Fly Tying Materials from Craft Stores
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- Опубликовано: 2 янв 2021
- We all know how expensive fly tying materials can be. I'll tell you how you can save some money by picking up a few basic materials from your local craft store.
** While I encourage every tier to support your local fly shops, I also realize everyone doesn't have an unlimited budget to support your tying endeavors and I don't think there is anything wrong with saving a few dollars here and there. Happy tying! **
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. I've been uploading at least three new videos a week (usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday).
Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know in the comments if you have any tying tips you would like to share or if you have any patterns you would like to see tied here. 
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did you use all your hair for tying?
No, I'm naturally going bald so I keep my head shaved.
@@SavageFlies i know i was just joking! hahaha my head has decided to do the same!
o man, now i have to pluck a few beard hairs and try this. if it works i may have to shave for the first time in almost a decade lol
@@PKAdventures Eat some spaghetti to generate red-dyed
This has become something of a Christmas tradition for my stepdaughter and I. She lives in Alaska but spends Christmas with us so when she’s here we make more than a few trips to the craft stores in our area. I comb the aisles for potential fly tying materials and she for all the stuff she has a hard time finding locally in AK. Once we get home I tie, she knits and we plan our next craft store sortie 😂.
these 2 budget fly videos are one of the best fly tying videos i have ever seen
Wow, thank you for these kind words! I appreciate it my friend. :-)
I have been using these stores for years. You can also get those boa wraps for about a 4-5 foot rope of marabou feathers. They come in many different colors.
Yes Samuel! I saw several of the boa wraps. We can make marabou flies and a Halloween costume at the same time. :-)
Matt, a man after my own heart, millions of materials out there (and cheap).
Awesome info!! Thank you!!!
Love your enthusiasm! and your knowledge!
Thank you my friend! Appreciate you watching. :-)
Matt, thank you for the inspiration. I have no fly shops near me. I have had to purchase online mostly and the products are pricey. I like getting good bargains at Hobby Lobby, sometimes from stores that sell fabric have good buys on threads. Some of the first bluegill flies that I tied were from scavenged materials. I still pick up feathers around a small lake where waterfowl preen out feathers. Elastic rubber that is small comes free from old stretching clothing. Yard sales have 10 cent thread, crochet yards, and knitting for 25 cents.
Outstanding ideas James! I haven't even thought about yard sales. And I do the same thing with picking up stray feathers around the farm. Only problem there is I have no idea what kind of bird a lot of them are from! But if I can figure out some way to use them I will. :-) So check out Michael's online store. I guarantee you can get a hundred bucks worth of feathers and wool for about twenty bucks!
Also old round bungee cord is a source for rubber(?) legs to use on poppers, etc.
Great info. Keep them comming out. Thanks
Thank you for the tips and tricks!
Thank you Matt, that's a lot of great info
Thanks Dave!
I use those floss organizers as fly boxes for my Egg patterns. Thanks for the video Matt, great info!
Thanks Darren. I imagine you can hold tons of egg patterns in one of these boxes. :-)
This is good information. I am a combat veteran and have been trying to find a good therapeutic hobby. I don’t want to spend much until I get more into tying but I do enjoy trying to fly fish so hopefully tying my own will help me. Thanks again
Another great episode!
Thank you! Always appreciate you stopping by. PS: I loved the article you dug up about Bertram Lackey's book in your newsletter earlier this week. I find the rich history of our sport so fascinating. Cheers. -Matt
Nice old school Matt. Looks great
Always great to save money great video.
Thanks Steven! Appreciate you watching my friend. :-)
You're a great resource for the non professional weekend warrior tyer. Thanks Matt.
Thanks Larry! I take that as some pretty high praise. And I certainly appreciate you watching and commenting my friend. Cheers. -Matt
Great advice sir! Thank you!
Thanks for watching Terr!
Lots of excellent ideas, without costing a fortune.
We are so lucky to decided to start a RUclips channel!!
Such a wide variety of information about Tying.
