Anyone have good sites for buying saltwater flies

[Yambag Nelson]

I am in the process of gearing up for an April trip to Mexico and need to order flies some bonefish/permit/tarpon flies.  Anyone have any sites they have used where the quality to price ratio was fairly decent (saltwater specifically)?  Normally I would buy at a shop but none of the local places really sell that stuff and I won't be making it down to the keys before my trip.  One of my friends ordered some crab flies online and they were embarrassingly bad so I would like to avoid that. 

[Nick F - Gaucho Fly]

Bears Den has a pretty good selection. Just picked up some tarpon flies.

[John Mathews]

If I'm off to fish some water I'm not familiar with I do some research on the internet.  Info now bounds and often from people who have fished the same waters at the same time of years as you are expecting to fish yourself.  Once you determine what flies work for the fish you wish to target at the time of year you're there, then make a trip down to your local Orvis or fly shop and more than likely, they will have them.  If not, you can order from Orvis or Umpqua online.  If you're planning on sight fishing, prepare to fish for other species if conditions render sight fishing impossible.  On a trip to Cayman last year sight fishing bones was near impossible due to winds but the trip was not a bust as we were able to fish cuda.  Just about any fly worked but baitfish patterns with red in them worked best.

[Richard Farino]

The term "local shop" doesn't always mean the shop closest to you.  It means an independent retailer who specializes in fly fishing.  You have many at your disposal.  You spent money on a fishing trip, so don't get cheap and try and save money on the littlest of things.  Besides..  if you haven't been bonefishing before, you don't need a ton of flies.  You'll most likely just use 2-3 Crazy Charlie #4 tan flies most of the trip.  But why buy from a flyshop instead of some online snake oil salesman?  Because a reputable fly shop would know that because you mentioned permit, that means you're going to Ascension Bay.  Otherwise you can leave the permit flies at home.

Mossy Creek runs several trips each year to bonefishing destinations and has plenty of stock.  Urban Angler, although not having many of the flies online, has an extensive saltwater fly list, most of which are priced competitively (I should know - I priced them) so your "quality to price ratio" is fine.

What I think you're eluding to is where you can find the cheapest flies that are not total pieces of junk.  The answer is "You're not leaving until April.  Start tying."

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:53 AM, Nick F - Gaucho Fly <nfran...@gmail.com> wrote:

Bears Den has a pretty good selection. Just picked up some tarpon flies.

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[Vietfisher]

I have stayed at both Boca Paila and Casa Blanca fishing lodges.

They usually have one guide who ties flies, for supplemental income, that are very effective on local species (especially permit).   

Do yourself a favor, bring some green backs and buy some.  This helps out the local guide and increases your chance of catching that elusive permit. 

Certain materials work better on the mud flats of Ascension bay than the sandy bottoms of the Bahamas.  Something cheapflies.com will not tell you. 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Carl Z.]

What I think you're eluding to is where you can find the cheapest flies that are not total pieces of junk.  The answer is "You're not leaving until April.  Start tying."

Or start buying beer for your friends who do tie.

Note, this is not necessarily the cheapest option.

[Yambag Nelson]

Urban Angler and the Orvis in Arlington were the first two places I looked, neither had much beyond the standard deceivers/clousers ect.  Did not realize there was a separate list available.  I am well aware that what you get at most of those online flyshops are total junk, which was really the purpose of my post - to see if anyone has found any that aren't.  Sounds like Nick F may have.  I already have some crazy charlies, merkins, ect from previous trips that I am really just needing to supplement so you are correct in that I am looking for relatively inexpensive flies that are not total pieces of junk.  Thanks for the heads up on Mossy though, I had forgot about them and I need an excuse to get out there. 

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

PS: I would hope that a reputable flyshop would know that there are permit outside of ascension bay. 

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 8:43:41 AM UTC-5, Richard Farino wrote:

The term "local shop" doesn't always mean the shop closest to you.  It means an independent retailer who specializes in fly fishing.  You have many at your disposal.  You spent money on a fishing trip, so don't get cheap and try and save money on the littlest of things.  Besides..  if you haven't been bonefishing before, you don't need a ton of flies.  You'll most likely just use 2-3 Crazy Charlie #4 tan flies most of the trip.  But why buy from a flyshop instead of some online snake oil salesman?  Because a reputable fly shop would know that because you mentioned permit, that means you're going to Ascension Bay.  Otherwise you can leave the permit flies at home.

Mossy Creek runs several trips each year to bonefishing destinations and has plenty of stock.  Urban Angler, although not having many of the flies online, has an extensive saltwater fly list, most of which are priced competitively (I should know - I priced them) so your "quality to price ratio" is fine.

What I think you're eluding to is where you can find the cheapest flies that are not total pieces of junk.  The answer is "You're not leaving until April.  Start tying."

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:53 AM, Nick F - Gaucho Fly <nfran...@gmail.com> wrote:

Bears Den has a pretty good selection. Just picked up some tarpon flies.

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[Jeffrey Silvan]

The Orvis in Arlington is well stocked. You just have to look in the drawers under the "regular" flies. They have tons of flats patterns in there that will cover you for bonefish, tarpon, permit, cuda, etc.

