JR wrote:
That said, if I came into a fortune tomorrow, I'd probably give
away all my tying stuff and never tie again..... and not feel I
was any worse off as a fly fisherman.

Oddly enough, I seem to be of the opposite persuasion on this issue.
If I came into a fortune tomorrow, I'd probably tie more. For me,
the economics is that of time. I like tying; but I don't have the
time to do it enough; consequently, I pretty much suck at it except for
some basic patterns & skills. If I had the disposable income, I'd
buy my lunch, buy my home repairs, and buy my own auto maintenance,
giving me more time to tie my own flies.

I don't know how to describe it, but tying is another extension of my
attitude toward the sport. One of my best fishing experiences was
catching a nice fish on I fly I designed using a rod I custom built.
Yeah, I can buy flies; I can buy rods; I can pay a guide to tie up my
rig and point me to the best spot; but at some point, I may as well
just go to a store and buy fish. I need to tie flies to feel a part of
the whole Zen thing.

Joe F.