Why do you tie flies?

I wrote this for a blog entry a few days ago. I've never heard anyone
else
make this point, so I thought it was worth posting.

=====
Why make flies and lures?

Like a lot of fly tyers I started when I was about 12 or so. I had to
tie flies in order to fish. Good flies were hard to find and too
expensive to buy back then. But I'm almost 60 now and good high-quality
flies are cheap to buy and easy to find. Rather than a threat to
creative fly tying, however, I see that as a great benefit. I don't
need to tie any more Elk Hair Caddis, Woolly Buggers or Royal Wulffs,
because I can buy those flies for not too much more than it would cost
to buy the materials.

That means I can spend all my time fiddling with new designs--tying
odd-ball specialty flies I can't buy at any price. It also means I
don't have to worry about tying time efficiency. Because I buy most of
the flies I actually fish with, it suddenly becomes perfectly sensible
to tie flies that take a half an hour or more each to make.

Now that I think about it, worrying about production efficiency can
take the fun out of almost anything. I used to work think and fret
about new and ever faster ways to build driftboats. Now I pride myself
in taking longer than some of the first time boat builders I sell my
boat blueprints to.

Time is money. The more time it takes the more valuable it is. And my
fly boxes are filled with powerful, valuable, good-looking flies nobody
else has.

wrote


Time is money. The more time it takes the more valuable it is. And my
fly boxes are filled with powerful, valuable, good-looking flies nobody
else has.


That comes pretty close to my feelings, too. I've never tied to save
money ( I've probably been tying 20 years, fly fishing 35++ ) but unlike
Sandy I almost never buy a fly ... even standards I hate to tie ( Royal
Wulff ) .... I either tie my own, or fish a different pattern ... it's more
stubbornness than economy with me G

I don't have a very creative nature, but the few patterns that I have
developed give me great pleasure to fish ... and I must say, catch fish
pretty damn well in the problem situations they were designed to solve.
Often something as simple as "sparser" than what's in the bin at the fly
shop can make a big difference. With most things in life it's not the big
differences that set quality aside from the common, rather it is a
combination of little, subtle ones. Often 'my version' of a pattern would
be hard for others to pick out of a bin full, but I could easily, and I
could explain the 'why' of the suble differences from the rest of the fake
bugs in the bin.

I don't honestly remember why I started to tie ( this thread's header ) but
many years later I can say that THE single thing that has most improved my
fly fishing is fly tying. But not so much the flies I tie, themselves.
Rather, its the study and observation that has led me to "my version" of a
pattern that has improved my appreciation of the sport. I'd never tie if I
didn't fish, and at this point I doubt that I'd enjoy fishing enough to
continue, if I didn't tie.


P.S. I'm a crappy tier :-( I recently started taking digital macro
photos of "my versions" thinking I'd waste some time expanding my website to
include a 'my flybox' section. When I see them in such photos I find it
difficult to believe how sloppy some are ... such photography is proving to
be a great motivator for better effort and I recommend it as a way to see
your ties in a new light.

wrote in message
oups.com...

Why make flies and lures?

I made my first attempt at fly tying somewhere around the age of ten. I had
somehow gotten hold of a book or magazine that contained instructions, and
managed to cobble together what I presumably thought at the time was a
suitable approximation of the materials called for. I secured a hook in my
father's workshop bench vise and after a couple of hours of bemused
twisting, wrapping, tying, unwrapping, etc., ended up with something that
looked, even to relatively uncritical ten year old eyes, like a pretty
distant relative of the thing pictured in the book. All of this is a rather
vague memory, and I don't recall for sure whether I ever actually tried to
use the fly, but I think probably not. Most likely it languished for years
in a little steel lock box in which I stored other important mementos until
it disappeared a long time ago.

A vague memory, I said, but it nevertheless stuck with me. Twenty-five
years later I happened to fall in with of group of guys who were avid
fishermen....fly fishers as a matter of fact.....and one of them (the oft
mentioned Malignant Dwarf) was also an exceptional fly tier. Over the
course of a few months I learned a LOT about how to make bugs in exchange
for being a source of very cheap labor. For the next ten years or so I tied
flies like a demon, both to support my own habit and to earn money
to.....well, support my own habit.

