Can You Save Money Tying Flies? | Fly Tying

Can you save money tying flies? We get this question a lot and in this video Curtis will break it down by vise, materials and tools to see if you really can save money tying your own flies.
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[@garyweglarz]

I'm 72 years old and started tying flies at age 12. I can say that from my experience that "saving money" is probably the last reason I'd identify as to why tying your own flies will add a lot to not only your fishing satisfaction, but also to your overall well being. In the modern world few of us really get to "work with our hands" anymore, and there is something about "working with our hands" that is really stress reducing, calming and satisfying. Tying flies is my readily available access to - "Zen." Someday I may become too infirm to get out on the water anymore - but, I have no doubt that I'd still "tie flies" even though I couldn't get out to fish with them anymore. Go figure. Tying flies can be an "end" in itself I'd say.

[@hankvana2149]

Same age, same experience, same perspective! Cheers!

[@GABABQ2756]

Well said.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Well said. I’m 75, and have been tying for 40+ years. I can no longer fish, but I still enjoy tying. Instead of fishing them, I donate them to the local chapter of Project Healing Waters (part of Wounded Warriors), and, when health permits, try to help out in their tying classes.

[@jeffbrooks8288]

I’m 63 and started tying at 8. I gathered most of my own materials from around the farm and by trapping in the creek bottom as a kid. Later on, hunting birds and big game provided much of the material I used. MS has robbed my ability to fly fish anymore but I still love to tie flies for sanity sake as you described. My fishing partner for 30+ years is the main beneficiary and it keeps me in the game in that regard when the body cooperates. Numerous other friends and family also receive boxes of flies as gifts and I receive fishing reports and photos in exchange. Thanks for the great comments!

[@randyeggleston7138]

I tied for a few years but I only stuck to 3 patterns, these 3 patterns I ran as a set for steelhead and was very successful with them. I changed colors of course but not the size or patterns,(big bug, egg pattern, prince) I’m only 54 and since an accident has caused depression after 25 years of using this awesome method, one day I stopped all of it but after a few years now and some help I’m not going to target steelhead anymore but I am now getting into the 1 to 5 weight range and when I feel like going I absolutely love it, there is something a lot more true about it especially when I threw my tape measure away. I’m getting back into tying also but I’m not to sure how I will do, I can’t wait though, the smaller flies will be a challenge for me. But for the 3 patterns I tied I definitely saved money, the big bugs at our local shop were $3.75 back then. But that didn’t stop me when I was low, I didn’t know anything in the world would ever keep me from fishing for those beautiful fish. I never thought depression would take anything from me. But it did kinda bring me down to earth and slowed me down, silver linings.

[@scotmclellan5190]

there is something about catching a trout on a fly that I have tied that brings a whole lot of joy, and that for me is priceless. Oh btw Im not letting my wife watch this video, just so you know :)

[@FlyFishFood]

Agreed! Nothing better than catching a fish on a fly you've tied.

[@steves7345]

I just started tying flies last year and what I did was find different flies that use alot of the same materials so I can try and use up what I started with and have different flies to fish with.

[@OldVetUSN72]

I’ve been at it since the 60’s and it got to be a separate hobby besides fishing. Hours upon hours of enjoyment over the decades ! Sitting by the wood burner and tying doesn’t get any better to spend a cold winter day ! I never looked at it as saving money. Tiers today have way more of a myriad of materials than back in the days I started. It’s a great hobby for anyone considering to get into it !

[@joeborgione5477]

I didn’t start tying to save money. It’s another aspect to fly fishing that elevates the overall experience. Catching a nice fish on a fly I tied is really fun. Plain and simple.

[@T.N.TFly.company]

Fly tying is definitely not cheap but i agree it is relaxing, fun, and it’s so rewarding to catch fish on flies you tied yourself.

[@timthompsondp]

I feel like for certain people you absolutely CAN save money. Does not mean you WILL save money. You have to be someone who fishes a ton and with a select amount of patterns. I was this person... I calculated it and I for sure could save money, but then I started tying and now I spend as much or more on tying than I do fishing. I think the thing is you could save money if you are only doing it to try and save money, but if you are like 99% of people that will last about 8 minutes until you realize how fun and creative tying can be.

[@user-mb1hg4qu9f]

Just getting back into fly tying after several years. I like to tye patterns that appeal to me, and I like to see how well I can tye them. That's the attraction. Subbed.

[@gregwhit4032]

One of my best things about tying is making things you can’t buy. Like an apricot copper John.

