WHat to do with beat up & old flies?

[jvo2711]

What do people do with old flies? throw them out or recycle them?

 

[Raven456]

Depends on how bad the hook is but you can remove all of the material from the fly and reuse it to tie another.

 

[jayL]

It depends how beat up. Often, a thoroughly chewed fly can be pretty effective. If it's beat up beyond repair, a lighter and a razor can make quick work of it. I tend to keep rejects in a film canister and take the flame and blade to them when I need more hooks or beads.

 

[tomgamber]

at worst they make good bluegill flies.

 

[JackM]

I either recycle the hook and/or bead or else use them for bluegill.

 

[Fishidiot]

From time to time I'll cull old flies out of my fly boxes. If they have decent hooks, I'll put 'em in clear boxes labeled "trash - saltwater" or "trash-trout, bass" etc. Like Jay, I'll recycle 'em if I need hooks or, more often, I'll donate them to non-tying friends. Sometimes I'll take these trash boxes with me on fishing trips and if the flies are decent size or otherwise visible I'll imbed the hooks in a stump or fence post near a parking lot frequented by fishermen.

 

[MKern]

I "slash and burn" to save hooks and beads. Sometimes you can replace the thorax or abdomen, or some other part of the fly. Dubbing is the hardest thing to unwind, but chenelle easily comes off.

 

[Maurice]

I just bladed off about 50 old flies...now I have to sort the hooks.

 

[gfen]

I find cutting them off to be a PITA, I've got a little container filled with a bunch of scrapped flies, though.

I'd been considering torching 'em, nice to know its an accepted and workable method of reclaiming hooks and beads.

 

[ryguyfi]

Sometimes I will just mend them... new tail on a wooly bugger, redo the hackle, etc. Some things are unrepairable and I just do what was said above... some materials really stink when you burn them, so make sure you are prepared with a good story when your wife comes home lol.

 

[RLeeP]

The only flies I recycle are my big deerhair ants. I take a disposable razor to them and re-use the hooks.

Otherwise, I send about 400 flies a year to my brother back home in PA. He's too busy building wood duck boxes, playing guitar at church and fixing his Mazda pickup with coat hangers, chewing gum and WD-40 to tie much any more.

 

[OVERMAN4]

I would have to drain the streams to find my beat up flies. I never have one that long to get beat up, the stream bottom or trees make sure they're in good condition. But if I did would cut the material off and reuse the hook.

 

[flyfishermanj]

Mine get a good case of razor burn. I reuse what I can, but sorting them can be a pain!!

Jh

 

[akflyfisher]

Every year I go through my flies and sort out the beat up ones, the ones I will most likely never use or just want to tie new ones and give them to my friends who don't tie their own. No matter how ugly the fly(s) is/are they love them.
Too much work to strip the hook in my humble opinion.