Sunday, February 12, 2012

Learning To Fly... Tie

So this past November I had gotten a couple gift cards for the b-day and spent them wisely... Sorta.. Guess it depends if you ask me... Or the gf.... So anyways it was spent wisely on a fly tying kit and additional fly tying supplies.. And off to the races I went.. And by a month later was into a supply cache that is well into the hundred.. Hundreds of dollars of supplies and materials.. But it's a great investment and have had fun learning to tie my own flies.. Releasing myself from the expense of paying per fly has been great and a lot less stressful when they are lost..

Overall fly tying is not expensive... Beyond a Vise, Bobbin, and Whip Finish Tool.. You don't need any other supplies to get started... A pack of natural dubbing, black thread, hook, wire, bead.. And you can tie a variety of flies.. And lots of them.. Hell you can make them out of nothing more than thread and wire!.. People think that it's so much more expensive to tie your own.. But it's only as expensive as your compulsive spending and curiosity allows it to be.. Once it Comes down to per fly cost.. It's a lot cheaper in the end... And with enough imagination you can find things around your house to tie with.. Or cheap alternatives at bead/jewelry stores and big box stores like Walmart.. Hobby Lobby.. Etc.. Honestly since I have started I find myself constantly looking through every stores craft section looking for cheaper alternatives to the fly tying "exclusive" materials which are often prices 2-3x more than the same thing you'll find in a craft area...

It's funny how fly tying can start taking over your living space.. I started out tying on my kitchen table.. didn't need much space... Had my one box of supplies.. Lets turn the page to today.. And I take up a corner in the living room.. 4 drawer desk.. All of which are filled with supplies.. 2 desk top storage for yet more supplies.. And a small storage rack subbing as a bookshelf and random don't know where to put it storage...

In the end I'd like to believe that though it has been an decent investment that it is an investment for the best down the road... It's nice after a long day to sit down in front of the desk and just relax and tie up a few flies....

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1 comment:

  1. Been there and done that. Welcome to the world of fly tying addiction. Happy to hear you are happy with your new craft.

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