Good spot to buy fly tying gear that wont break my wallet?

V
VMAN-Fishing34
I have recently fallen in love with fly tying and fly fishing. with just some crow feathers and regular string i managed to hook at least 30 trout and a big fat 26" trouphy. I wanted to upgrade from basic crow feathers and get some real fly tying equipment but everywhere i go the feathers/string/hackle cost me more than regular flies????? anyone know a good spot to buy fly tying stuff without having to spend millions of dollars? thanks.
 
M
MattZ
Farms and roadkill. that being said, one does not tie flies to save money, thats for sure. the best flies from the best materials are pricey. Congrats on the fishing, I'd love to spend a day at a place where one can get 30 fish on crow feathers, especially a big one like that.... Sounds almost too good to be true. First, find some patterns you want to tie. you don't need hackle to tie dry flies, other materials work too. What you need is some rabbit fur, chicken feathers, deer hair, fine metal wire, and a spool of black thread. then you need hooks and something to hold the hook (vice). for tools you need a bobbin for the thread and scissors to cut materials. This is all you need. more tools for more jobs make tying easier. more materials allows for variety. Like everything else, don't buy a POS if you plan on doing this for real. buy a decent vise, because eventually you will, just like everything else. There is no easy solution unless you get lucky and inherit an already existing collection of materials.

my solution is stop eating out and buying beer for a month. if tying and fishing is something you attach entertainment value to, substitute it for other things. I love how people whine about how much flies cost but spend 10 bucks on snacks and drinks. I don't rent movies, I don't spend 50 a month on cable, I tie flies. I attach a monetary value to this hobby, and I allow myself to spend some money each month on materials. I have chosen this as something my money is worth. think about what you spend money on. now think about why? now think about would you rather have fly tying stuff and the joy that goes with it? or a pile of crap you spent money on. People ask me how I can afford to fish so much. I ask them how they can afford going insane in an office building in front of a computer all day. Priority and perspective. Nothing in life is free, and the good stuff usually costs a bit more. But 9 times out of 10 its worth it.

Good luck getting into it. Its the best hobby I know of. When you get to a point where you are cranking out stuff like this, there is no limit to the amount of fun you can have.
Pens Beat Ottawa 4-1.jpg
 
J
john montana
River City Fly Shop on Scholls...Don has tons and tons of fly tying materials.
 
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VMAN-Fishing34
Haha that's a great answer. I will totally look into that. I'm 17 so I don't have much money to spend on burgers and snacks or let alone beer. But that's great logic regardless.
 
F
fish4life
use to be able to get a big bag of feathers at a craft store for a reasonable price
 
Irishrover
Irishrover
No joke here....some of my best soft hackle flies come from feather that have escaped from my pillow! If I fish an area that has ducks around I'll alway find a few feathers to take home. I use clear nail polish that I get at the dollar store instead of head cement. As mentioned craft store have a few item that are less expensive. If you know folks that hunt, they could be a good source for deer and elk hair. If you know any body that has chickens you'll score big time. Just a few ideas for you.
 
M
MattZ
Where are you located? I might have a few things to help if you are close to Portland.

I got my first fly tying set as a christmas gift at around age 15-16 or so... the next year for christmas I asked for a new vice. I still tie on that vice 15 plus years later.
 
V
VMAN-Fishing34
MattZ said:
Where are you located? I might have a few things to help if you are close to Portland.

I got my first fly tying set as a christmas gift at around age 15-16 or so... the next year for christmas I asked for a new vice. I still tie on that vice 15 plus years later.

oh yeah I live in Portland. Maybe you could show me how to do some tying sometime?
 
M
MattZ
I'd be more than happy to show you a few things and donate a few things to the cause to get you going... You will still need a vise though... bring that over and I have all the rest, bobbins, hooks, beads, threads, feathers, furs, and more. We will get you tying 5 or 6 flies that catch fish andf let you go crazy from there. I have monday tuesday and wednesdays off. then we can go fish em.
 

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