THANK YOU
No Josh, thank you! For the kind comment and encouragement. It certainly helps keep me motivated to make more videos. Cheers. -Matt
🙌🙌🙌 excellent! Just saved me tons of 💰
Great to hear! Have fun with it... that's what it's all about. 😁
I use walmart and hobby lobby a lot. I found some nice soft foam sheets for 9 bucks. Large stack and I only had to buy it once. I've never used the yarn, haven't thought of that, but I have used pipe cleaner on some throwaway crappie jigs. Craft fur and feathers are great too.
thank you for the tips
Those wool rolls are awesome, I have a few at my desk , they have more than enough material for the money
I agree John! I always use the wool just by plucking a little out at a time, but I'm thinking of building a dubbing box with a whole mix of colors. It would probably take a half hour to make a year's worth of dubbing. :-)
Excellent video!!!!!!
Thanks James! Happy tying my friend. :-)
Great tips matt.its does get costly as you know.thanks bud!!
Oh yeah, appreciate it Mike!
Good advice Matt.
Thanks Franky; appreciate it my friend!
Thanks Matt, yes Iove going and with my new fly tying passion I look at these stores in a different way.
Absolutely Pablo, same here! And thanks for the note my friend. :-)
A co-worker caught me going thru the yarn at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago. He had a good laugh. Told him I found the baby blanket yarn I needed for some Mega Worms so just yuk it up.
@@todd718 Ha! That's funny Todd. I may need some baby blanket yarn for a Senko fly I want to learn to tie. :-)
I like to use tinsel off the Christmas Tree and also that Easter grass material for makin nests in the baskets
Outstanding idea James; I never even thought about the Easter basket grass. Thanks!
Thanks Matt . I have picked up some things in those stores. Thanks again
You bet Butch. Appreciate it my friend!
Great ideas
I love it when I get ads for stuff I am interested in! (Freeze dried food this time)
This is a good one for noobs like me, I like that you take the occasional video to explain tools and materials Matt!
Oh man, I love to see what ads show up on my videos. I have yet to see one about fishing, but I have seen the occasional outdoor one. :-)
thanks for these ideas
You are so welcome John! I appreciate the note my friend. 👍
I find a lot of yarn, some new in the packaging, from thrift stores. My wife is a knitter, so we are in competition with each other at times. 😉Fortunately, I use synthetics and she mostly uses 100% sheep wool and alpaca, so it all works out. I have found nearly full skeins of synthetic yarn for as little as 10 cents, average 25 to 50 cents, never more than $1.00. I also often find foam sheet and googly eyes, etc. in the craft areas at my local thrift stores. Good luck.
Matt thank u very much for tips on craft store materials I went to Hobby Lobby got a bunch of stuff at 50 percent off I really saved a lot of money and like the stuff u have been talking about thank u again
Excellent info!
Appreciate it Christopher! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)
Fantastic tips
Thanks Ralph! Appreciate you watching and leaving a note my friend. :-)
Great ideas! Fly tying materials are getting expensive.
VERY COOL MATT ...THANKS....AND AS ALWAYS I WILL BE WATCHING....SEE YA JOE.
Appreciate it Joe!
Great stuff. We have chickens, ducks, a blue slat turkey and rabbits on our property. We collect feathers at the local duck pond when we go to the park. Your environment can provide lots of materials as well. Thanks for the great info.
Yes indeed! And don't forget roadkill. I've always got my eye out for foxes, raccoon and opossums when driving the backroads here in Maryland. :-)
@@SavageFlies agreed, I was going easy on the non-country types that my be sensitive to such a notion, but absolutely. Those tails are a commodity 😂
@@SavageFliescould you do a video on that subject. As far as what parts to harvest and were on the hide are the different types of material. I have passed by many roadkills, but hav’nt picked them up because I don’t know what i’m looking for.
i second the motion. @@tuloko16
Craft store items can make good substitutes for other materials.no question .good one matt .👍
Thanks Hugh! I doubt we'll ever get any good dry fly hackle from a craft store, but plenty of stuff for nymphs, wets and some streamers. :-)
Wow you are a genius!!!!!!!
Wow, thank you my friend! I appreciate the vote of confidence. 😀
Awesome information! I'm a beginner and I found this very helpful. Thanks
Well thank you Willie! Good luck in your tying my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies you're welcome 😊
Now that was great info. Like the taught of having options for buying material. You’re absolutely right if you can buy it cheaper why not. I’m pretty sure fish don’t know the deference. Thanks again for the info.
