Buying Online DISCOUNT Flies

How crappy are they?

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[jonathanjackson]

I'd take Big Y any day. They are almost half the price of the others. And there are shades of difference between the tying quality. Also, if you buy some of their collections, the price drops to almost $0.50 a fly. And they offer free shipping over $40 or $50. Not even close in my opinion.

[JP-dzzu]

I’d rather get my $0.89 Big Y fly caught in a tree than a $3.00 Orvis one any day.

[gemstatefisherman]

Big Y absolutely has the best bang for your buck! They have a combo of locals that tie and order from a major tying outfit in South Africa.. they use allot of rainys flies

[catch]

Discount has always had great quality and the service is really good.

[jeffbrooks]

I did the exact same test myself about 3 years ago. I’ve been tying flies for 52 years and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be so I wanted to find an inexpensive online option for the times when I can’t tie certain smaller patterns or I’m not willing to pay the fly shop prices.

There wasn’t even a contest in my opinion. Discount flies won the day and some of the others were simply junk. I was glad to see your side-by-side comparison. Thanks!

[kmgsage]

Been patronizing Discount Flies for many years, since their beginning in Parker. Great flies, good discounts, terrific shipping, nice people.

[LaramieAngler]

Great topic. I use Big Y fairly regularly and agree with your assessment. Can’t beat their prices - especially if you are needing 2 dozen basic dries for an outing with the family and you know flies will be lost. I also regularly buy streamers from them. I don’t get as much heartburn losing an articulated streamer in a logjam that cost me $2.50 vs losing a $7 streamer purchased elsewhere. And their quality for big streamers is usually very good. Sure, sometimes you may need to add a bit of head cement to them when your order arrives, or that humpy they sent may start to unravel after being in the 3rd or 4th fish mouth… but can you really complain about that when you get decent quality dry flies for around a buck a piece? All in all, I’m quite happy with Big Y Fly Co.

[riffsandwich]

Fly Shack is actually my local shop and I love them. I bought a lot of my gear there. I guess it helps to be able to walk in and pick through the flies.

[floydk]

Nice job Ben. Looking forward to more reviews of other vendors and streamers. I'm an avid fly tyer but I still buy flies from local shops and on-line - especially for the "sophisticated" patterns where I don't have to buy all kinds of materials to tie a dozen. Not worth the money. That said, my go-to shop has always been Discount Flies in Colorado. Nicest people and their quality is great overall. Like you, I've purchased from Fly Shack and was not impressed with the quality but they still catch fish so there's that.

[CONEHEADDK]

When I tie, I use the "fire line", that I find at the water, or my own used stuff. You can tighten things really well, and it's free - win win.

[highholescramblers]

Great video and breakdown Ben. I’ve purchased from 2 of those 4 and always thought discount flies were really consistent and a great value. It didn’t hurt that I could just swing by and pick them up at their little pick up box in castle rock before we moved to Northern Colorado. Always good customer service too. 👍🏼

[FrugalFlyRodder]

An online fly shop, most likely, does not tie their own flies. I could be wrong, rarely, but, "could be", that "almost" anything online is from India, Africa or China and resold... just saying. With the quality of some of those ties, a first year fly tyer could do better. Great video though, really!!!

[dadeking]

My only experience is with Big Y and they were super hit or miss. Really depends on the pattern. I've had some fall apart within just a couple casts/drifts and others last through many fish. Ultimately it encouraged me to learn how to tie some basic patterns which really has made fly fishing more fun for me.

[thomasham]

So blessed to have a reputable fly shop minutes from my house for when I don’t have time to tie. Good vid.

[glennsands]

There are about 5 flies that get it done for me in Colorado. I learned to tie those and practice tying them often (insert I have the uncanny ability to catch rocks). The cool thing about tying your own is that you can make them the different…slightly. That slight difference, over the uniform store bought, is what makes one fly a killer and the other one junk.

[ColorfulCOFlyFishing]

I go to the fly shop to get materials, then I tie my own. They’re not the prettiest but they catch 😂 I would rather loose those than a store-bought fly

[j.p.]

The “divider” in the little card board box was probably to keep the flies from getting smashed.

[edwardrolle]

As someone that lives pretty close to fly shack in NY I’ve been there and have to say they’re great for getting stuff like tying materials and gear but yeah their flies suck hahaha I’ve bought a few and definitely don’t recommend they fall apart really quick. Been tying for a couple years and can do a good bit better.

[det]

Memo to self: Don’t send Ben any flies to grade because you suck at tying them.

Question to Ben: When you “write off” the cost of ordering flies on your tax form, do you put “Huge Fly Fisherman” in the occcupation box?

[jscustoms]

Would love to see you do a video reviewing different flies from some small shops on Etsy and eBay!