Most of us at some point or another have considered tying our flies for various reasons. Some of us do it to fill our box with various simple patterns that we refuse to buy, others tend to gravitate towards the innovative side of tying. One fact that holds true however you may look at it is if you do not tie you buy. This is a double edged sword that if you have little to no experience tying it may be difficult to understand.
Fly prices have rose right along with the cost of living, and that is as clear as the difference between a quality fly and mass produced, inconsistent cheap junk loosely referred to as fly. Regardless of what side of that fence you chose to be on, the reasons many of us have resorted to filling our boxes in this manner vary from what they were 20 years ago.
Modern tiers are constantly pushing for more innovative methods, materials, tools as the list goes on and on. For me tying is all about innovation, if I was trying to save a buck I would not be the guy you want handling your investment portfolio. I want to be able to tie the patterns that I use and be able to make adjustments that I see fit versus settling for what is in the bin.
On the flip side of this there are most definitely patterns that I refuse to tie…… as a friend once coined them as sweat shop flies. If I had more time I would venture into tying some of them, but for now I spend my winters cranking out core patterns (or ridiculous patterns that amuse me) that is what has kept me at the bench. Maybe the guy that spends that time on the river has things figured out, but then again I bet I have a few tricks in my fly box that you don’t see in the bins.
John Morrison says
Great entry, really enjoyed it. What is the name of the pattern on the bottom? Just curious, really buggy looking.