After much thought and empty wallet, I have found what I believe is the only safe way to initially buy materials.
- Just buy materials for the fly you are wanting to tie.
This is the safest approach to fly tying to keep you from feeling overwhelmed with the vast amounts of materials on the market.
All you will need with this approach is a recipe book (mostly available online) and the materials. I have also posted videos online along with Jack's powerpoint presentations and links to pattern recipes.
- Initially it will not be cheaper for you to tie your own flies!
Thats right! Fly tying will be cheaper in the long run, but initially acquiring materials will raise the cost per fly to approximately the same as buying pre-tied. You'll see what I mean when we run through an example for a beginning pattern like a wooly bugger.
Here's an example of a recipe I found online - Wooly Bugger Recipe
The recipe recommends the materials to purchase as:
- 3x streamer hook ~ $4.65 per 25
- 8/0 thread ~ $2.25
- chenille ~ $1.75
- marabou ~ $1.75
- saddle hackle ~ $15.75
- gold wire ~ $1.25
Bringing the grand total for the initial 25 flies to... $27.40 or $1.09 per fly. This will give you 25 wooly buggers of 1 size and 1 color. If you're still interested, don't worry! In the long run it will be cost effective considering all the materials besides the hook will be enough for at least a hundred flies. This is just a safe approach to initially buying materials and also understanding what your getting yourself into.
