With all due respect to Brian - who raises a wonderful point - I think that it is great to consider alternative sources. I spend a lot of money at my local fly shop. I have sent significant business to my local fly shop. My guru (read - owner of the local flyshop) has also helped me to get access to materials suppliers once I wanted to go "commercial", thus undercutting his own business to help me out with my tying. The best source of information for alternative materials that I know IS the owner of my local fly shop.
I like to know where I can buy foam, wire, eyes, fur, etc. at better prices. I also know where I can buy a rod or reel or float tube or waders, etc. My opinion iw - let me rummage through the refuse of society (for free) to find odds and ends to lash on a hook...and then spend the $100 (or so) that I save on something bigger from the fly shop. The owner of my local fly shop agrees. But - by all means - bring the owner good beer..... Long Live the Local Fly Shop!!! Chris > -----Original Message----- > From: BRIAN VAN EREM [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 10:04 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [VFB] Never buy this at the shop.... > > I think we need to consider this thread before we bash our local fly shops > > and their prices into the ground. > > My local shop provides me with a good bit more than Ziploc bags of pricey > goodies. I have become good friends with the staff, and value their > opinions. The advise I have received over the years would fill entire > volumes (and I say "would" because most of their knowledge isn't contained > > in any book). I enjoy the informal get togethers when, under the roof for > > which they pay the rent, we talk for hours -- well after business hours. > They go out of their way to book guests for seminars, even if they break > even or lose money on the venture. They schedule group trips and lessons > for newbies, and I guarantee they are not making the big bucks by this > either. I participate in all the perks of being a patron of my fly shop, > and I will not balk at the minor inconvenience of a mild price hike. Hats > > off to the shop that will stock 16 colors, three packs of each, of a micro > > chenille that they may only sell a handful in a year! > > Try to find quality rayon chenille in the right sizes and colors at Wally > World! Foam too! You'll spend more in gas traveling from store to store > hunting materials than you would if you bought them from your local fly > shop > in the first place. Unwind an old TV, you'll get lots of fine copper > wire! > A little arsenic too, but what the heck. Dryer lint makes a good dun > dubbing. Mix up a gallon of thinner, or buy a pint of varnish -- you got > more for less. You can will it to your great grand children. > > My point: bring every dollar you own with you into that local fly shop! > Bring your check book. Bring the plastic. Bring barter. Support the > place > that provides you the variety of materials and the know-how to use them. > Spend when you are give river and stream reports, or the hot fly pattern. > > Tip them and bring'em a beer on the holidays (and not that cheap stuff > either)! > > My twenty bucks worth! > > Brian > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > >From: Byron Newton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: [VFB] Never buy this at the shop.... > >Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 12:07:31 -0500 > > > >I know everyone loves their local fly shops and if you're like me > >you should leave your wallet in the car when you go inside or > >it will be empty when you come out. SO... > >With the Chenille Swap in full swing it occurs to me that > >we need a thread not on alternative materials (which we sometimes have) > >but rather on things/materials you should never buy at a fly shop because > >there is a much better and cheaper alternative source. > > > >I'll start off with these... > > > >Chenille is $2-3 at the fly shop for a few yards or a life time supply > for > >the > >same price at the fabric store. > > > >Why pay $2-3 for a 18" of bead eyes when you can get them at the > >fabric store for 40 cent a yard? or the lighting store if you want metal > >ones. > > > >Shrink tubing from an electronics store > > > > > >Now lets see the list expand.... > >Copper wire?, Wing cases?...Other things...etc. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at > http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
