Now I am very interested in hearing the story behind your tying fishing flys addiction. Might take it up as a hobby if its rewarding enough
Oh it started simple enough. I decided I wanted to learn to fly fish. I went and bought the beginner setup for everything, and decided it was fun. Then I went and got the good waders, and net, and creel, and I still had the beginner set of flies. I went to buy the flies for more serious fishing and realized you bought them by the fly. And they were like $2 for the simple ones. And I said "
pssshhhh, I can make those cheaper than that!"
Isn't that how all expensive hobbies start?? After getting the better fly tying vise, and a work station set up, and the perfect magnifying glasses, and books with "recipes", I was ready to go - and had maybe $500 or so invested. Then I realized I still had to buy supplies. So I got a bunch of supplies - about $200 worth. Most of the hair patches and feathers were synthetic. Then I had to buy every flipping color thread you could imagine - probably another $100 or so. Then I started learning to tie them, and the first 1,000 or so were complete garbage. They were so bad, I bet an oscar wouldn't even hit them and they eat everything!
Finally, after about 3 months of every spare minute spent hunched over a fly tying station, I started making decent flies. And then I went fishing. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Alabama has some of the snobbiest fish in the whole world. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. These were some sexy flies! So I read more, and researched, and asked. The only suggestion I had was "have you tried natural hair and feathers?" So, here goes more money chasing after natural hairs and feathers. There are a LOT of animals out there with hair and feathers. LOL. After another 6-8 months of tying flies, trying them, tying them with other hair, trying them, I finally found that these snobby stocked trout at Sipsey Fork like a Caddis Fly tied with bleached elk hair. Not the regular elk hair. Not badger hair. Bleached Elk only. But the bass.... ohhh the snobby little bass - - they like a woolly booger tied with badger hair, fluorescent green thread (they turn their noses at brass or silver thread), with a little white tip of foam just to keep it off the bottom. Or - a dragonfly with pheasant feather and black dubbing. Really they like it with a hawk feather the best - but those are hard to come buy. We have a bunch in our area so I just watch in the spring for them to molt and hope some falls into my yard.
So fast forward 10 years down the road, I have probably spent enough in fly tying equipment, recipe books, and supplies that if I had it back, I wouldn't have to be restoring a 30 year old boat on the cheap.