[@IvanGiochev]

I started tying 25 years ago thanks to the very nice guys at Corens rods and reels in Chicago IL. They told me, that I can start with not a lot of money, but I will keep buying tools and materials. They were so right. I lost the numbers long time ago. Recently I tied four different dry flies for a friend of mine to give them a try. He caught a fish on one he tried. This event paid for every single cent I've spent so far. I think that I will go on 😂

[@austin9720]

Couldn’t bring myself to pay for a San Juan worm or a zebra midge so that’s why I started tying. After paying for tools and all that you absolutely save money

[@GeorgeSemel]

The Zebra midge is a commercial fly tyers dream to fly!

[@mikelundrigan2285]

You will have flys made to your own standards, with your own fingers and skill! And you can have flys that you cannot easily acquire in the typical stores that sell them! Plus it is quite relaxing and improves your eye, hand co-ordination! I also think you know will learn more about which flys are more effective than someone who does not! Often flys from typical big box stores are cheaply made, fall apart in short order and are made on inferior hooks! I know a fly I made will outlast those flys by a factor of 10 or more!! And I can make some to sell if I choose to!!

[@GeorgeSemel]

12 dozen to break even, sounds about right. I still tie on a Regal Vise I bought in 1983, and I thought I was out of my mind to spend 124 dollars on it. Saving money is releitive. Tying allows you to tailor your fly to your local waters. For example I tie Griffiths Gnats my most effective size is a # 22. You don't find them that small in fly shops usually and never smaller. Right now I decided to master the No-Hackle Dry Fly, I know I am going to be spending a chunk of money on Duck Wings, so what. Thanks to fine video put out by the master himself Mike Lawson, I think I should be able to tie a fairly decent one in about 5 to 8 dozen. For me it's the challenge of it. I tied hundreds of compara duns over the years. Even my less than perfect ones, I still caught fish. I did tie commercially for a while. and well you can make money doing that, if the patterns are conducive to production tying.

[@ken92008badtown]

Great info and research. Curtis the business consultant\software guy, so good at breaking down complicated things. I just need to tie 1,238(roughly) flies to save enough money to buy another $1,098(roughly) Helios rod. Take that wifey!! Told you my "hobby" would pay for itself!

[@armandoveloz5644]

Well presented. Can’t image you’d have to break it down like this in a sport that just alone rod and reel setup could cost you well over $1200. And most don’t even keep the prize to eat. It’s your hobbies and that’s that. Thanks for the time and effort.

[@oscarbarreiro4266]

Thanks! Great that you tackled this question in an interesting and fun way. Tight lines!

[@grimtidings7325]

Can you redo this video where you absolutely save money so my wife sees it?

[@GeorgeSemel]

You mean you want to be able to lie to your wife and still not feel guilty about it? Men have been doing that sort of stuff for eons. I have never had that problem since I have never married.

[@garrydurfey9700]

What a great video. Therapy!! Lot cheaper than a therapist……. My downfall are materials. But to be honest, the suppliers don’t help us sometimes. Over the years some things have gotten better, such as dry fly hackle. I have mine and my dad’s necks……from years ago, and they aren’t as good as the new packs with these incredible genetic feathers. But I bought 2 new colors of ostrich plume the other day and it is ridiculous!! I have enough to tie how many thousand dozen size 18 flies? That is where things need to change. Unfortunately, packaging is probably driving that price. So I get less and pay almost as much. I am NOT bashing our incredible suppliers, just wish there was a better way to get a reasonable amount of material and save a little money. By the way and I will add context: there have been stretches of my life where I have not tied for years. Having said that, I still use my Renzetti Traveler and love it……going on 30 + years!! Saw the Renzetti guys at the Denver show and thanked them profusely!! I might like another style of vise just as much but doubt I will ever try one.

[@BeyerOutdoors]

Thank you for sharing this info. Coming up in July, I'll be selling flies for the first time, and I'm trying to decide what flies may sell the best. I've only tied before as a hobby to provide myself with flies or gifts for others.

[@lucaseskridge1531]

The fun that comes with tying is worth the sunk cost alone for me. As I've gotten better and tie more complicated streamer flies it feels way cheaper than buying.

[@edelms3255]

I agree with most comments here...we tie flies not to save money, it's because we enjoy it. I also find that my flies outlast commercially tied ones...and can tweak patterns to fit our own local waters we fish...

[@TaylorTheFishFreek]

I save money tying flies. The flies I tie come out to about $0.20 each. Granted you have to know where to get the right materials and for the right price. I do most of my material shopping on ebay. And yes you have to consider the cost of tools and vice as startup but they pay for themselves within a year.