Appreciate it Richard! And you're right... anything we can tie a buggy looking fly out of, the fish aren't going to care. :-)
I have been using some materials off Christmas box ties and it is an amazing parachute posting materials
Magnus- that is an ingenious idea! And I'll be we could use the synthetic materials from Christmas ribbon and bows for great bodies or ribbing as well.
Compared to alot of other fly tying videos, when your new to the art, like I am, they can make it overwhelming, and sometimes feel hopeless, but the way it's seems you approach it, is just have fun with no rules, experiment, and use what you have on hand. And I just wanted to thank you for that.
Thanks Monty! I really appreciate that. You’re going to love tomorrow morning’s tie. An easy one, but I was totally playing around with some colors. 😁
My favorite new channel! Wish I would have seen this last week. Spent $50 at a fly fishing store and got very little amount of products
Well thank you Joshua! And I feel you my friend, $50 doesn't always get you too much at the fly shop.
Freaking awesome video.. love your channel...
Well thank you Shawn! I appreciate the kind words. :-)
wow did not know that cause I dont go to the stores my wife does but now I know I think I tag along thanks a bunch
Oh yeah Richard, definitely worth a trip to the craft stores once or twice a year. I even picked up some jute twine (kind of like burlap) at my Home Depot a few weeks ago. Split that into strands and you've got some pretty cool body material.
I love this video because I am a crafter on top of a fly tying
Then you must LOVE a place like Michael's or AC Moore. :-)
I have been using our local craft stores more then my wife. Found a lot of great material for buggers and steelhead flies. Also some really great wire for securing bodies. Great video, thanks Matt.
Thanks! I looked for wire but all I found was really stiff. I bought a couple of spools of it anyway, but didn't mention it here after trying and it not working very well. Maybe I didn't find the right stuff...
@@SavageFlies I found some really thin wire for making bracelets and ornaments in silver and gold. Most were really heavy though.
@@laytonmarvin3790 Ahhh... I didn't think to look for wire in the bracelet section. All I saw there were some pretty colorful rubber bands. They could have made some decent hopper legs but were a little think for all but the biggest flies.
@@SavageFlies it has to be 26 or 28 gauge to work. Anything larger than that is too stiff. I'll check on the brand I got. I got a set of 10 spools all different colors for $20
The fish don't care where the materials come from! In fact, I caught four trout one afternoon in about 10 minutes on an elk hair caddis, the second one tore the elk hair off (I was a beginner tier and didn't glue the thread) and I didn't want to stop and re-tie, so I just through a hook with a green dubbing that was left on the hook and caught two more in a row! It was crazy they just responded to the green thorax!
Great advice. We do that kind of thi g here. We all get tired of the excessive prices for standard fly tying materials. And it makes us inventive as well. :-)
Absolutely! Some people are on a fly tying budget out of necessity. Or they have a wife who would faint if they knew how much we paid for some of our materials. :-)
Yarns, embroidery floss, organizers, seed beads, craft foam....
Never want to put the local fly shops out of business, but this can certainly help a new tier...or an old sage!
I agree Jim! I still shop with the local shops whenever I can, but I don't mind walking the aisles of a craft store with my wife and thinking, "What can I make out of this??"
Tinsel, I discovered years ago that the craft/hobby stores load up on tinsel type decorations in several colors, lengths and width sizes during the holidays, especially the Christmas holidays and when those days end (and sometimes even during that time) the tinsel and most other decoration are reduced 40-60 percent. I haven’t bought any tinsel in at least four years. The tinsel is a material that I recommend you go 50-50 with a friend because you get so much for very little. Thanks for the tips SF.
Excellent idea! My wife buys all kinds of Christmas decorations after they go on sale right after. I might have to go snooping through all her supplies. :-) Thanks for the note!
Thanks Matt. One thing I use as a rabbit substitute is Yarn Bee, Fur The Moment. comes in several colors. I get this at Hobby Lobby, works great on smaller flies.
Wow, this is really cool looking stuff. I just checked it out at Hobby Lobby online and it's currently on sale for $4.20 a skein. I'm going to have to order some of this. Looks like the Chocolate is out of stock, but the Husky color looks pretty good. Thanks for the recommendation!
Do you have to melt the end to keep it from unraveling?
Didn’t know there were those felt rolls. Cool, one even looked like a cheese Danish.
Another craft store item is a craft knife or hobby knife normally used for cutting shadow boxes in picture frames or carving small bits off of model planes, boats, etc. It’s much safer than a razor blade for a fumble fingers like me.
