Fishing Forum

where is a cheap place to get flies off the internet?
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I like Doug Swisher out of Hamilton MT. Good quality flies. If you go to his website dougswisher.com you can order. Now his flies off the website aren't cheap but I discovered after placing an order they email out monthly specials. These are the same flies and sometimes they are incredible cheap - much less than a buck a fly if you're willing to order a few combined specials at a time. I remember ordering 6 dozen various bh nymph patterns for something like 50 cents a fly several months back. Never had any problems with any of his flies like I have had with Cabelas and Orvis on occasion.
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cheap internet flies means cheap, poorly tied flies on poor quality hooks. Most are out of Kenya and don't carry good selections of patterns. It is worth it to spend the extra dough and get good flies.
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That sentence Might be a little too Stereo typed, Lunchbox...there are some good INEXPENSIVE flies out there as well as crap, but you need to know who and stick with them.
You are making a good move asking and you might get the right answer.
Wish I could help, but I tie my own.
One thing on inexpensive flies, try putting a little head cement or Zap-A-Gap on the head before you ever use them. It will help make a big difference on the longevity of the fly.
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I bought that same fly deal from Orvis. So far they have been good. The phesant tail has been good at the pond.
And 20 flies for 10 bucks,you really can't go wrong. But as for local places, Sportsmans is a good place. Granted the flies do get beat up some,but that just makes them a little buggier. and like Joni said, just use a little cement. For .99 they are just great in my humble opinion.

luck
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All the Zap a Gap in the world ain't gonna hold the hook together and make it sharp.....
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The subject internet flies vs local tied flies has been kicked around the forums quite abit. (I do a search)

Everybody has there opinion and yes you may get better quality flies from a local fly tier but there charge a premium

I bought a dozen flies from a local shop in park city ended being close to 40 dollars [mad] Im not rich cant spend 40 dollars on flies that's almost a full tank of gas for me.

Sportsmans has a great selection but I dont find there quality any different then the one you buy off the internet for .50 cents. Cabelas has some great flies but they too charge a preminum.

PM Sent
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They are different. I have spent many years working in fly shops and have seen flies from about every distributor on the planet. Reputable companies have flies that are tied overseas but the are of much higher quality. They use Whiting Hackle, Tiemco hooks, CDC, biot bodies, tungsten beads, etc... Companies like Umpqua, Montana Fly, Solitude, Rainys, and Idylwilde have strict quality control and spend lots of time and money sending american pros overseas to train them.

Other companies like those out of Kenya, are not tied with the same materials and quality (btw, Umpqua was the standard that ALL the kenyan manufacturers compared there flies to even though they weren't ever the same). Believe me, I had many of them send me lots of samples. Dries are tied with indian hackle capes instead of genetic such as Whiting. Usually eagle claw hooks. Plastic beads painted gold or silver. Very few insect specific imitations (baetis, PMDs, Tricos, Green Drakes, Flavilineas, etc..). No CDC or micro fibbets on the flies. (just hackle tails). No bodies made of stripped quills or turkey biots. Half hitches instead of whip finish. Dries are ALWAYS hackled too large. Rabbit dubbing instead of synthetic superfine on small dries. Palmered flies lacking a counter wrap of wire. I could go on and on.

The reason that you pay less for your flies at Sportsmans than Cabelas or the local shops is because they are NOT the same quality of flies. For an example if you are looking for some BWO dries you might find 2 or 3 different patterns at sportsmans (poor quality, though it has gotten better over the years.) If you go into Fish Tech or Western Rivers you might find 15-20 different bwo dun patterns.
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Now that was a post!! I like first hand information. Like you said though sportsman flies are cheap, and they dont have the greatest selections on specifics. One thing I think the cheaper flies are good for is all those "easy flies" scuds/sowbugs, pheasant tails, and many more(mainly nymphs) I dont think the materials matter too much if the flies you want to use are not dries. Plus when your fishing with your buddy and he is new to fly fishing I let them use/loose my cheaper flies...LOL But really all the quality flies are tied better, look better, and yes are MUCH more expensive!! I think they are worth it in some cases like BWO's and PMD's even stimulators/hoppers. The longer they last the less retying on new flies during hatches and windy days.

Thanks again for that well thought out and post I am sure it will help answer some Q's
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I'm not arguing that you don't get better quality flies from local shops Ive personally met and spoke with a guy who ties at trout bum. Im just saying not all of us can afford to pay 2 to 3 bucks a fly and not all internet flies are from Kenya.

Through my travels Ive met shop owners who tie and sell on the internet Hows there shop any different than Fishtech or Western Rivers?

Just saying you don't have to spend $$$ to get quality and everything to cost $$$ isn't always quality
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Quote:Ive personally met and spoke with a guy who ties at trout bum.

Now thats funny right there.
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whys that so funny ?
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I was over at cableas the other day and they had soem good deals on fly's. I bought a few assortments 12 fly's for $1.99 out of the bargin cave. I am sure they are not the highest quality flies, but I am just begining. I removed all of the price tags so the fish don't know how much I paid![laugh]
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The Question was, "where can I get cheap flies", not quality flies!!
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try blueflycafe.com

MacFly
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because there isn't anyone who ties flies all day to fill the bins at trout bum.
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Im gonig to assume you meant this response for sinergy and not me??

MacFly
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your assumption would be correct. sorry
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Sure there is I was in there Park City store around September picking up some flies had a guy who work there show me how to tie a ray charles. He tied up a dosen of them for me.

Maybe they dont have a tier on staff who knows but he knew his stuff and tied up some real nice flies for me.
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Ok here is my 2 cents worth. Wansgards in ogden has a fairly good slection of all your flies. They are tied here in ogden and have quailty materials and hooks. Most of the flies are .79 now that is a deal. They all have counter wraped wires and seem to hold up real well. hand tied and whip finished
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