Craft store VS Fly shop

Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the fly
shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent alot of
money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys feathers at a
craft store way cheaper.

Chad

"Chad" wrote in message
news:OlGZe.51066$ct5.37568@fed1read04...
Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the fly
shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent alot of
money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys feathers at a
craft store way cheaper.

Chad


It's item specific, and not all feathers are created equal or even close

Craft stores stock many items that are great for fly tying, but a good fly
shop has some materials in QUALities you'll never approach in a crafts
store. The shoppers goal is two fold. One, find quality materials ( and
I warn all beginning fly tiers, NOTHING is as important as quality materials
if you seek quality results ) for the best price. Two, to AVOID buying
material you don't need, ... if you don't have a REAL, and NOW, use for it,
leave it on the shelf regardless of store type.

"Larry L" wrote in
:


"Chad" wrote in message
news:OlGZe.51066$ct5.37568@fed1read04...
Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the
fly shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent
alot of money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys
feathers at a craft store way cheaper.

Chad


It's item specific, and not all feathers are created equal or even
close

Craft stores stock many items that are great for fly tying, but a good
fly shop has some materials in QUALities you'll never approach in a
crafts store. The shoppers goal is two fold. One, find quality
materials ( and I warn all beginning fly tiers, NOTHING is as
important as quality materials if you seek quality results ) for the
best price. Two, to AVOID buying material you don't need, ... if
you don't have a REAL, and NOW, use for it, leave it on the shelf
regardless of store type.



Amen to that! I just went through my stuff to unburden myself of
unneeded feathers (craft store stuff), yarns, tinsels, etc. My advise is
to figure out what you actually tie and shop for that. For the
occasional oddball you might want to tie go to a Trout Unlimited meeting
and make a friend or two and make a friendly trade of materials. (If you
have a fly tying friend just beg off of him/her!!)

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

"Chad" wrote in message
news:OlGZe.51066$ct5.37568@fed1read04...
Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the fly
shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent alot of
money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys feathers at a
craft store way cheaper.
Chad

Larry wrote:
It's item specific, and not all feathers are created equal or even close
(snip)

Hi folks,
A few humble thoughts.
My best buys at craft shops seem to be:
beads, yarns, some tinsels, maybe a bit of peacock,
ostrich, maybe some thread, sometimes wire, glue guns and associated stuff,
rabbit fur, synthetic fur, can get sometimes pheasant tails, dye, scissors,
what I call threadiing bobbins, paints/ epoxy , etc.
I don't consider those places for mostly what I call " regular craft"
feathers, but I use them sometimes.
Mr. Reid, of this newsgroup, and others, may play more than me, in the craft
stores.
(of course there is a thread holder and a pretty good lamp from a place
called JoAnns . . .or somethin')
DaveMohnsen
Denver

Hi folks,
A few humble thoughts.
My best buys at craft shops seem to be:
beads, yarns, some tinsels, maybe a bit of peacock,
ostrich, maybe some thread, sometimes wire, glue guns and associated
stuff, rabbit fur, synthetic fur, can get sometimes pheasant tails, dye,
scissors, what I call threadiing bobbins, paints/ epoxy , etc.
I don't consider those places for mostly what I call " regular craft"
feathers, but I use them sometimes.
Mr. Reid, of this newsgroup, and others, may play more than me, in the
craft stores.
(of course there is a thread holder and a pretty good lamp from a place
called JoAnns . . .or somethin')
DaveMohnsen
Denver

Its a trade-off. Sometimes you get the best deal from a flyshop, others a
craft store. I buy very few feathers from a craft store, conversely, I buy
very little chenille from fly shops. Some general things made for other
hobbies are perfect for fly tying. One example is double locking bead
boxes. These are great for hooks. I know of at least two fly shops that
now carry them for hook storage. Also, I can get much more bang for the
buck with scissors, lamps and the like at a craft store.
I also mix most of my own dubbing now. I get the materials from craft
stores, online, and wool & sheep faires.
If you're inventing totally new flies, I would look in the craft store or at
a craft convention (quilting, scrapbooking....) for the latest in materials.
They'll show up there before they hit the fly industry. I've found things
like Angelina fibre and sparkle organza at such places way befor they were
accepted in the fly fishing world.

--
Frank Reid
Euthanize to respond

Two-three weeks ago a teenager returned a popping bug he had borrowed for
the day. As I looked at it, I noticed that the doll eyes I had purchased
from a craft shop had disintegrated and only the bottom circles remained! I
never had this poor quality problem with google eyes purchased from fly
shops or catalogs. I will be re-sourcing google eyes.

My popping bug patterns use quite a few red pom poms which are only
available at craft stores. Recently a red dye lot was not permanent in
water.

These two examples are presented so you can determine if craft store quality
meets your needs.

Good luck!
John
"Chad" wrote in message
news:OlGZe.51066$ct5.37568@fed1read04...
Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the fly
shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent alot of
money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys feathers at a
craft store way cheaper.

Chad

AVOID buying material you don't need, ... if
you don't have a REAL, and NOW, use for it, leave it on the shelf
regardless of store type.

Amen to that! I just went through my stuff to unburden myself of
unneeded feathers (craft store stuff), yarns, tinsels, etc.

Geez! And all this time I thought that the guy who dies with the most
unused fly-tying material wins!

vince

I buy very few feathers from a craft store, conversely, I buy
very little chenille from fly shops.

Frank, I can't find chenille at craft shops that doesn't have a wire
core, like a pipe cleaner. What do you ask for?

vince

I buy very few feathers from a craft store, conversely, I buy
very little chenille from fly shops.

Frank, I can't find chenille at craft shops that doesn't have a wire
core, like a pipe cleaner. What do you ask for?

Go to the yarn department. Its used for knitting. Otherwise go to
http://www.arricks.com/ Arricks has more chenille than any other place I've
seen.

--
Frank Reid
Euthanize to respond

Chad wrote:
Does anyone think that the craft stores carry the same thing that the fly
shops carry, only cheaper? When I first starting tying I spent alot of
money fly shop supplies, only to find out that my wife buys feathers at a
craft store way cheaper.

Chad


For awhile I was using 1/8" craft store sheet foam for tying foam
bodied flies. Very cheap, but I have found that this foam is less
durable than some 1/8" foam sheeting available from fly tying
material distributors.

Jeff Shafer