So Im a highschool kid that wants to make some money but doesnt really want to get a job with a schedule set in stone, so I can still go fishing and do what I want. Im a pretty good fly tier and had the idea of selling flies. I was just wondering if anybody had any experience with this. and what would be the best way to do this? I googled it and found a few sites that you have to send them 50 bucks and apparently they send you materials and tools and you start tying flies and sending them in and getting something like 50 cents a fly. I might feel a little better about something local. But yeah if you know anybody or have had experience with this that would be great if youd share. Thanks.
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If your good........... & I mean real good.......... you can tie the popular local patterns for local sporting goods places for about a a buck apiece. Big stores like Cabelas are always running out of the local favorites because they can't just order more when they run out.
My brother is the best tier I know & he tied for his own shop and then Cabela's for many years.
I would go talk to them and show them samples of my work. If you are good and can tye the patterns they need you will sell your flies.....
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Do you have any material or equipment? Have you tied a fly before?
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Yeah Ive been tying flies for a couple of years now. And Ive got a basic vice and tools and materials.
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56,
I used to do the same thing when I was a kid. My dad was a barber at the the time and he would sell them to his clients. I just tied a few of the more popular patterns like woolly buggers and hares ear nymphs. Actually made pretty good spending money.
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Cool. Thanks guys. I think Im going to go into some fly shops and talk to some people this week and see how that goes. But yeah thanks. If anybody else has any other advice that would be awesome.
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My advice would be to become really good. Flies do not have to be perfect to catch fish, but they do need to be perfect to catch fisherman. You are competing with fly tiers from China and India who will work for dirt cheep so you have to do local patterns and great quality.
Windriver
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I think I would do like someone posted above and find a way to advertise small locally. I'm not sure if you're in the treasure valley but I'm hoping to start flyfishing this fall and I always prefer to buy local. If you get something going, I'd consider being a customer. An advantage that you'd have that way is that you could compete with the foreign producers a little easier because all the profit goes to you, none of it goes to shipping/retailer. Still, I don't know exactly how the numbers would work out. If you get started, shoot me a private message and I'll see what I can do to use you to put flies on my line.
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India is the big killer of making money on tying flies. I buy flies from Ebay by the dozen and usually get them for around $3-4. People here in the states can not afford to sell them that cheap because they can not live on a few pennies a day.
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Absolutely Prvrt.
I sold my specialty flies to Orvis at $9. a dozen...not real profitable for me the tier.
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I started tying flies and making lures in high school. I earned my spending money in college by making lures and building custom rods. At 50 I was still making lures and rods and selling them to local bass fishermen to pay for my latest bass boat. At 78 I'm about to put a rod on the dryer to finish it up for my own use. Go for it! Find your niche and you'll have a lifetime of pleasure and enjoyment.
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A friend of ours told me one day, he gets up every morning about 4 am before going to work and ties 10 dozen flies that are sold in local Id shops. That's a hell of a lot of flies a week.
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I tied commercially for year in fact that what paid 90% of my college. My suggestion is to get good at trying flies others hate to tie. I tied thousands of turks triantulas, comparaduns and parachute mayflies of all shades and sizes. Knowing how to spin deerhair and having a quality vise and equiptment is key. It also wouldn't hurt to have a good commercial tier take you under his wing and tech you some of the techniques that make your work consistant and of high detailed quality.Good luck to you have fun.
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Awesome thanks everybody for all the advice. So Snake River when you say that you tied commercially, who was it that you sold your flies to? Again thanks for the advice.
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Why just sell locally? It's easy and cheap to set up a web page with a PayPal shopping cart these days. With your web site, you can sell 24-7.
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I sold my flies to Als sports in Logan, Rainys, Willow creek outfitters, High County outfitters,3 green outfitters, Anglers Inn , Jimmys All season angler. And several more shops and such around that I have just about forgotten now. Usually all it takes is striking up a conversation with a shop owner about what flies they have a hard time keeping in stock or are hard to get. In case I never had a sortage of flies to show them and give them to personally fish, once they have a great day on the flies you tied they will be calling. It never hurts to innovate and put your own twist on a fly as long as it outfishes the original pattern. I used to fish 6 days a week flyfish only in those days and I could easily try out my ideas on the fish. some innovations worked amazing and others fell flat. I eventually got too busy with married life and kids and when my professional work life kicked off tying became less worth it financially cause I could make more picking up extra shifts.
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Fly tying is an art. I know you've heard the phrase "starving artist" before. Why this phrase? It's because most people that do anything artistic have fierce competition in their individual fields and are scarcely noted or funded. Sure... make some flies and sell em. Every little bit of money here or there doing what you love is progress. However, it is inevitable. Sooner or later you will need a job to support your habit.[
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