A belated Happy New Year!
Bob- great idea on getting hobby knifes there. I keep one of those where you slide the blade out and snap off the tip whenever it gets dull. Probably got it from Home Depot. Now speaking of wool cheese danishes, I need to go make supper. :-)
Sir Matt awesome as always, I've used Hobby Lobby but I haven't tried Michael's yet. Jo-Ann's Fabric has sulky Holoshimmer and metallic threads. Thanks Sir Matt.
Oh yeah Edward... you could probably make some cool bodies out of those metallic threads!
stretch cord and flash (stuff) ... Super excited to watch your DIY dubbing vid next.
Awesome, thanks Philip! The dubbing video was a bit longer than I wanted it to be, but I did make lots of cool stuff-- raccoon, opossum, fox and squirrel. :-)
@@SavageFlies Just watched it. One question: How concerned should I be when 'harvesting' road kill? That is, beyond making sure it's fresh. :)
No major concerns, just be careful and use common sense. For squirrels, I’ll sometimes put it in a big Ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer for a couple days. For bigger animals (raccoons, opossums, foxes), I prefer to find them in the winter. If it’s warm out (or there are flies buzzing around the carcass, I’ll skip that one.)
I once met a dentist who had a relative that worked at a furrier. He had flies made from mink, chinchilla and all sorts of other exotic furs. Heck I even got some sort of packing or some such thing from my wife she was going to throw out. It has all sorts of neat purple reflections in it. I'm thinking of using it for heads of streamers. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thanks Johnny! I've got a few patches of mink, but chinchilla sounds interesting. I wonder if it's similar to rabbit. Let me know what you come up with using that purple flash! Cheers. -Matt
You forgot one of my favorites which is wire. You can get all different colors and gauges. Also they have a material similar to spanflex which is great for runner leg material and it comes all different colors! Nothing like having a Hobby Lobby when there's no fly shops around. The closest toe is Cabela's and Bass pro shop which is over an hour away. Thanks as always Matt!
Thanks Donald! I actually looked for wire at my Michaels but it was too thick/stiff. I'll definitely check out the Hobby Lobby for various colors and gauges. Thanks for the tip!
Love the advice! One thing that I have also done is buy scrap fur on the hide (think coat manufacturing n such). I got a large bag for 5 bucks that had a nice variety of fox, rabbit, mink and some I was pretty sure was raccoon, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I know its not the high dollar stuff but was able to make rabbit zonkers in different colors along with learning the differences between the different fur with patterns (when i follow a pattern)
Yep, that's great advice! I found a supplier just like you are talking about. But I think you actually got to pick the animal you wanted a bag of scraps from. For example, you could get a pound bag of rabbit fur scraps, or a pound bag of raccoon. And if I recall, it was really cheap. But if you think about it, a pound of scrap fur is probably a LOT of material. I also found a supplier of full pelts for really cheap. I mentioned the polar raccoon I got in a recent video, and tomorrow's video I show a skunk pelt I picked up for probably ten bucks. Thanks for the note! Cheers. -Matt
I've been having to support fly shops around the world to get what I want haha. Need a few more grand to get myself comfortable with my setup haha.
Great 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Hi there, thanks for the great tips about craft stores, would never have thought there was so much you could buy at reasonable prices, I’ve been buying rainbow thread to tie nymphs and that material if you an find it is not cheap ( Guttermans No. 73) it’s about 3 bucks for 20meters here in the UK. I know where my next visit for materials will be, thanks again. Cheers Jimf
Thanks Jim; appreciate the note! My wife turned me on to some sparkle thread recently that she uses for her cross-stitching. Also available at craft stores. There really is all kinds of stuff available to us!
I thought they were donuts for a second at 1:55 ! Tons of nice information on this video!
Yeah, and Bob thought they were cheese danishes! Probably not as tasty though. :-)
I need to find the time to get back into fly tying! I live in an area where my basement floods fairly often, like 7 times in the last 18 years! Last time I had about 2 1/2 feet of raw sewage and rain water infiltrate my basement! Had to throw out all of my fly tying hooks and threads, tinsel too. Easily over $1,000 worth of stuff in one tackle box! Not sure if I can afford to restock to similar levels at today's prices since I don't work in the business anymore.