These days I don't do very much tying.....just enough to keep myself
inadequately supplied with the few patterns I use regularly. But every once
in a while I sit down at the bench for half an hour or so of twisting,
wrapping and tying, at the end of which I hold up a beautiful little bundle
of fur, feathers and steel......and a little boy's eyes light up with glee.


Wolfgang

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...

Why make flies and lures?

Most likely it languished for years in a little steel lock box

Interesting, I too have a metal lock box with childhood memories. In the box
are items that will never be used again, however it's always fun to look
back at the content and think about what each item represents. One item in
the box is an old metal Perrin fly box with some of my first ties (from
about the age of 11 or 12), most are probably not worthy of ever seeing the
light of day but fun to look at. Since our last move, I haven't seen the
metal lock box, I'll have to dig through the pile of boxes in the basement
tonight in hopes of finding it.

I hope mine has not gotten lost too...
JT

Wolfgang typed:
wrote in message
oups.com...

Why make flies and lures?

I made my first attempt at fly tying somewhere around the age of ten.
I had somehow gotten hold of a book or magazine that contained
instructions, and managed to cobble together what I presumably
thought at the time was a suitable approximation of the materials
called for. I secured a hook in my father's workshop bench vise and
after a couple of hours of bemused twisting, wrapping, tying,
unwrapping, etc., ended up with something that looked, even to
relatively uncritical ten year old eyes, like a pretty distant
relative of the thing pictured in the book. All of this is a rather
vague memory, and I don't recall for sure whether I ever actually
tried to use the fly, but I think probably not. Most likely it
languished for years in a little steel lock box in which I stored
other important mementos until it disappeared a long time ago.
A vague memory, I said, but it nevertheless stuck with me. Twenty-five
years later I happened to fall in with of group of guys
who were avid fishermen....fly fishers as a matter of fact.....and
one of them (the oft mentioned Malignant Dwarf) was also an
exceptional fly tier. Over the course of a few months I learned a
LOT about how to make bugs in exchange for being a source of very
cheap labor. For the next ten years or so I tied flies like a demon,
both to support my own habit and to earn money to.....well, support
my own habit.
These days I don't do very much tying.....just enough to keep myself
inadequately supplied with the few patterns I use regularly. But
every once in a while I sit down at the bench for half an hour or so
of twisting, wrapping and tying, at the end of which I hold up a
beautiful little bundle of fur, feathers and steel......and a little
boy's eyes light up with glee.

I like that end part - nice. That about sums it up for me, too, although I
didn't start tying until just a few years ago. I will probably always
remember when I caught my first fish on a fly I tied.

According to my calculations, I'll have to live to 128 years old to break
even on the tying stuff. It's the tying itself that rewards now, especially
since I rarely follow a recipe these days. I just see something in my mind's
eye I'd like to tie and get busy.
--
TL,
Tim
-------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

On Thu, 9 Mar 2006 14:50:35 -0500, "Tim J."
wrote:

According to my calculations, I'll have to live to 128 years old to break
even on the tying stuff. It's the tying itself that rewards now, especially
since I rarely follow a recipe these days. I just see something in my mind's
eye I'd like to tie and get busy.

If I used the money I have tied up in vises, tools, hooks, materials,
hackles/feathers, dubbing boxes, lights, magazines/books on the
subject, etc, etc, etc, I'd have enough money to buy flies for
everyone in this thread for ten years. I imagine every fly I tie
costs me about $100. d;o(

But, like Sandy, I enjoy experimenting with different ties. About ten
years ago I tied a green rock worm caddis larva patterned after one
that was pumped out of the stomach of a land locked salmon. There was
no tie like it (as far as I know), and my first iteration of it caught
more fish on the Rapid than any other fly I've ever fished. The next
iteration used v rib, then stretchy tubing, then yarn, then green
goose biots. They all took fish, but the first two are the best. Some
will say I was foolish to share it, but I did with folks I didn't even
know. Now the guides use the GRW and Lakewood Camps have them for
sale in their fly shop. I am now experimenting with CDC rope after
finding the perfect color CDC feathers.

