Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

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ben_beyer
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Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

A few months back I bought a fly tying setup and now I have Cabelas CGR 7/8 fly rod to go with my 4wts. I've only tied one pattern in two different sizes and I recently bought some more hooks to try a few sizes smaller.

I'm interested in tying flies I could fish and trying different patterns rather than buying all the supplies for one pattern. So I'm interested in signing up for the Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying kit monthly subscription. Has anyone out there done this and if so what did you think of it?
ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I went ahead and signed up for a 3 month subscription today. I'll post on here what I think and how it goes.

My interest is to get a box together with some different patterns and not have to buy $100+ worth of fly tying supplies to do it.

We will see what all is involved once I get the boxes.
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karstopo
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by karstopo »

I have not had the Postfly subscription, but have seen an ad or two. Someone once gave me a lure subscription, I can’t even remember the company’s name, but the lures I got were mostly useless for the fishing I liked to do.

When I first started fly fishing freshwater, I bought some flies off a fly discount website. My saltwater patterns that worked well in the saltwater didn’t for the most part translate to freshwater. Largemouth bass just don’t respond very well to redfish crack, borski sliders or shrimp flies. Just like you, I had no good idea really what might work in warmwater settings and took an educated guess on buying a few different patterns online. The big hit for me on the flies I bought were the deer hair divers. I fell in love with that pattern because the fish loved them, they cast pretty easily, mostly stayed weedless and above the snags, and they can be fished at various speeds. I then went and bought the supplies needed to tie my own. I like the ones I tie better than the ones I bought, but at least the purchased ones got me on the right track. The ones I bought had terrible hooks, really flimsy and super easy to bend open.

There’s a process finding what works for each person and in the places and for fish they go for. I went through it in the saltwater and I still try to add a new to me pattern into the mix periodically. Freshwater has been the same. Bead head Woolly buggers can do a lot of damage to several different species, that’s been my experience. Balanced leeches are extremely effective on most types of warmwater lake and pond fish and can be put on big enough hooks to exclude sunfish if you don’t care to sort through those when you might be more interested in bass. DahlBerg, Deer Hair divers are almost irresistible to bass if the bass are shallow and the water relatively warm. Some sort of smallish to medium crawfish suggestive pattern isn’t a bad thing to have in the box for warmwater fish. There’s a bunch of things that work on sunfish.

Maybe the postfly subscription will send some great patterns that will work for you. Keep us informed on how they do.
ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I checked out a few of their videos on YouTube and looked at what had been included in some other boxes. I was a bit hesitant but I'm going to give it a shot. If nothing else it's tying practice and I'm out $55, which is about what it costs to load up on supplies for 1 pattern with a few variations.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by karstopo »

No, that sounds like fun. I didn’t realize they provided all you need to tie.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by Kayak Kid »

A tip:

The last place you want to buy fly fishing 'stuff' is at a fly fishing store. I'm not talking about the tying tools, I'm talking about the different threads, feathers, dubbing material, yarn, etc., etc. Go check out Arne's Warehouse. Over the years, while accompanying my wife there, I have accumulated boxes of tying material for pennies of what it would cost me at a fly shop.

Michael's also has lots of thread, ribbons, yarn, and feathers at very reasonable prices. A trip with children or grandchildren to the Houston zoo can find you returning home to your fly table with all kinds of duck, goose, etc., etc., feathers.
ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

karstopo wrote:No, that sounds like fun. I didn’t realize they provided all you need to tie.
I may have to get a few things like a hair stacker, UV cure resin and a UV light, etc. but it's basically just small bits of tying materials.
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karstopo
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by karstopo »

UV cure is great, less is more. I never got a hair stacker or a packer.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

Yeah I don't know what all tools are required for the warmwater boxes, but I'll see what all I need once the first one arrives.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I received my first box today. I get the feeling the new subscriptions get a previous months box to get rid of extras but that's OK by me. It's not the end of the world and it's probably a safe business move.

The box only included supplies to tie one pattern and I was thinking maybe it included 2 or 3. I will see what the next box has.

It was nicely packaged and includes their newsletter. I found the fly tying instructions on YouTube. The only additional materials I will need is UV cure resin and and UV torch. I'm not sure how much the torch matters but I plan to use the Loon UV resin. I'm not sure if I will need multiple viscosity of UV resin but I inquired. No one has answered yet but I just asked so not a problem.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0SMjWHbK0[/youtube]
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ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

Last few pics.
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ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I haven't had time of lately to tie so I apologize for that. The one thing I did need was UV cure resin so I picked up a small starter set from AvidMax. I hope to get to the vise sometime this week but we will see.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I finally got around to tying some flies this weekend. I started by tying up 6 of the bluegill belly beans to reacquaint myself with fly tying. I then pulled up the YouTube video for the Low Fat Minnow and proceeded to follow along.

