Need to buy some flies

brian clemens · Senior Member

Need to buy some flies

Brundoggy · Veteran Member

guns and fishing in Vacaville sells flies for $1 each
Mike

Lahontan · Senior Member

Hey Briman ...

I'm with you on cheap.� You know I'm a career retailer so I'm big on cost vs. service, quality and value ... so far Blue Fly Cafe.com is the leader for me.

That said, I travel for business a little more than once a month.� In fact, I'm sitting in a hotel in LA, trying to get an indirect "fix" as I type.

I have used bluefly to build my core inventory, and I'm please dwith the speed and service. I am losing fewer and fewer flies as my skills improve, but snags are still a reality for me.� Bluefly quality? ... well they only survive so many hits before they are unreconizeable.

I am embarrassed to admit that I have been in every Orvis store in California. It is an escape when work is interferring too much with my fishing! wink

� I haven't purchased much from them, but I will say that they charge top dollar, and deliver top quality.

Tried "phoneflies.com". They put a huge part of my order on back order and didn't tell me as much until they got tired of my phone calls. Took 2-3 weeks to get me an order, that bluefly would have had to me in 2-3 days.� I will say that once I got the order ... their interpretation of the patterns I bought was fantastic. Mostly super small (24 to 26) micro dries, that I've had some luck fishing sub surface.� I'd call them and ask if they can be trusted to ship quick if that's what you need.� I think their honest, just slow.

My favorite, hands down, is a local shop that's probably tough for the Davis North crew.� EVERYBODY at Creative Sports in Pleasant Hill has been very good to me! It's a cool little shop in a strip mall about 1/2 mile from the freeway.� Flies aren't the cheapest, but the people are fantastic!� I've gotten some flies there that I've not seen anywhere else ... and they've helped me get strikes when nothing else works.

I say place the mondo order on blue fly, and buy a few bugs to hold you over at the shop of your choice that you want to SUPPORT with your business.

This sounds crazy...but there are businesses out there that need you (us)! If people or a store are good to you, give em some business, they need it!

ed

shon42073 · Senior Member

I regularly shop at creative sports in pleasant hill. Very nice people and a� nice small fly shop. they also have a good selection of putah creek specific fly's. Ed the fly I caught that big boy on was a fly the guy working there highhly recomended. Buying fly's has become a very expensive habit, actually fly fishing in general is rather expensive hobby. especially to get started. I wasted alot of money on fly's that i'll maybe never use, i jumped right in and just started buying every type of fly i could find, big mistake, do your research and only purchase fly's you will need. And NEVER leave home without a good midge selection biggrin

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Tug · Veteran Member

Creative Sports was started by Andre Puyans who was a famous fly tier and fisherman. He ranks right up there with the best of them. His AP nymphs are world famous now. Unfortunately, he died a few years back but the store lives on with the same quality that he was famous for. Great Fly shop.

SK60 · Senior Member

Try Kiene's Bargain boxes-$1 ea or 12/$10. I was there yesterday-quite a few Putah-type and size nymphs/emergers. All first quality, just not their biggest sellers.

Packrat · Senior Member

Hey Captain, are you local near creative sports? I live in Pleasant Hill and am in there all the time. A lot of people make the mistake of having way to many different patterns. You could probably get away with having 5 nymphs and a few different dries and that's all you need. I have been guilty of it in the past myself but now I'm trying to slim it down. These are my go to flies:

Nymphs:
Soft Hackle pheasant tail
Hares ear with rubber legs
Birds nest
San Juan worm
WD40
Fox Poopah
RS2

Dries:
Parachute adams
Stimulator
Elk hair caddis
E/C caddis
Rusty Spinner

I also tie a lot myself. The initial investment in materials and a vice can be a lot but it's pretty cool to catch flies you tied yourself. Brian did you lose those flies I gave you when you lost your box? Most of the discount online places sell flies that are not really high in qualily. I've had some start to come unwrapped before I even fished them. When I do buy online I use hills discount flies and always buy by the dozen. The first thing I do is put a drop of head cement on each fly before I use them.

brian clemens · Senior Member

i love the guys at american fly fishin here in sac i am all about local shops, and again i always buy from bluefly, and ed you are right after a day on the water if you havent lost that fly its pretty well shot, but i did have a woolly bugger i got from them used it the day i got 50+ fish landed it was very well beat up but it was still catching fish.

i dont like the american fly cuz their flies are 1.85 and up that is rediculas. if i need flies that bad ill start tying my own. ill have to give kienes a look at. i think american fly had bargain boxes like that too, but of flies that wont work on putah i think. ill have to look. ill probably swing by both shops today since they are around the corner.

thanks for the input sk60 especially since you was there yesterday and know that they have some flies in the bargain box that will work at putah. and 12 for 10 ill be gettin 24 that should tie me over till christmas.

i did a 100 fly wishlist on there for my girl to get. i had a 115 count with a fly box on bigyfly, but from what i have heard not the best quality. right guys. so ill go with the bluefly that has ok quality with ok prices until something better comes along. oh ya. a cord and string will be going to this box so it dont go by by like mine and cappies.

thanks guys keep posting love to find a great quality fly place with low prices on line. see ya on the water.

IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO ROUND UP WITH ME ON TUESDAY FOR PUTAH LET ME KNOW.
AND ALSO ILL BE GOING TO AMADOR ON FRIDAY WITH MY BOSS AND HIS SON YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO HIT UP THE HARD HITTIN AMA-BOW AKA CUTT-BOW WITH ME AS WELL.

Out for Trout · Member

You all should try discountflies.com, �good quality at good rates. Nice folks to boot.

brian clemens · Senior Member

ya packrat all my flies for putah including the ones that you sent me, all gone. kinda sucks, but christmas is just around the corner so hope i get my wishlist. i might have to check out these other .COMS for flies.

i notived both have discountflies.com but one has hills are they the same

ok never mind they arent.

how is the quality of both fly.coms they ok pretty good or best bang for the buck. thats why i do bluefly, best bang for the buck.

ill probably go take a look at kienes and american fly today. ill be pickin up my flies on monday for my tuesday trip.

and on ya gonna get some SHOE GOO, see if i cant fix my crotch leak in my neos,

after lookin at those places i might or might not roll with them. not to bad of prices but ill have to think about it. i did notice that hills didnt have the sizes i like in midges kinda disappointing.

but again thanks guys.

ill be doing some shopping for flies on monday and hittin up putah on tuesday if anyone wants to join me let me know

brian clemens · Senior Member

for eggs on putah orangey yellow, or is it more yellow that orange or visa versa

shon42073 · Senior Member

Packrat i hit up creative sports about every other week most of the fly's I buy there for putah are only $1.25 so that isn't bad and buy 12 get the 13th for free. I'm in martinez. good fly selection to packrat, just one thing though, A #20 or smaller griffiths gnat is a dry fly must on putah.

-- Edited by thecaptain at 13:48, 2007-11-30

-- Edited by thecaptain at 14:07, 2007-11-30

Packrat · Senior Member

Where exactly in Martinez? My mailing address is Martinez but I'm right on the OH border on Donegal Way. It's near the Safeway on Alhambra, I think they call it Virginia Hills. Also right near the Arco station and Eames hardware.

brian clemens · Senior Member

well went to kienes, looks like ill be pickin up about a dozen flies there on monday, also gonna pick up some forcepts, a net, and some shot. ill be ready for putah for sure. one question. are the eggs on putah yellow, light yellow, orange or a lil bit of both. or what.

and again the offer is out there if anyone wants to join me on tuesday.

ill fish for 90% of the day takin a break mid day for lunch and to go to the bridge and see if i cant find my fly box. hope god is with me and that i can find it.

Shark Diver · Veteran Member

I have been buying online from a few companies. They generally do not last and the quality ranges from good to amazing to downright crack head poor.

I am always looking for a newco to buy from!

brian clemens · Senior Member

hey sharky you already checked out my post, and there is another one that i posted as well with a few other fly co, also bigyfly.com very very cheap quality i dont see anything wrong with them, cappy get his flies from them and i have used many of his in the past few months and i seem to catch fish just fine, then dont last long, could use some head glue but again cant complain

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I've been reading all these posts and thought I'd give my 2 cents.What I have noticed and what I know about "discount" flies is that they almost always are tied on cheap hooks which break;bend and corrode much quicker than the top quality hooks.I get solicited by these fly manufactures all the time and have been sent free samples...not impressed.Also some of the flies are irregular and do not last long,bottom line generally speaking is you get what you pay for.� Bono

flygirl1 · Veteran Member

Hey Captain and Packrat...where do you live in Martinez? I grew up there...Mom still lives there...nice little town.

shon42073 · Senior Member

I am finding it true about the broken hooks on cheap fly's. I bought a really big batch about a year ago and find they also start coming apart after a short time, and theres no consistancy to the patterns. Flygirl, I live in the downtown area near the water.

-- Edited by thecaptain at 08:31, 2007-12-03

Packrat · Senior Member

I'm right on the border of Martinez and Pleasant Hill, right near the Virginia Hills Safeway.