One of the first questions someone considering fly tying will have is whether or not fly tying is even worth starting as a hobby.
This question is very easy to answer and it depends very much on the individual and their motivation for getting started in flying. While the initial start up costs of fly tying can be expensive along with the process of tying flies being time consuming to learn and get to the stage of being an adequate fly tier that is not to say that fly tying does not have its rewards. As a fly fisherman, learning to tie flies is a great hobby to do in the winter months when the time spent fishing is considereably less and it gives you the opportunity to prepare for the fishing season ahead by making plenty of new flies and creating new patterns. Also, there is a lot of satisfaction that comes with catching fish on flies you have tied yourself.
If your aim in starting to tie flies is to save money in doing so, you should just buy your own flies. The start up costs incurred from buying fly tying equipment and materials will be more than that of buying a few flies. While there are many affordable beginner fly tying kits available, they are in most cases made from poor quality materials. This is why you should build your own fly tying kit from scratch from a selection of quality materials.
Tying flies is a lot like cooking a recipe and while many of the ingredients you will use in your flies will be the same. However, the start up cost of buying a vice, hooks, various colurs of hen and cock capes and threads etc. is not negligible. The vice itself can easily cost more than $100 for the more simple models or run up to over $600 for the more fancy models.
As a beginner to the art of fly tying you will also spend countless hours practice perfecting your fly tying skills. This time investment in learning to tie flies might act as an additional factor to put you off tying flies.
With that said, having several years of fly tying experience under my belt I can say that for me, fly tying has definitely been worth it.
Here are the top reasons why I think fly tying is worth starting:
Fly Tying is Fun
The first reason why I would recommend fly tying to people is for the fun and pleasure of tying. Fly tying is a great way to continue to be involved in fly fishing when you cannot go out fishing. Often, fly fishermen take up fly tying to give them something to do in the cold and wet winter months when they have less time fishing and as a way to help them prepare for the season ahead.
Better Quality Flies
Many of the flies on the market are made from poor quality materials. Hooks may start to rust after a few fishing sessions or flies may start to fall apart after a few catches as the fish gnaw through the materials or the fly itself might not be tied very well. In some cases, the flies themselves do not look very good as little care, time and attention has been paid to the tying of the fly.
Flies that you buy are typically tied in countries where labor is cheap. The ethicality of buying flies that have been tied with cheap labor may a reason for you wanting to tie flies for yourself.
Lastly, imagine going to your local fishing store to purchase a some flies for your next fishing trip only to find that your best fish catcher is sold out. When you tie your own flies you will not have this problem. Simply get out the vice and tying. Never again will you have to rely on what is available at the fishing store!
Catching a Fish on Your Fly
There is something very satisfying about catching a fish on a fly you have tied yourself rather than one you have picked up in a shop. Once the time spent laboriously tying your fly pays off by landing a fish in your net you will feel great about catching the fish on a fly that you have tied yourself. The satisfaction of catching a trout on a pattern your have thought up yourself is even greater. Knowing that your carefully designed fly pattern has tricked a fish into being baited to take your fly. Once you have a good grasp of the basic fly tying techniques you will soon find yourself dreaming up new patterns and thinking about materials you can incorporate into your new flies. Your imagination and creativity will be the only limit to what you can make!
Make The Fly You Want
Have you ever bought a fly from the store and wished could make a couple of tweaks to it? Maybe the wing on on the fly is too big, perhaps you would like some flash in the tail or a ribbed body. By being able to tie your flies you can tie your fly exactly how you want it to be.
Invent Your Own Fly Patterns
Every fly you use to catch fish began as an idea. The fly tier with the idea then created this fly and tested it out. As time went on the fly began to be passed on from fisherman to fisherman and garnered the reputation of being a fisher catcher. Many of the flies in existence today have a long history, perhaps you could be next the inventor of a great fly pattern that stands the test of time.
Getting Fishing Intel
As a fly tier, you can sell or giveaway flies to your fishing friends. Many of them will come back and ask you to tie up their favorite flies. This will give you lots of knowledge about what flies are catching fish and can give you an edge if you are a competition fly fisher. Not all fishermen like to giveaway their trade secrets so tying flies for others will allow you to gather up intel.
Summary
While starting to tie flies might not make sense from a purely financial perspective as money can be saved purchasing affordable and mass produced flies from your local fishing store or from the many sites online dedicated to selling flies. If you can overlook this financial based decision you will find that tying your own flies has many advantages. Tying flies will give you something to do during those winter months when you do not fly fish as often due to bad weather as well as giving you access to the best quality flies tied just the way you want. When you cast that fly out onto the waters and you catch a fish the personal satisfaction will be like no other.
Fly tying is definitely worth it! Here is how you can get started.
