iansflies.com

[Country Joe]

Anybody used them?

[burnskingfisher]

nice web site

[mr ripley]

used them a few times great quality flies at a great price

http://www.iansflies.com/index.php?m...ort=20a&page=2

[Chris Reeves]

I checked out the website, take a real close look at those hooks. These do not appear to be top quality chemically sharpened hooks, the barbs are huge!

You get what you pay for, and if you only fish infrequently these are probably fine but I like to trust my hooks 100%, we don't often hook huge fish but when you do........

I haven't used this service and if he wants to send me some samples I'll do a fair and unbiased review but in my professional opinion you cannot tie flies of top quality to sell for 40p each. It is not economically viable. Even the top Kenyan producers struggle to send out simple flies at £3.50 a dozen. Imagine how much they are paying the guys who produce these!

---------- Post added at 08:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------

Cruncher Gold Holo Cheek Size 12 : IansFlies.com, Fishing supplies, flies, hooks

Check out this one image and see what I mean, Big head, big barb and poor quality feathers used in its make up.

[Country Joe]

Originally Posted by Chris Reeves

I checked out the website, take a real close look at those hooks. These do not appear to be top quality chemically sharpened hooks, the barbs are huge!

You get what you pay for, and if you only fish infrequently these are probably fine but I like to trust my hooks 100%, we don't often hook huge fish but when you do........

I haven't used this service and if he wants to send me some samples I'll do a fair and unbiased review but in my professional opinion you cannot tie flies of top quality to sell for 40p each. It is not economically viable. Even the top Kenyan producers struggle to send out simple flies at £3.50 a dozen. Imagine how much they are paying the guys who produce these!

---------- Post added at 08:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------

Cruncher Gold Holo Cheek Size 12 : IansFlies.com, Fishing supplies, flies, hooks

Check out this one image and see what I mean, Big head, big barb and poor quality feathers used in its make up.

I did send him an email, asking the make of hooks he used, but up to now, i have not received an apply,
I agree, if purchasing flies, hooks is the most important.

[Chris Reeves]

No doubt someone is going to come back and tell me I'm wrong and they are great but as I said, in flies you generally get what you pay for.
I'd rather pay £1.25 each and buy less flies knowing they were not going to let me down.


cheers

[Country Joe]

Originally Posted by Chris Reeves

No doubt someone is going to come back and tell me I'm wrong and they are great but as I said, in flies you generally get what you pay for.
I'd rather pay £1.25 each and buy less flies knowing they were not going to let me down.


cheers

I totally agree, Chris now i have retired from tying, flies will now have to be purchased, the subject of where to buy flies pops up on the forum on numerous occasions, flies i have purchased from forum members have all been A1, i have never been let down, all materials have been first class, and quality hooks,
Anyone looking for flies i would recommend the three i have used
Moray Flyfisher,
Captain Scarlet,
Scratch,
I have not purchased from Phil Holding of Spider plus, but have been told his flies are excellent.

[Chris Reeves]

Phils are top notch too!

[Scratch]

Excellent advice and reasoning as usual Chris. However, I think guys like this provide a decent enough service for certain types of angler... those on a budget, the less discerning, and 'occasional' anglers. Let's be honest, not all anglers live and breathe flies and fly fishing like some of us sad cases on here! Cheap as chips, and second rate materials doesn't necessarilly mean a false economy though.. most mis-shaped or rough looking hooks (therefore potentially weak) will be weeded out before tying, so you'd be unlucky to loose fish due to the hook. And I think the flies, genreally speaking, are no worse than many of us seasoned tiers would knock up on bad day... a little overdressed here, a dodgy palmer there. As you say though, you get what you pay for, but the budget guys allow the less fussy, and/or wealthy to amass a good range of flies for a song.

[Chris Reeves]

Scratch,

While I agree with you to a certain point, I'd hope that anyone who buys this type of fly and fishes regularly would soon grow out of them. Just as we all out grew our cheap rods and reels. It always amazes me that people who use sage rods buy 45p flies.

If you want to buy good flies at bargain prices look out for auctions at your local FDG or S and T A, I know the ones Mike Humphries runs at Rixkmansworth usually have many boxes of flies and they sell for around 20p a fly and are often top quality. A couple of years ago two Irish lads came in directly from the pub opposite and bought every single fly collection and fly box, parted with around £400 and left. We never saw them before or since but boy do they have a fly collection.

Cheers