Fly Tyer or a Fly Buyer?

So what are you?

I fall into the first catagory of the fly tyer, yeah you know the guy…”I’m gonna show those shops, ‘en save a bunch of money tying my own flies!” That was my thought process about ten years ago when I crossed the line from rational fly buyer to obsessive fly tyer…

My urge to save money by tying my own was short lived… The realization set in that my large, and ever growing stockpile of fur, foam, feathers and hooks if added up and divided by the total amount of flies tied would equal $7.97… Ok the number is arbitrary, but you get the point. While I don’t intend to stop tying flies, I have gotten a handle on the addiction, for now. What keeps me tying is the ability to take a “known” fly pattern and adapt it to different waters and situations is the main reason I continue fly tying. There really aren’t many “new” groundbreaking ideas in fly tying, just adaptations. I’m always suspect of anyone claiming to have invented any new fly pattern these days…chances are it has been done before and they are kidding themselves. I always get a chuckle when folks hand me a “new” fly and tell me “yeah, it is called the “troutslapper” (named for effect) and you look at it and say “yeah, hmm” when in reality it is a “wooly bugger” in a tuxedo. Truth is I always graciously accept these new “groundbreaking creations” and fish them with a smile…