Does anyone tye there own flies anymore?
 

?

I grew up with trout, bass, bluegills, crappie, bream, walleye, muskeys.
Now I have only access to Catfish and Gar maybe stripers (tie a mallard down to a really big teble hook and troll, troll, troll all night). Not quite fly fishing.

I used to tie flys I used to try to match the hatch, spent a lot of time
trying to learn about what the fish feed on and life cycles of the Mayflies,
Stones, and Caddis.
Years ago.

Anybody do this anymore ?

Lol ya of course!

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk

Thank God!
:)
With all the stuff we are see and read about every day today,
I simply didn't know if the things I said had simply gone away.
It wasn't in the news so I didn't know it. :thinking-006:

Stupid me!

Used to tie everything myself. I have really dry cracked skin on my fingertips so tying is getting harder, especially on smaller flies. Plus my eyes are over 60 now!

So now I buy a lot of BWO's and such.

I still tie my own chironomids cuz nothing commercial is close to matching the local bugs. Leeches and streamers are no problem for me still.

I will admit that with on line suppliers (trick flies comes to mind) offering good products at very reasonable prices it is hard to get excited about tying any more.

I have no problem with online suppliers, simply asking if some of us still
tie. :)

In my mind it has always been a form of art work to tie a perfect fly.
Some of my worst attempts caught the most fish, I still don't know why.
That right there is the mystery about it all. I hope it never ends.

:)

brewster29, BWO is a code word and should not expressed in the public eye.
Only true blue trout fishing professer's should speek the language.
:)
Only those who stalk the mighty brown with a wicker basket at the hip, should
know the size and color and time that the mighty Blue Wing Olive hatches
upon the stream. Other unworthery wormers are not to know these things.

And so it begins, the war of "fishermen". Long, long ago.

And the sacraid scrolls of ole n' days of flys tied by nobel hands were kept
secrete, hidden away, handed down from hand to hand.

Until the toils of the futile demaded "Rat Faced Mc Dougle" be made public
known to all who fished the land.

Did a Bible get wrote about fishing the mote, with trout the main Stand.

Mc Claines Fishing Encycopedia was born.

Have not bought a fly in 20+ years

:)

Me either, thanks.
I have no issues with comerical tiers simply asking if anyone still does this
at home.

Like some things go away, they just do over time. I understand that.

Its a funny thing but as I recall there were brawls and arguments at
the Inn's and Pubs way back in the day. About the size weight and what the
fish was caught on and how it was faught back to shore.

What I recall is arguments and fights about right and wrong over sometimes
simple things like what fly were ya using ? Did anyone else see you land it ?

I read that it grew to point of fist fights over the naming of an origianal fly
pattern.

Weather any of the above was true or note worthy, one thing that did come
out of this was a common lay of land that was as good as law.

Fair catch and fair release was to be the way. To be a fly fisherman.

Morality rules were laid down, above and behond fish and game.

These things happened a long, long time ago.

Of course, what else is there to do in the winters here, besides curling, ice fishing, etc?

BTW, are you related to Bessiedog and Coyoteman, or did you just go to the same school? :sHa_sarcasticlol:

yeah man, I tie...but other than myself, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone on here mentioning fishing for/tying for gar. lol They're among my favorite species to fish for. One of the positives of living in Southern Ontario. :)

I will say though...the quality/availability of cheap, well made commercially tied flies has gone WAY up. When you can buy great dries for $0.99...where is the incentive? lol I only buy flies as samples now, and only when I'm on new water...and it's a fly I would have never dreamed would work. lol I've been to Fernie a few times, and love visiting the shops there for this reason. With some advice given in one of those shops, I learned allot. And I'd been tying for decades. As an aside, there used to be more shops in Fernie if memory serves...and better, friendlier service. Save for one, they seem to want to bounce you out of the way (as a walk-in) and focus on the guiding service.

Yep, I'm the same way when fishing new areas. I always hit up the local fly shops. It really enjoy that part of it and chatting with the staff about what works in the area. Getting a sample, then tying my own if I'm there long enough :)

Gar hey, that is hardcore, that is awesome!

Shot fored
 

Ok... sorry. I’ll stop posting. Didn’t realize I was bothering you.

Yup

Still tie my own... but that reminds me I am getting low so this winter will be busting it out again to go at it.

I tie my own as well. nothing better than coming up with a random pattern that you can't buy in a bin and slaying with it!

[QUOTE
I will say though...the quality/availability of cheap, well made commercially tied flies has gone WAY up. When you can buy great dries for $0.99...where is the incentive? [/QUOTE]



I'll never be able to justify fishing (or hunting) on a cost-for-material-return basis. The 'incentive' for me is to design and build a thing of beauty, and then go and catch a fish on it!

The materials market sure has become a racket these days, more new stuff out every year. And yet I still like looking at some of the more custom store flies to see if there is anything that turns my crank. Once in a while I'll buy a sample to try out, if it works, then I'll tie a bunch.

Yea I still do a bit, mainly for large saltwater streamers, for tuna, kingfish, 5/0-8/0
Started doing a lot more fly fishing, for trout, last couple years, pretty depleted now, esp for tungsten nymphs and 12-14 drys, and smaller-streamers,
Been buying a few, don't mind buying dry flys, but nymphs and streamers-are easy to tie,
Looking for a quality vice at present, and tools, as shipped all my fly tying Gear, back to New Zealand, during the 2015 oil slowdown.

No. no, your posts are fun and often informative :)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LRLYDD3tchKdRp4Y7

Yup

It's good to see lots of folks still tie today. :-)

I don't "fish" for gar I "hunt" for them, they just happen to be in the same
river I fish with the bass and cats etc. Gars have become way too common to
spot and most other fish have become fewer and fewer.

Here's a picture of some BWO I tied up for trout and bluegills a while ago,
like 12 years ago or so.

https://i.imgur.com/bcC057d.jpg

Can't recall for sure but I'm thinkin' the smallest one was on size 18 hook.

I used to enjoy tying but fish way too often now to find the time to tie, I tend to purchase online nowadays.

One of the neat things about tying flies is being able to give some away to a friend or newbie, and then seeing them catch fish on your "creations".

I haven't compared the cost of tying your own versus buying. It's more complicated than just the cost of materials 'cause there can be significant "capital costs" (e.g., high end vises) to amortize. In the end, tying flies and probably making your own rods just completes the whole fly fishing hobby.