| For many fly-fisherman, fly-tying is a serious | | | | brighter post. On the other hand, if you plan to |
| hobby. Given that tying your own flies provides | | | | fish tailwaters, your mayfly patterns might need |
| so much satisfaction, why buy flies online? | | | | to sit lower on the water. By the same token, if |
| For many fly-fisherman, fly-tying is a serious | | | | you intend to fish mostly in the spring, your |
| hobby. Not only is fly-tying economical, it is | | | | mayfly patterns might need to be a lighter color |
| enjoyable. Nothing beats the thrill of mastering a | | | | than if you intend to fish in the fall. |
| new fly pattern, or creating specialized flies for | | | | By browsing different sites for the same |
| ones' unique fishing situations. Also, one cannot | | | | patterns, you will be able to compare patterns |
| underestimate the sense of adventure that | | | | and ascertain the right fly for you. The best way |
| accompanies the fly-fisher on the prowl for the | | | | to do this is to open two or three browser |
| perfect materials, whether browsing the local fly | | | | windows at a time on your computer. Then go to |
| shop, ransacking a craft store, or even salvaging | | | | different sites in each browser and compare the |
| road kill. | | | | patterns you are interested in. |
| Given that tying your own flies provides so much | | | | Save money |
| satisfaction, why buy flies online? | | | | Quite simply, buying flies online can save you |
| Obtain local fly patterns | | | | money. Not only can you find discounts for large |
| The first reason is that as your fly fishing | | | | orders, the actual cost of individual flies can be |
| experience grows, your desire to test new and | | | | lower than if you purchased flies from some of |
| foreign waters increases. As a result, your need | | | | the larger fly fishing retailers. The best online |
| for localized patterns becomes more important. | | | | merchants often charge as little as 65 cents |
| Sure, you want to do the research and tie your | | | | (sometimes, even 50 cents for fly patterns). One |
| own variations of the Club Sandwich before you | | | | disadvantage is that you don't get to inspect the |
| hit the Snake River for the first time, but there's | | | | flies before you purchase them, unlike in a store. I |
| something to be said about fishing the tried and | | | | recommend buying a few different patterns your |
| true local patterns on your initial outings to foreign | | | | first time so that you can determine not only the |
| waters. With that idea established, you can either | | | | quality of the flies, but the consistency of the |
| buy these flies from a local shop or purchase | | | | quality across different patterns. For example, a |
| them online. I recommend doing both. | | | | good initial purchase might include a stonefly |
| Say you live in New Jersey and you're planning | | | | nymph, a caddis pattern, a mayfly emerger, a |
| your first trip to Colorado. You and your buddies | | | | mayfly dun, and an attractor pattern. This way |
| plan to hit a few a rivers within 10 days. Before | | | | you could check the various elements of typical |
| you go, do research on the internet - find out | | | | flies such as tails, dubbing, hackle, deer-hair, and |
| what's hatching on these rivers when you plan to | | | | hook strength. |
| visit them, and what patterns work best. Then, | | | | Types of web sites |
| based on your research, purchase enough flies | | | | There are hundreds of web sites that sell flies |
| online to cover you while fishing these waters. | | | | online. These sites fall into two categories: |
| Now you have a safety net - you won't have to | | | | companies that only sell flies, and fly shop owners |
| worry about not having enough flies for the rivers | | | | who run web sites for their businesses. |
| you'll fish at the end of your trip. | | | | Businesses whose sole purpose is to sell flies |
| Next, research local shops on the internet - find | | | | online usually have a greater amount of flies |
| out who the proprietors are and when they are | | | | available. One advantage these sites offer is that |
| open for business. Now this idea might seem | | | | they are more likely to offer discounts on larger |
| obvious to many of you, but make it a point to | | | | purchases. Also, their web sites tend to be more |
| stop at these shops before you fish. When you | | | | user-friendly (though not always). Many of these |
| arrive, ask them about recent fishing activity and | | | | sites typically include advanced functionality that |
| what flies they would recommend. Tell them | | | | make selecting and purchasing flies easier on the |
| about your trip, let them know you found their | | | | user. The best of these sites allow you to set up |
| site on the internet, and ask for their advice. Tell | | | | personal accounts or use "shopping carts" to store |
| them what flies you already have and ask about | | | | your selections before purchasing. In this manner, |
| what else you may need. If your budget allows, | | | | the purchase experience is more convenient. |
| purchase as many of the flies they recommend. | | | | Shopping carts tend to be "persistent" - in that a |
| Save time while supplementing your current | | | | visitor may select items to the cart one day and |
| collection | | | | return to the site at later time to find that the |
| There comes a time in which your energy is | | | | shopping cart still contains the previous selections. |
| better focused on fishing than tying flies. A typical | | | | This allows you to select items you are interested |
| North American fly-fisher and fly-tyer spends the | | | | in, leave the site and do more research, then alter |
| "off" months tying flies for the season ahead. | | | | or add to your selections later. |
| Many fisherman focus the bulk of their tying | | | | Fly shop web sites, on the other hand, typically |
| efforts on the winter months to prepare for | | | | present the user with flies specifically relevant to |
| spring, summer, and fall fishing. If you are one of | | | | the area that the fly shop services. You have a |
| those anglers who feel like they never have | | | | better chance of purchasing flies that are most |
| enough flies, purchasing your "basic" flies online can | | | | effective to the area you want to fish if you |
| leave you time to focus on the more specialized, | | | | purchase them from local fly shops. Furthermore, |
| region-specific flies that you might not find on the | | | | you are supporting the local economy of the area |
| web. For example, why not buy your attractor | | | | in which you desire to fish. Many fly shop web |
| flies such as Adams or Stimulators, so that you | | | | sites also include online hatch charts which can |
| can concentrate on the special mayfly flies that | | | | inform you of flies you most likely need. |
| you know will require special attention to detail? | | | | The authors experience |
| The same idea applies to those "hard-to-tie" flies - | | | | In the spring, and summer I do a lot of fishing on |
| if you dislike tying size 24 Tricos, why not buy | | | | the Delaware River in the Catskills Mountains of |
| those items online so you have more time to | | | | New York. Throughout the winter I will tie a |
| crank out the flies you prefer to tie? | | | | decent amount of the flies I actually need. As |
| Also, consider how much your time is worth. | | | | spring approaches, I have found that |
| Think about your fly-tying time as if you were a | | | | supplementing my collection with web-bought flies |
| professional fly-tyer. How much is an hour of your | | | | ensures that I am ready to meet the various |
| fly-tying time worth? If it takes you two hours to | | | | hatches encountered in the spring. Any Delaware |
| tie twelve size 26 BWO emergers, you might be | | | | River fly fisherman will tell you that |
| better off spending $10 on a dozen of the same | | | | hatch-matching is a critical part of success on this |
| fly so that you can use those two hours to tie 18 | | | | river. In my limited experience, I have |
| Rusty Spinners. | | | | encountered days in which four or five different |
| Variety | | | | hatches took place. On top of that, the hatches |
| No matter what you want to purchase, nothing | | | | change from week to week. I have ensured a |
| beats the internet for window shopping. I have | | | | decent modicum of success by checking local |
| seen the same fly pattern tied three different | | | | hatch charts ahead of time and then purchasing a |
| ways on three different sites. This variety allows | | | | dozen flies from week to week. |
| you to find the best pattern that matches your | | | | Hopefully, these tips will help you increase the |
| intended fishing location. For example, if you plan | | | | amount of flies you own, and enhance your |
| to fish faster moving water, your parachute | | | | fly-fishing experience. |
| patterns might need a bit more hackle, or even a | | | | |