Tie, Not Buy

I'm so glad I invested in learning to tie flies. It's rewarding on so many levels. But best of all (with some exceptions - like complex dry flies) may be the ability to tie what I need. This weekend I'm heading to the Steelhead Alley region of Ohio in pursuit of Spring chrome. Asked my buddy for his recommendation on flies and was told #6 and #8 clown eggs in two primary colors (can't reveal his secrets online!).

So I plop down at the vise last night and in about an hour-and-a-half I've got a nice assortment of over 3 dozen. Minimal cost, minimal effort. And ideally suited for the waters and time of year. When I head up to the UP in April, I'll throw in my vise, hook box, and supply of yarn. If I go through a bunch of flies (a problem on the Manistique -- lots of snaggy bits on the bottom) I can just bang our a few that night to refill the fly box. Nice.

-Sean-