Ha! Craft store materials are a great source for fly tyer's on a budget. I just purchased some sheet foam without the adhesive backing from a craft store yesterday! I have also used the adhesive backed foam(2mm) to create two tone (4mm) bodies. They float a little higher on the water. I have enough Antron and wool yarns from my coffee grinder to last to infinity and beyond! Some of the feathers like the peacock & Giniea hen are Great and others feathers, not so much. Great video! Thanks for sharing!
I've wondered if the adhesive back foam would hold up if you used it to make two-toned hopper bodies. I usually just use the non-adhesive backed and glue pieces together. And I know what you mean about yarn. I bought a few skeins when I made a DIY dubbing video and I haven't had to buy any more yarn since. And probably won't for the next decade!
You may have seen it at Michael's! I tie "LJ's Cased Caddis" and happened to pick up a skein of "Patons Bohemian yarn" in mottled shades of light tan to dark brown/black. The size is perfect to wrap directly on a size 10 or 12 2XL Streamer Hook. With a short sparse black maribou tail, and white antron gill, it is a killer in streams in the Washington Cascades. I've used it weighted and unweighted.
I've sourced many tools from the craft store as well. Little stuff like vice pawns and dubbing clips that cost $10-$20 if purchased from a fly retailer, are $1-$2 at craft stores. Embroidery thread makes great body material. Love the video.
Thank you James! And yes, I wish I had thought about mentioning vise pawns. I just picked up a pack of magnets from Home Depot and have been using those. And yep, about two dollars. :-)
@@SavageFlies My dad, who taught me, was pretty "resourceful" when it came to materials. I remember fishing with "boots" flies, boots was my cat! My dad would collect his fur from brushing him and pop it in the coffee grinder for dubbing.
@@jamesmccreery250 Ha! That's awesome. I guess I could make some Peanut and Pumpkin cat dubbing flies. :-)
Good video.
There are still plenty of materials that are fly specific, that you can’t get at a craft store.
But I can’t go in one without buying something for flies.
When I first started tying I used almost all craft store stuff - there isn’t a fly shop within spitting distance of me and I didn’t know what to get, anyway.
The craft store was perfect for a newb like me.
David
S Carolina
Oh yeah David, I'm with you there. We'll never be able to get everything we need from craft stores (or dollar stores) but we can save a few dollars here and there when we try. Thanks for the note!
Big Respekt from Serbija to Met
Great video. Don’t forget to look at flosses and thread to make bodies. Cover in UV and those colors pop for Perdigon Nymphs
Great point Richard! I've gotten so many comments on other materials I didn't think of that I may need to make a Part 2 for this one. 😁
Great video. You never know what you will find in these stores. I get my super glue with the brush tip at Walmart for $2 .97.
Gary- that's a great tip! I forgot to mention these craft stores have tons of glues. (But yeah, I think I got mine at my Walmart too.)
Get my super at the family dollar store!!
Helpful video., thanks Matt. DMC embroidery thread makes great midge bodies & Sulky metallics are good for ribbing and flash
Bruce- outstanding tip! I didn't even think of embroidery thread. A couple other folks mentioned metallics as well. I think I might have to make a part 2 to this video. Thank you my friend. :-)
@@SavageFlies check out the book “Midge Magic”
@@brucejohnson7952 I'm looking at it now. Is it the one by Don Holbrook from 2001? Looks like I can get a used copy for about $20. The description looks pretty promising. Is it worth it?
@@SavageFlies I like it. I suppose that it's worth is pretty subjective on how much you fish midges. I think it has improved my game. I particularly like the little shrimp patterns. I bought it used also.
Well I’m a sucker for most all fishing and tying books so I’ll probably pick up a copy. 😁
yes thanks Matt im allways looking for the bargin supplies
Thanks James! Glad to know I'm not the only one. :-)
I’ve been using the acrylic yarn and mixing with natural furs. It really makes the natural stuff dub easier
Organza ribbon is another great fly tying find at craft stores. Watch Davy McPhail video using it
Matt I go to this place in bemidji to buy wool string and they have many different colors. They are perfect for tying flies body. In many different ways to use. The place is called bemidji woolen Mills great products and they are excellent to use
Great note! I just checked them out online. I didn't see any wool string but they've got some nice clothes! I might have to pick up some winter sweaters from them. :-)
i love dollar stores for things like feathers, yearn, pompoms, foam, and all sorts of other cool stuff. i caught my first ever saltwater fish on a bright green pompom from the dollar store
That's a cool story! And I too love tying with some of these crazy materials. :-)
I picked up 3 rabbit pelts at Hobby Lobby for about 35$ black, white, and tan. It will take a long time to use them up.