The pattern is fairly easy to tie and I went a little thin on the materials for the first go through. The second one is more fuller and I need to work on working with the UV resin more. The heads came out a little funky and a bit bigger than the example they sent.

Either way this has been fun and I'm going to continue working on the pattern. I also look forward to seeing what pattern comes next.

I will maintain that in terms of what you pay, this may not be the best deal for the supplies but so far it has been a good way to try another pattern. For the price of the boxes, I'm able to try 3 different patterns without having to buy the base materials for one pattern which could be about the same price and it may be a good option for someone getting in to fly tying.
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karstopo
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by karstopo »

Looking good. It’s going to be fun to fish those.

I used to tie a lot more and more variety. Now, I tie mostly to replace flies lost to attrition. Seems like I’ve settled into certain patterns that I like well enough to tie and fish. Some of my curiosity about new to me stuff has dissipated. On one hand it’s good to know what I like, but then I sort of close myself off to new possibilities. It’s always fun to tie something you haven’t before and have it turn out to be a really productive pattern. I’m real bad about not giving anything new or different patterns a chance. The last “new” to me fly was an EP shrimp. I fished it a couple of times. Seems like I had a tough time with hook sets and missed fish so then those flies get put into the box for misfit flies. I once did few VIP poppers and got snubbed by three sighted redfish. You’re fired VIP popper. Hit the road, jack. Disco shrimp, trout in the surf going off on topwaters all around me, but not the disco shrimp I have on. Tie on a proven pattern and get an instant hook up. I couldn’t even find those disco shrimp now. The borski slider has been a hit for me. I think I started with those last year and those are now a go to pattern. It’s all that first experience with a pattern. Good first impression, then it’s likely I’ll keep on with it.

Funny how we all connect with different flies. Maybe you’ll get lucky and those flies you tied will really prove to be great. But, if not, that’s okay too. There’s a bazillion others out there.
ben_beyer
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I tied up a couple more of the Low Fat Minnow's this weekend. Some were pretty good and some could use some improvement. I did significantly improve the UV resin on the heads by primarily just using the thin formula for filling in between the eyes and encasing the eyes. I also have to watch the dubbing around the eyes. If some gets in the resin and cures, it can create rough spots but the few I had were minor.

I also got the next box on Friday. Everything was packaged as before but I also got a zinger and a sticker. This months pattern is a Small Mouth Slayer. Around noon on Saturday, the tying video was published on YouTube. I'm hoping to finish up the Low Fat Minnow's this week and get to work on this one. The only thing I didn't see on the video is them using the soldering wire. No worries though, I'll add it in for a little extra weight.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uWN63NOQJA&t[/youtube]
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I somehow missed uploading the pic of the last Low Fat Minnow I tied.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

Busy time of year and I got the urge to go after white bass yesterday so I did. I caught 4 of them but didn't use a fly rod.

It was good to get out. There is a good chance of rain this weekend so maybe I'll get a little time to spend at the vise.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I received my 3rd box a couple weeks ago and I've just too busy to tie. I have suspended my account for the time being just because it's a busy time at work I have yet to completely finish the first box of materials.

I hope to do some tying this weekend though.

The third box was a clouser type pattern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnOt5Ce ... =168&t=12s
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karstopo
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by karstopo »

That’s cool how it’s all packaged. I go in fits and spurts on tying flies. Long dormant periods and then a burst of tying.

I can obsess about flies. No doubt some are better than others and within the betters, some of those are better.

Think about this. At some point, a fish makes a decision to eat or fly or not. Things factor into that decision. Speed, movement, shape, size, color. Have a fly the size of a bowling ball, little catching. Microbe flies haven’t been all that great.

I get flies that I tie and I think they are great, but it’s usually after the fact when the fish somehow go nuts for them. Anyhow, it’s fun tinkering with fibers, feathers and fur.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I'm still having trouble finding the time and also the motivation somewhat to sit down and tie some flies.

I did get a notification that my order was being processed while I still had the subscription on hold. Maybe I didn't click all of the correct options so maybe my fault too. I have my really busy season about to start in June so I sent an email to customer service and Postfly is canceling the order and refunding my money.

So I would say they have responsive customer service in the 2 instances I've had to contact them. The first was the inability to login to my account which was fixed in acceptable time.
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Re: Postfly Warm Water Fly Tying Subscription

Post by ben_beyer »

I guess Postfly let me keep the box but I haven't taken any photos yet. I will try to post those later tonight.

I got an email and it seems they have teamed up with Matt Bennett to offer kits with flies tied by him. Pretty cool.

https://subscribe.postflybox.com/produc ... d0289046a5
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