[@sjohnson4882]

I like this presenter/presentation.

[@GeorgeSemel]

Curtis is the brains behind Fly Fish Food and is a really cool guy, too. He will even give you a sandwich if you ask. Seriously, they both are top-notch and very, very skilled fly tyers and fly fishermen.

[@realityobservationalist7290]

Learning to tie is an invaluable skill, assuming that fly fishing is already a major passion. Unless you are already highly informed, you will learn things you never expected. To learn the bug is to learn the fish, their forage, their habitat, and how we target them. It provides a neverending stream of questions and answers, and new things to learn. To me, it's almost a required aspect of the "sport", especially in the trout world. The best part is when you have the lightbulb moment that there are no rules and you don't have to fixate on well-known patterns. Just have fun, experiment, try different materials, and try and realize that fish don't care. A $0.50 cent junker or a $12 dollar masterpiece is all the same. Truth is, they chew on a lot of sticks, rocks, leaves... all day, every day. Presentation is far more important than pattern, imo...

[@camerongrant9356]

Tying your own flies is more expensive. You’ll find yourself using premium hooks and materials and when you factor in your time, they are way more money. It’s all about the satisfaction.

[@waynegraff3942]

I gotta admit, this was a great video.

[@ThomasVincent-st6de]

I think it really depends, fly fishing in general can be a very expensive sport/hobby. Some materials at face value can catch you off guard but I think for the most part you will save money making your own. For example I can get chenille for some green weenies for $2.50, hooks for $9-$10 and beads for $9 bucks. I’ll probably get 20-25 hooks and on average a fly costs $2.50. I’d spend $62.50 for 25 flies from a store when I can make them for a fraction of the price. But it really just comes down to the individual and what they want to do.

[@edherrmann182]

I’ve been tying flys for over 50- years. I have lots of flys that I’ll never use. But the cost of materials adds up. The inventory of materials is phenominal. I added natural materials I collected through hunting and collecting quality road kill. Now I have more materials I will never use in my lifetime. I bought beads and hooks in bulk. Some feathers are pretty pricy as is the different flosses. Then I started tying salmon flies. Now you get into some really expensive materials. Then of course the new synthetics showed up in the 90’s and continue to this day. Overall over my lifetime I spent a lot of money on this great hobby. But when I’m dead and gone, I hope one of my grandkids picks up the hobby and they get my fly tying materials. Then the cost for whoever takes it up is not a factor except buying threads and certain flosses. Therefore I can never deny the pleasure and satisfaction of catching fish on my own flies. Nothing could ever replace that. 😂😂😂😂. Maybe one day you will talk about the actual expense and importance of fishing equipment and what’s really necessary besides the expense. The real point is to have fun and not the$$$$.

[@GeorgeSemel]

Hunting is its own can of worms; I know I first had on that one. I will think long and hard about spending 8K on a car, yet I will drop that much in a heartbeat to go hunt cape buffalo and then some. I don't know a fly fisherman who does not also hunt.

[@talkeetna911ify]

You can make a lot of your tools hooks I buy by 500 dubbing you need to learn to blend and dye and search around Easter at $2 dollar stores ect ect . Vice make sure the sell jaw's for the vice as they will wear out . Bulk is where you'll save on .

[@tonygarrett601]

You can most people don’t because tying becomes an activity in itself. And you are constantly trying new patterns and buying new materials, tools, books, and expanding in the number of fish you chase. If you are buying a small amount of materials and fishing a small set of sure winners you will be able to save. I want to tie everything I see or hear about.

[@Waty8413]

Buying flies is like eating out at a restaurant every night. A single meal is cheaper than buying a cart full of groceries... ...but if you know how to cook, that cart of groceries is a smarter buy.

[@parachutejjs]

One of my greatest fears is that when I pass away my wife will sell all my fly fishing and tying gear for what I told her I paid for it.

[@jorgesven5197]

The Renzetti Travel Vise Rocks....You do not need anything else.

[@danielgroth3070]

I have tied flies since 1974, an for me it’s not interested to tying for to save money. It’s about that feeling to catch fish on your own tied flies.

[@dtoux]

Sometimes I question how commercial tyers survive… on my best day I can tie 12 flies per hour… selling them at $2.79 a fly is ~$30-35/hr not including expenses… so, it is definitely would not be the way to make living for me… but I still tie my own for all other reasons you mentioned 😉

[@GeorgeSemel]

Not at retail prices, but how I kept myself going for one-off year when contracts didn't come. It can be done, but not if you are servicing any kind of debt.