But, as Richie said, tie your own if you've tied before. Crazy Charlie and gotcha are very simple patterns. You should be able to bang out quite a few for much less than store bought prices.

On Feb 17, 2016 11:54 AM, "Yambag Nelson" <northstreet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Urban Angler and the Orvis in Arlington were the first two places I looked, neither had much beyond the standard deceivers/clousers ect.  Did not realize there was a separate list available.  I am well aware that what you get at most of those online flyshops are total junk, which was really the purpose of my post - to see if anyone has found any that aren't.  Sounds like Nick F may have.  I already have some crazy charlies, merkins, ect from previous trips that I am really just needing to supplement so you are correct in that I am looking for relatively inexpensive flies that are not total pieces of junk.  Thanks for the heads up on Mossy though, I had forgot about them and I need an excuse to get out there. 

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

PS: I would hope that a reputable flyshop would know that there are permit outside of ascension bay. 

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 8:43:41 AM UTC-5, Richard Farino wrote:

The term "local shop" doesn't always mean the shop closest to you.  It means an independent retailer who specializes in fly fishing.  You have many at your disposal.  You spent money on a fishing trip, so don't get cheap and try and save money on the littlest of things.  Besides..  if you haven't been bonefishing before, you don't need a ton of flies.  You'll most likely just use 2-3 Crazy Charlie #4 tan flies most of the trip.  But why buy from a flyshop instead of some online snake oil salesman?  Because a reputable fly shop would know that because you mentioned permit, that means you're going to Ascension Bay.  Otherwise you can leave the permit flies at home.

Mossy Creek runs several trips each year to bonefishing destinations and has plenty of stock.  Urban Angler, although not having many of the flies online, has an extensive saltwater fly list, most of which are priced competitively (I should know - I priced them) so your "quality to price ratio" is fine.

What I think you're eluding to is where you can find the cheapest flies that are not total pieces of junk.  The answer is "You're not leaving until April.  Start tying."

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:53 AM, Nick F - Gaucho Fly <nfran...@gmail.com> wrote:

Bears Den has a pretty good selection. Just picked up some tarpon flies.

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[Yambag Nelson]

Ah well there you go.  Didn't think to look there. 

I haven't tied a fly in almost ten years.  Never enjoyed it and never got any additional satisfaction from catching fish on flies I tied so I gave it up.  Have tried to get various girlfriends and mom to take it up as arts and crafts but have not had any luck on that front. 

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 11:59:19 AM UTC-5, Jeff Silvan wrote:

The Orvis in Arlington is well stocked. You just have to look in the drawers under the "regular" flies. They have tons of flats patterns in there that will cover you for bonefish, tarpon, permit, cuda, etc.

But, as Richie said, tie your own if you've tied before. Crazy Charlie and gotcha are very simple patterns. You should be able to bang out quite a few for much less than store bought prices.

On Feb 17, 2016 11:54 AM, "Yambag Nelson" <northstreet...@gmail.com> wrote:

Urban Angler and the Orvis in Arlington were the first two places I looked, neither had much beyond the standard deceivers/clousers ect.  Did not realize there was a separate list available.  I am well aware that what you get at most of those online flyshops are total junk, which was really the purpose of my post - to see if anyone has found any that aren't.  Sounds like Nick F may have.  I already have some crazy charlies, merkins, ect from previous trips that I am really just needing to supplement so you are correct in that I am looking for relatively inexpensive flies that are not total pieces of junk.  Thanks for the heads up on Mossy though, I had forgot about them and I need an excuse to get out there. 

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

PS: I would hope that a reputable flyshop would know that there are permit outside of ascension bay. 

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 8:43:41 AM UTC-5, Richard Farino wrote:

The term "local shop" doesn't always mean the shop closest to you.  It means an independent retailer who specializes in fly fishing.  You have many at your disposal.  You spent money on a fishing trip, so don't get cheap and try and save money on the littlest of things.  Besides..  if you haven't been bonefishing before, you don't need a ton of flies.  You'll most likely just use 2-3 Crazy Charlie #4 tan flies most of the trip.  But why buy from a flyshop instead of some online snake oil salesman?  Because a reputable fly shop would know that because you mentioned permit, that means you're going to Ascension Bay.  Otherwise you can leave the permit flies at home.

Mossy Creek runs several trips each year to bonefishing destinations and has plenty of stock.  Urban Angler, although not having many of the flies online, has an extensive saltwater fly list, most of which are priced competitively (I should know - I priced them) so your "quality to price ratio" is fine.

What I think you're eluding to is where you can find the cheapest flies that are not total pieces of junk.  The answer is "You're not leaving until April.  Start tying."

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:53 AM, Nick F - Gaucho Fly <nfran...@gmail.com> wrote:

Bears Den has a pretty good selection. Just picked up some tarpon flies.

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[Ashley Frohwein]

If anyone knows where to buy "supreme hair shrimp" flies for $4 or less each, please let me know.

[peter odell]

Go to EBAY and look - I've found an amazing array of tarpon, bass, bonefish, and everything else flies on there, and had no bad experiences yet.  I did use THEFLYSHOP.COM out of London, and they had great selection and price, but I found the hooks were really cheap on the nymphs I bought there (but worth a look also).