrives on tradition, and the shop owner who invites new people into the sport, helps others progress, and provides a spot for local anglers to kibitz is a much a part of that tradition as bamboo and Catskill dries.

By the by, if you are the type to buy outfits and such like on-line or--just as bad--Cabela's or Gander or Walmart or wherever, don't take the line and reel to your local shop to have them put it together for you. C'mon fellas. I can't tell you how many times I've seen and heard about this priceless piece of human cheapary. If you want to live your flyfishing life independent of the fly shop--do it, dive in, get lost. Don't cry about fly prices one day and then ask "what's hatchin'" the next. Ethics. Get some. They're nice.

Troutking: my advice is to go to a local shop and tell them exactly what you're looking for. My money says they'll get you into something that fits your budget.

 

[MattBoyer]

YoughRiverGuide wrote:
I can't believe that people are willing to actively participate in the disappearance of the local fly shop.

Most fly shops I've been in could give a crap less unless you are a regular or buying top end gear. I will not name names, but service has been lukewarm at best for me in some of the most revered shops in the state. The only exception I can think of offhand is Jonas at the feathered Hook. Other than there I get the same thing every time I walk into a fly shop. Indifference. When I walk into BassPro three guys come up and ask me how they can help me. When a business declines, rest assured, it is never the customer's fault.

By the by, if you are the type to buy outfits and such like on-line or--just as bad--Cabela's or Gander or Walmart or wherever, don't take the line and reel to your local shop to have them put it together for you. C'mon fellas. I can't tell you how many times I've seen and heard about this priceless piece of human cheapary. If you want to live your flyfishing life independent of the fly shop--do it, dive in, get lost. Don't cry about fly prices one day and then ask "what's hatchin'" the next. Ethics. Get some. They're nice.

Every time I have bought a reel and line at the box stores they offer to put the line on for me, not that it's a service that I am looking for. To me that stuff is part of fly fishing and I learned it from 3000 knowledgeable people, not some cranky old dude in a dusty old shop that feels I should subsidize his lifestyle as a trout bum. Also, both Cabela's and BassPro have hatch charts for every major creek within a 20 mile radius and are more than happy to give advice on any creeks in the area. Service. Get some. It's nice. 🙂

Boyer

 

[tomgamber]

I don't see it as actively killing fly shops. But I can see it as passive. I just don't see the value. A few years ago I may have felt differently. I was just in Boise. I didn't go to see the new Cabela's but I did visit the fly shops I used to visit when I lived there. Two were as friendly and accommodating as I had remembered. I made purchases. The other has since changed hands and and I felt the chill when I walked in. Didn't spend much time there and I don't think the guy cared that I left. If I'm not getting service I want value. Its that simple. A few shops I make a point of visiting. Others I won't even turn my head as I drive by any longer. They don't care so why should I. But I don't feel any obligation or loyalty to any of them. I used to buy absolutely everything from one fly shop and its gone. That's just how it is.

 

[jayL]

I enjoy fly shops, but feel no obligation to patronize them exclusively. I can't afford to!

The fly stop is a local guy, and the flies are decent quality. I've had a few come undone, but it has been very rare. Your quality judgments about their product are inaccurate.

I prefer to tie my own, but will buy staples and generic flies online if I need to. I also buy stream specific stuff at the shop. I feel no regrets either way. Ethics have nothing to do with a failed business model. Shops that have moved toward e-commerce as well as a brick and mortar store have been doing well.

 

[harry]

For what it's worth, Riverbum is the online fly shop of one of the better known shops in Salt Lake City, they carry Umpqua, Montana Fly, as well as local patterns tied in the back of their shop..

 

[tomgamber]

harry wrote:
For what it's worth, Riverbum is the online fly shop of one of the better known shops in Salt Lake City, they carry Umpqua, Montana Fly, as well as local patterns tied in the back of their shop..

So the shop knows where the demand is. If his online prices are competitive, he could do well with the volume, non-local fishermen buy from him and still have a walk in local presence. That's smart.

 

[Brownout]

Sandfly, I clicked on your site in your signature when you posted to see what flies you had. You gotta work on that site. I hit the page and couldn't find the flies immediately, I looked for a while and still couldn't find them. I am guessing that a lot of people here would buy your flies if they were on there. You're allowed to have that signature, so you might as well market it a lot more effectively. Not sure what the board regs are on that signature marketing, but that thing can definitely be improved upon. You have thousands of eyeballs here.

I buy some flies on Ebay from independent guys. They obviously make it very difficult to sell flies because of fees coming from their payment processor and form the site itself. I would gladly buy flies from you. I''ll look for your flies, maybe they're on there, you gotta fix that site though. And there are many things you can do to place your site in front of thousands of eyeballs on the Internet for free, if you research web marketing and how the search engines work.