Why Tie Flies?

To anyone who ties flies the question, "Why tie flies?" is painfully obvious for a number of reasons. First of all it is cost effective and actually saves money. Sure, the initial outlay for some basic tools such as a vise, scissors, bobbin, dubbing needle and hackle pliers might seem costly at the time but it is money well spent. Fly tying tools are durable and short of getting lost of left somewhere last a lifetime. Price out a handful of flies during the next fly shop visit. At $2.00 and up for a decent fly it doesn't take long to gobble up twenty dollars or more. Buy one pattern of interest, maybe two. Ask for help buying the hooks and materials to tie the fly. Use one of the two patterns as a template while taking the other one apart making detailed notes on the order and manner in which the materials were tied. In no time a dozen or so patterns lie at the base of the base waiting to take a bath in a favorite lake or stream tied at a fraction of the cost.

Tying flies provides for versatility and the ability to quickly replace a ravaged pattern or fly box. I rarely leave home without a fly tying kit of some sort. If trout are focused upon black chironomids and you only have brown a quick sprint to the tying kit fixes the problem. If only one member of the party ties flies then chances are in these conditions they won't have to cook, clean or supply their own drinks. Flies soon become a basis for currency, commerce and trade!

As tying skills develop and the powers of observation become honed tiers begin to leave the realm of popular favorites to develop and explore personal pattern concepts and designs. This is perhaps a fly tier's most rewarding moment. Noting a particular behavior of trout, linking it to entomology and tying is one of the pinnacles of fly-fishing. Few things are as rewarding as duping a fish on a pattern you not only tied but designed as well.

Just make sure the person in the boat next to you having the day of a lifetime isn't using a pattern you originally designed. It can be a humbling experience.

"Because you never stop learning"