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Fly fishing is perhaps the longest learning curve of all fishing methods. Some fly fishermen who have braved this first hurdle may then be put off by the new learning curve involved in fly tying (far from insurmountable, even for unskilled hands). While fly tying may be optional for occasional anglers, I consider it indispensable for more regular anglers. Here are the 5 reasons why:
1/ For budget reasons
A commercial fly imitation is sold for around ?3. A box to cope with most situations often contains several hundred imitations. This can quickly add up. Not to mention that an imitation remains a consumable. In the best of cases, it gets damaged by a succession of catches, when it doesn't end up in the vegetation or at the bottom of the water. It's a small investment to buy the equipment you need to start out, but after that, the cost of an imitation is no more than a few dozen cents.
2/ Keeping your passion alive during the closure period
The first category river fishing season is very short, and fly tying allows you to continue to live your passion during the closed season. You develop patterns by recalling this or that memory, you slowly fill your boxes by thinking about this or that emergence... It keeps your mind on the water while you're behind your fly-tying vise.
3/ For the satisfaction of catching fish with your own imitations
Without talking about pride, I think there's a real satisfaction in luring a fish with an imitation you've made with your own hands. At first, of course, when you first catch it. But also later, when finally, after several attempts, you lure that "impregnable" fish with a specially mounted imitation.
4/ To be able to react quickly during a fishing trip
It can be very frustrating to plan a few days' fishing in a row and then find yourself at a loss when faced with fish that are busy on an insect you don't have the imitation of. Without even mentioning a trip abroad, each river has its own specificities, and even a few dozen kilometers from home, you can find yourself faced with the unknown. The ant is a good example, and anyone who has experienced a river covered in gobbles without being able to catch a single fish knows what I'm talking about. The examples are endless: small sedges in the south-west, sulphurs on the Dordogne... Faced with these situations, anyone who doesn't have a small fly-tying kit with him is condemned to be a spectator for the duration of his stay.
5/ Tailor-made solutions for specific situations
For me, this is THE reason why mounting is indispensable. Anything is possible with a vice and a hook, there are no limits. There are countless special situations: ants of a particular color, a large fish feeding on tiny creatures and therefore requiring a tiny imitation on a strong iron hook, a larva regurgitated by a trout that you will try to imitate, fish sitting on the surface but at a very specific stage. Not forgetting, of course, the weighting of the nymphs, which can then be adjusted exactly as desired. ... In fact, fly fishing is just a succession of special situations.
I hope I've convinced you, and I wish all the best to those who take the plunge.