Bruce Hopper (found occasionally on roff) introduced me to very small
(20 - 26) nymphs. I experiment all the time with these ties, made
simply out of tying thread for the body and ribbing and a bit of
dubbing for the head.

I once tied a caddis emerger (can't remember what recipe I used), but
I modified it by "hiding" a small cylindrical clear glass bead on the
bottom of the fly (hook) to mimic the air bubble caddis use when going
to the surface. It was meant to be a fly used primarily with the
Leisenring Lift, and it worked like a charm, but ONLY with the L.
Lift. I still use it occasionally, but hate to tie it. I think I have
two left.

I've babbled on..... sorry. Interesting subject, Sandy.

Dave

Why make flies and lures? Sandy asked, then answered his own question
eloquently.
I make them because my ego makes me think I can make higher quality and make
more effective flies and lures than I can buy. Although I have proved to my
satisfaction that I can make better popping bugs than are commercially
available, I have a small cigar box with four popping bugs that are very
humbling. They look just like they were a 10 year old boy's first attempts.
They were. Mine.

By watching my Dad "doctor" Shannon Twin Spinner buzzbaits, I saw how he
could triple or quadruple the bass strikes per cast he made compared to
off-the-shelf casting lures and I wanted to improve my popping bugs. Using
the commercially tied stuff as the bogie to beat has always been a fun
fly-fishing challenge for me.

As Stan, Frank and some of you know in recent years I've become enamored
with using new synthetic materials to improve upon the old timey popping bug
patterns. Some foam has lots of attractive characteristics compared to
traditional cork. I've found cylindrical foam that may make freshwater big
bass bangers sliding in front of huge dragon fly, damsel fly or woolly
bugger nymphs. As you cast the banger the nymph is right up against the
foam. In first tests the bangers suspend the nymphs and then the nymphs
separate and gradually sink down in a teasing manner that could be a bass
killer. As you twitch the rod, the nymph runs back up to the banger and
then slowly settles again. My son and I will be testing them Sunday.

About this time last year Frank put me onto Richard Kramer's Texas Bullfrogs
also made out of foam cylinders. Richard made his legless only out of olive
colors. I tried black, olive, leaf green and white in Southwestern
Washington, with and without legs with two teenagers. Olive and leaf green
worked about 5 times better than white or black and legs worked about twice
as effective as without legs. But what really got me was that those boys
used the green legged bullfrogs to catch LM bass, SM bass, trout, bluegill
AND catfish! It was really fun to watch those boys have fun and with
something that I haven't seen for sale in stores or on TV g.

Maybe Sandy fly tiers have unique, the same or variations of reasons why we
tie our own flies. It is a good question. My son is the master of, "Dad
I'm about out of______, will you tie some up so WE can go fishing?" g

Good luck!
John

Fun thread (no pun intended). I took up tying shortly after I
started flyfishing (early 80's), just because it seemed like the right
thing to do. :-) I more-or-less quit flyfishing for over 10 years
(don't ask why ... it's a long story and doesn't really make any sense
to me even now). Then SWMBO decided we should make a trip to Montana,
and I decided I wanted to do it right, which of course involved buying
rods, reels, books, waders, wading boots, lines, leaders, tippet, a vest
.... you get the picture.

I bought some flies as well, but then I remembered that I still had
my bin of tying stuff stashed in the attic. Amazingly, most of the
materials were just fine, if not exactly suited for trout fishing. So I
started buying stuff to tie dry flies and such with.

Being a do-it-your-selfer, it just seems natural for me to tie.
Like my woodworking, there's a lot of pleasure in seeing your own
creation being put to use.

But to save money? Heh.


Chuck Vance (who could have paid for another trip to Montana with
the money he's spent on tying stuff)

On 3/10/06 9:34 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" wrote:


Being a do-it-your-selfer, it just seems natural for me to tie.
Like my woodworking, there's a lot of pleasure in seeing your own
creation being put to use.

I caught a nice brown using the partridge and green I sent out for the fly
swap. That is a good feeling.

Reason I tie flies? Easy answer:

January.

:-)

Bill

On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 09:49:23 -0500, William Claspy
wrote:

Reason I tie flies? Easy answer:

January.

What happened to November, December, February, and March?
d;o)