Dime Store Flies

No matter what point you are in your fly tying career, whether you are just learning or have years of experience, the question of where to get suitable materials for your craft will plague you. The first choice is a fly shop. The great thing about a fly shop is that it allows you to run your fingers through bins of quality tying materials and pick out exactly what you need. There are a handful of very good fly shops still around - places like Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston, The Tackle Box in San Antonio, and Sportsman's Finest in Austin. But maintaining a suitable selection of tying materials is an inventory nightmare for most shops and many have closed their doors or discontinued their tying materials, unable to compete with the selection and prices available through internet outlets.

Online shopping is great if you know exactly what you want and exactly what you are getting. But I like to browse the aisles look at and feel the materials. It fuels my creativity. And because there is not a fly shop close to my home, for years I have purchased many of my tying materials from local craft, hardware, and department stores, where I can pick through odd-ball stuff and select items with potential as tying materials. There has been a large learning curve doing it this way because most of these materials were not intended to be dunked in saltwater, slammed against rocks, exposed to the sun, and put up wet. I have thrown away handfuls of flies and sacks of stuff over the years that could not hold up to the rigors of saltwater fishing. But in that time, I have also found some great materials that were as good, if not better, than anything I could buy elsewhere. Here are a few.

Reflective Tapes, Tubing, Glitter and Mylar

Saltwater fish love shiny flies and many patterns incorporate reflective materials to achieve a lifelike appearance. Flies like Spoonflies, Crease Flies, Poppers, and many streamers all depend on flash to attract fish. If you are shopping for these materials locally, the trick is avoiding those that tarnish or de-laminate when they get wet. I have had very good luck with both polyester prismatic ribbons and holographic cellophanes. These materials will have a plastic (not paper) feel, and are generally located in the gift wrapping sections of stores in a staggering selection of colors and sheens. The ribbons can be used to build inexpensive spoon flies and the holographic cellophanes or glitters can be used on Crease Flies and poppers. Another option is Mylar tubing and woven pearlescent Christmas ribbons. These tubular materials can be used to form part or all of streamer bodies or as a reflective sheath on poppers.

Bead Chain

Bead chain is a staple ingredient in many fly patterns. Need bead chain? Look no farther than your local hardware or craft store. Most hardware stores stock rolls of bead chain in their plumbing department. They often carry brass, stainless, and nickel plated bead chain in a variety of sizes. When you can get it, go with stainless. If you need something lighter, go with plastic bead chain. Plastic bead chain is silly cheap and comes in all sorts of metallic and primary colors. It is usually located in the fabric department of department stores and craft shops.

Thread

The thread I use for nearly every pattern I tie is a .005" diameter clear nylon mono quilter's thread manufactured by Coats and Clark. This thread can be found either hanging on the rack in the sewing aisle or located on the thread bin of department stores. The spool is large and will require you to either buy a large bobbin, or bend out the legs on your existing bobbin to fit smoothly, but it is worth it. Another thread I use is Coats and Clark upholstery thread. This stuff is unbreakable. The diameter of the thread is on the fat side, but you will cut your fingers before you even come close to snapping it. I use this thread as a glue base around the shank of the hook on poppers, or when tying large patterns that require high thread tension. If you need a super tough thread, get upholstery thread.

Furs, Fibers, and Feathers

Here is where you can run into trouble. DO NOT select any natural feathers or furs that have been died bright colors. If you do, you will turn your fly box and everything in it that color. The dies on these materials just aren't adequate for repeated dunkings in saltwater. Natural colored or white feathers and furs are usually fine, but synthetics are a safer bet. Colored felt, acrylic yarn, chenille, craft fur, frilly yarn, rug yarn and even wig hair all make great tying materials. Craft stores are full of them and your creativity can bring out remarkable results with these fibers. Yes strolling down the yarn aisle is emasculating, but when you see the selection there you'll get over it.

Glues and Adhesives

Every fly you tie is going to require some form of glue or cement to protect the thread wraps. The glue I use frequently is Sally Hansen's Hard-as-Nails. It's cheap, tough, and available everywhere. Though it is not the best choice for use as a protective body coating, Hard-as-Nails is perfect for head cement/lacquer over thread wraps. Another glue I use frequently is Dap Kwik Seal Plus. This is a clear water-based caulking that dries to a flexible finish that is stunningly tough. It can be used as a body coating for Surf Candies and poppers, or as an adhesive to glue on eyes and secure body parts to flies. If epoxy flies are your thing, Devcon brand epoxy is a good choice. Devcon 2-part epoxy is available in both 5-minute and 2-ton formulas, and will provide a hard glass-like finish to flies. A fourth variety of glue is the "super glue" or CA adhesive. The best one I have found is Loctite's Gel Superglue. The gel version will not run like the old low viscosity formulas and it is less likely to stick your fingers together. These glues are available at hardware stores, pharmacies, and even grocery stores.

Foam

Because of its durability, EVA foam is the material most commonly used on popper bodies. You can find this foam in all sorts of colors, textures, and densities. I often use the 2mm adhesive-backed sheet foam for building Crease Flies, Gurglers, and other types of surface patterns. For patterns like the VIP popper, use the thicker foam doorhangers. If you need something even thicker, pick up some cheap flip-flops and use a sharp knife to cut out the shapes you want. You can even make a punch from brass tubing or a rifle cartridge to crank out consistent cylindrical popper bodies.

If you can't reach a fly shop to get what you need, you still have options. The items I have listed here are only a small percentage of the materials available locally. If you take the time to look and experiment you'll find many more, and who knows maybe you'll discover the next great fly tying material hiding at the dime store down the street.