[@MiguelSantaLucia]

$30 an hour is a lot of income in Kenya

[@mikehulsey4813]

Short answer, NOPE! I will end up bankrupt in the end but I’ll die surrounded by piles of dubbing and feathers and bottles of rit dye lol. I’m okay with it!

[@ralphmarrujo1491]

Your Funny, save money tying flies!

[@ut_trout_bum]

I tie flies mainly cause most patterns I use aren’t sold in fly shops here in Utah.

[@electrontube]

Absolutely, I can match whatever I want. Caterpillars? I can tie that. Cicada? sure, tie it up. Heck, I even have flies that look like pieces of corn for carp at the local hobby pond.

[@sjohnson4882]

Same here. Most of the flies I tie aren't available in fly shops.

[@cedricvinuesa5353]

If you fish 1 day per week along the trout saison and fishing in euronymphing. You can tying 500 nymphs And loose enter 5 and 10. Yes fly tying is the better homies for your money.

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

If you buy "no name" materials, you can sorta save money. But its not much, at least not enough to convince anyone who may not enjoy tying to sit down for 2 hours and tie 2 dozen flies.

[@ega22]

Yes it is enjoyable. But also can save you money. I had basically my whole fly collection (only 500 or so) stolen a few years back & b/c I had my tying mats & tools I was able to get back up & running (on a fly side) for less than $200. Whereas buying them in quality would have cost a lot more than that. Anecdotal maybe but significant to me.

[@GABABQ2756]

Break even point = dying and your spouse sells your tying bench and materials. Then they head to the wood shop…. At this point in my tying career, just tie it.

[@JP24Mich]

My wife said its going in the trash when I die 🤣

[@dsmith2601]

Economy of scale?

[@carlchambers617]

Can you save money tying flies? Yes. Will you save money? No. On a per fly basis, tying your own is certainly cheaper. The problem is that if you find that you like tying flies, eventually you will find yourself with hundreds of dozens of flies, far more than you will ever actually fish. You will be the angler that carriers six fly boxes, stuffed to the gills. You will also have enough fly tying material to tie a thousand dozen more, but there are always new patterns that call for new materials. Anybody know where I can get some Australian possum and some Finn raccoon?

[@user-qi7vw5xc3z]

Yes you can I started in 1985

[@RoryLynott]

The answer is yes. That is, if you dont mindw sub par vises, tools, materials and hooks. Oh, wait a minute that means that you're losing money.

[@randyeggleston7138]

I found to be aware of where you may purchase your gear or you will be flipping burgers.

[@glencamblin]

I tie so I have to make my weekly trip to come harass Cheech

[@JP24Mich]

Short answer Fly Fish Food are the ones making money, not you 🤣

[@lincolnprojectnemesis3253]

18 minutes to say no!

[@tst3v3ns]

12 dozen, so your saying the payback is really gross.

[@christiannilsson4071]

Competition - No one will buy a crooked offset pattern of anything.

[@kingfisher6802]

Hell no 😂

[@Taylor_in_Southern_Oregon]

Yes you can. But not if you get all the needed stuff at your shop

[@FlyFishFood]

We literally took the "how to save money" numbers from our shop. 😂

[@hankvana2149]

The answer is YES and NO. I started tying because commercial flies were not readily available, there was no selection, and the quality was terrible... hooks were $1.25 per HUNDRED! (Just dated myself 😉 ). Most flies these days are overly complex with too many materials. Inexpensive simple flies catch just as many fish as fancy complex ones. You can save money tying flies IF you don't go nuts buying every type/color of material available. For years, most of my materials were from the game that I hunted or came from wool and craft stores. The opposite to the practical approach is that I tie flies as a hobby. I indulge myself in buying all kinds of fancy materials and learn to tie different styles/types of flies with no intention of ever fishing them. Cost is irrelevant, and time spent is considered entertainment. You have made a good attempt to cover an impossible subject. There are too many variables to consider. Tools for example. I have commercial ones but make many of my own bobbins, bodkins, whip-finishers, and even vises just because I enjoy doing so. I have 5 vises but still use the 60 year old one that I made in high-school shop class when tying large streamers. Hard to put a dollar-figure on fly tying. Cheers!

[@huntryx1]

Hell no

[@jorgesven5197]

If you only tie a few patterns you are going to save money - If you want to tie an entire collection of flies, you will spend too much money.

[@user-ru5dn2be1c]

you lost me at the math.

[@khuhner]

Zero chance. Biggest misconception. If you only tied one fly and tied thousands yes, you can save money. Otherwise no.