As for me being able to save dough on tying my own trout bugs.
I guess I would have to tie constantly for a couple of decades to make up for my modest tying kit. I tie for fun and variety, and to understand the fish/prey relationship better.
Has anyone ever done a count of the # of flies they actually lose/destroy in an entire season? I know I always end up with more than I started the season with. How many did I actually need to replace?
I figure: Unless you grow/skin/make your own materials, the cost of a "self tied fly" is actually not much less than store bought. Consider a good trout hook is $0.20-0.40, add a bead for about $0.14, $0.30 for tungsten. That is about $0.50 on average before time and materials. Yeah, you can tie 100s flies from a cape/skin, but how long would it take to use that material and get that savings. I figure my time ain't free. @ $20 hr (20 fph = $1 a fly) those 1000s of flies tied are costing me more money than they are worth compared to other things I can do with the time. I figure the true cost difference @ about $0.50 a fly ($1.50 vs. $2). If I figure that my tying kit is worth about $1000, it would take 2K flies or more to break even. But to do that I would need to buy more hooks/materials, and the vicious cycle starts again.
However, on sal****er and spey flies, I can save quite a bit more.
What do the rest of you think?
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Tune in next time for the further adventures of "Break-em-off Billy"
I dont tie flies to save money. I tie flies because I feel like I learn more about fly fishing, and because I feel like I take a bigger part in the tradition that has preceded me.
I think in the long run you would probably save some money but if most tiers are like me I'm always buying materials. I think it would be hard for me to use ever use up everything I have. It's relaxing, fun and a great feeling to catch a fish on a bug you tied yourself.
I think the only way someone would save money tying flies would be if he were to tie only a very small selection of nymphs and he bought only the materials needed for these flies. Unfortunately, most of us want to tie a lot of different flies, both nymphs and dries. As soon as you want to tie dry flies, you need to buy good quality hackle and even second and third grade hackle can get expensive, especially since you will probably need different colored hackle. "Saving money" is something you tell your wife when you explain to her why you want to start tying flies. But for most of us, it turns out to be a fantasy.
Accumulating tying materials can be expensive. If I tied flies with half of the materials that I absolutely needed to buy, I would probably save some money. I have tons materials sitting around that I've never used. Maybe one day I'll find a use for all those materials. Until then, I'll keep on pretending to save money by tying my own flies.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
I think that the time we spend tying is more preciuos than the money invested. We all get only so many grains of sand in the hour glass and how I spend my time is what's most relevant to me. The enjoyment I get from sitting at the vise whether cranking out some tried and true patterns to re- stock my boxes or trying to come up with a new killer pattern, is surpassed only by putting them to use on the water. For myself and all of the people that I know that tie,catching fish ( especially the real picky ones), on a pattern that you came up with is incredibly satisfying and that is what it's all about. Do we save money on the flies we tie? I don't know. Do we expand and deepen our our understanding and involvement of this activity called fly fishing that we are so passionate about?............................Without a doubt. Tight lines! Viking
I can't say I have saved any money (keep spending it on new materials). I pretty much do it just for the relaxation and satisfaction of catching something on a fly I tied. And it sure makes those days you can't fish go by a bit faster.
Thanks for the invitation. I'm going to pass on this swap. Timing/calendar is not very forgiving presently. Still very interested--Quite possibly in the future...yes!
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There's no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm...
