As soon as you start to fish chironomids seriously, you might as well start tying them. The fish seem to be really picky about the size and colour during hatches and to have the right one at the right time means carrying hundreds of them. If you are fishing standard patterns then buying them is cheaper and time efficient. If you like tying then you will always have what you need. Also, store bought flies are generally tied on cheap hooks (unless custom) and I want my hooks to be strong and sharp.
I started tying at the same time that I started fishing. Then work got busy and didn't have the time and limited days to get out on the river so I bought a few. The first time I caught a fish on a fly that was bought I felt ashamed. So to me fly fishing is about tying your own flies. These are about half the chironomids I carry in the boat and there's no way I would be buying that many flies.