Another was Sally Hansons Hard as Nails, clear nail polish. 2 for 1 at CVS google the sales.
Hobby Lobby has got real furs?? Oh man, I'm going to have to go find one. And Sally Hanson Hard as Nails. I've heard a lot of people talk about that but never used it. I'm going to have to fix that. Thanks Lee!!
Awesome video Matt. I must have spent a small fortune at craft and sewing stores. Even more bang for the buck is the dollar stores, especially the local chain where I live. Unfortunately I had to declare a moratorium on beads and yarns... unless it's something unique. One thing I long for is the fur of the elusive Craft. I don't trap, but I hunt, and for over 50 years of the sport I've yet to even see any Craft sign. After seeing those prime pelts you have I'm determined to harvest some. ;o)
My favorite place to shop is my local Bait and Tackle store. Lots of my "frog skins" were traded there for genetic hackle, specific hook types, lead head jigs, etc. Sometimes I'd stop there just to share a coffee and shoot the breeze.
Thanks Matt, great stuff.
Ha! Thanks Joe. No fly shops in my youth but I certainly remember shooting the breeze in my hometown Bait and Tackle as a kid. I was always in awe of the Polaroid pictures of big bass and catfish on the wall behind the counter. And yes, those wily crafts slinking around my Michael's did have some nice pelts!
@@SavageFliesEven Elmer Fudd can't find 'em. ;o)
You can add the elusive Nauga to that list. I've lived all over the US and still haven't seen one!
@@clementjohnson4391 Ah yes, the evil looking creature prized for it's durable yet supple hyde. I believe it was last seen in Stoughton Wisconsin. Thanks for your input sir.
trapping your own craft, very clever Matt!
Ha! I can't remember Arvin, but you might have been the only one to mention that little sly joke I tried to make. :-)
My lucky steelhead spey fly is a big thing tied on a shank with a lot of pink hackle. At my local Michaels, I found feather boas in the same pink that kind of a ragged mix of bugger hackle, shlappen, and maribou, all chicken. 6 feet or more of stuff I can pick through. The dye held up pretty good, better than the ostrich spey plumes I bought from Hareline that had a dye that ran bad, contaminated a whole fly box.
Feather boas are a great idea Paul! One thing I've learned with using non-colorfast dyed feathers, it to simply soak them in water overnight. Most of the dye that hasn't set will leach out in the water and you really can't even tell the difference after you let them dry. You'd think red duck feathers might turn pink, but they didn't. The water turns pink, but the feathers usually stay a pretty bright red.
I'm pretty possessive with my art and craft supplies. You will be questioned before supplies are relinquished. Nice that there are multiple uses for all of those things.
You sound like my wife! We have totes and totes labeled "craft supplies." Popsicle sticks, construction paper, felts, glue guns in every room. And glitter. Ahhhhh the glitter!
A good tip for everyone Matt
Thanks Kenneth! The more materials we can buy on the cheap, the more flies we can tie. :-)
Take a nylon pint brush,lifetime supply of May fly tails.
@@epsieblaine9558 Another great tip Kenneth! We might even be able to find and use horsehair paint brushes.
Next time you cover this topic you should talk about kanekalon hair!!
Yeah I love my local Dollar stores they have alot of those things there as well
Oh yeah! Like that mop fly you tied to catch that huge bass! One green mop head probably makes a hundred flies. :-)
@@SavageFlies I have used those mops and they work great, I find that if you cut the off every now and then the wife won't notice 😂
You can get alot of things on sale for 50 0/0 of on alot of things. You can get turkey feathers out in the woods at a park or out hunting and the same for goose feathers. Nice video 👍
Thanks Terrise! I've done the same thing with all the holiday decorations after Christmas. Lots of tinsel available in January. :-)
My uncle has a scarlett macaw. Hes given us some cool feathers for tying.
It doesnt take a lot of prep for hides for fly trying either. Just scrape them good and dry them well. You dont really have to process and tan them to cut a few fibers off every now and then. I've got a 1x1 foot piece of Mule deer from my first deer that I use for everything from mice to hoppers and elk(deer) hair caddis.
Yep, I do the same thing with any hides I get off the side of the road. I just scrape them and put some salt on the back side until they dry out pretty good. It's always worked so far. Thanks for the note!
I supplement monster dub and laser dub with the giant pompoms from Michael's. Love that place
Appreciate it Alex! I'm not familiar with the giant pompoms though. What section of the store are these in??
Same place as feathers and little pom poms and sequins
Cool, thanks! I'll look for them the next time I'm there.
Online as well
Thank you! I'm just starting off fly tying and I was wondering where I should go for material.
Welcome to the sport Tyler! I primarily shop at J. Stockard but you can definitely find some bargains at stores like Michael's and JoAnne's.
@@SavageFlies thank you for your reply. I apologize for that comment because I watched all your "where to buy material videos ". I have a Hobby Lobby close by that I plan stopping by to see what they have to offer.
I love the idea of this and am wondering how well I could find silk threads from this type of source as I also do not have accesses to a lot of money funds plus I have used some of these sources for feathers and yarns and have even found wireless pipe cleaners that made some pretty good chenille bodies for large streamers. But like I said would they carry any silk threads or a sourse for it in very fine to flat sizes along with colors?
Appreciate the videos- I warn any of you fly tyers to buy the best quality materials you can. The hobby stores can be great to find organization tools, cements/epoxies, and plenty of useful and economical synthetic fibers for a myriad of uses- HOWEVER- their natural materials are of the LOWEST quality in my experience- with one exception and that is Ostrich Herl. If you find a place with jumbo ostrich herls, check the consistency and if it looks good buy it. As for the pheasant, peacock, marabou, turkey- buy it from a reputable fly tying shop or dealer. The quality is FAR superior in many cases. Having quality materials is paramount when learning to tie flies because it will never let you down .
I got a foam packet from Walmart consisting of 50 sheets of 2mm thick 5.5" x 8.5" in 13 colors for a song, as well as some skeins of chenille in black/sulfur/dark gray/black/claret for things like woolly buggers. If you like microfibbets for tailing ... I got a set of 3 paint brushes from Michael's with white or sulfur nylon bristles that are finely pointed just like microfibbets, and the white can be colored with any color you like. You may be able to find other colored ones besides white/sulfur.
Amazing tips David; thank you! I’ve never found skeins of chenille but would LOVE to. I’ll have to check Walmart. And I’ve heard of using paint brushes for microfibbets. Good stuff!
Couple of things I get: colored markers for making color changes streamside to flies, stainless steel jewelry wire for articulated streamers, and bright colored ostrich for ray charles scuds
That's a great point Kris! I didn't even think of the jewelry wire for articulated streamers. I picked some up thinking I might be able to use it for ribbing but it was a bit too stiff. One of the materials I've used since making this video is also burlap and jute twine. You can make some pretty cool bodies with that stuff. Thanks for the note. Cheers. -Matt
Yep! Have gotten lots from ‘sally Ann’s’.
Good to know I'm not the only one who does this!
The wife come home from a craft store with all kinds of tinsel in a wide variety of colors that was marked down after Christmas what can be use for bodies
MIke- that's a great idea! I didn't even think of looking for clearance Christmas ribbon and tinsel.
Yep. I found it for 50 cents a pack (after Christmas), one pack is 2000 strands. That's a lot of fly bodies.
Yes, that is a LOT of bodies. Great tip!
Tinsel works out amazing man I did the same thing I just cut some of it short and it is perfect for woolly buggers and the streamers that I’m tying
Great way to save lots and lots of money and they are usually not as far away as fly shops
Very true Josh- I think a lot more people do general crafts so probably a store like this in all but the smallest of cities.
Great video!! I’m new to this hobby and I was wondering if there is any readily available feathers for dry fly hackle you can get from these stores?
Hey, thanks Matt and welcome to the sport my friend! That's a great question, but unfortunately there isn't much you can find at a craft store that would make a good dry fly. Well, you can get plenty of foams that work for hoppers and poppers, but most of the feathers are of the softer kind.
what's a good size wire or what wire do you recommend for making multi piece flies? instead of the skull spines