Custom Fly Orders: Planning Your Order

Sometimes the flies you need are not quite the flies you can find on a standard order sheet. A regional favorite, a particular color combination, or a variation that your customers ask for season after season can be worth planning ahead for. Custom fly orders give fly shops, guides, outfitters, lodges, clubs, and anglers buying in bulk a way to discuss those needs with us.

We accept inquiries about custom orders of regional favorites. Allow a three-month lead time, and contact us before making plans that depend on a particular delivery date. The best starting point is a clear description of the fly, how you intend to use it, and the quantities you have in mind.

Start with the fishing need

Before working through materials and colors, decide what the order needs to accomplish. Are you stocking a local hatch, replacing a dependable guide pattern, preparing for a destination trip, or adding a fly that customers regularly request?

Tell us about the waters, season, and fishing situation you are buying for. That context helps explain why a particular detail matters. A fly intended for shallow summer water may call for a different discussion than one meant to get down in a fast spring run.

If an existing catalog pattern already meets your needs, a standard order may be the simpler choice. Custom ordering is most useful when there is a specific gap to fill, rather than a change made simply for the sake of having something different.

Describe the fly as clearly as possible

A familiar pattern name is a useful starting point, but names alone can leave room for interpretation. Regional versions of the same fly may differ in body color, profile, wing material, weight, or other details.

For your initial inquiry, put together the following information:

The pattern name, if it has one, and a description of the version you want.
The hook sizes you would like to order.
Important colors and materials, including details that should not be substituted without discussion.
Your preference for a bead, added weight, or an unweighted fly, where relevant.
Your hook preferences, such as barbed or barbless, if important to the order.
The quantity you are considering for each size or variation.
The date you need the flies in hand.

These are details to discuss, not a promise that every material, hook, or variation is available. Identifying your priorities early makes it easier to work through what may be possible.

Use a reference when the details matter

If you have a photograph of the fly, include it with your inquiry. A clear side view is especially helpful; additional views can explain details that are difficult to describe in writing. If you want to use a physical sample as a reference, ask us about arrangements before sending it.

Explain which features make the reference important. You might be trying to preserve a sparse profile, a particular color contrast, or the amount of weight. Distinguish between details that are essential and those you are comfortable discussing. This is more useful than simply asking for a fly that looks approximately the same.

Understand the custom-order minimums

The minimum order is $100 for your first order and every reorder, including custom orders. In addition, the minimum quantity for each custom fly pattern in each size is five dozen, or 60 flies. Both minimums apply: meeting the $100 order minimum does not reduce the five-dozen requirement for each pattern and size.

For example, if you order a custom Purple Thingie fly in sizes 12 and 14, you would order at least five dozen in size 12 and five dozen in size 14. That makes a minimum of 10 dozen, or 120 flies, for the two sizes combined. The five-dozen minimum applies separately to each size, not across the two sizes together.

Plan quantities by size and variation

Break the order into individual sizes and versions rather than giving only a total number of flies. A request for one pattern in three sizes is easier to review when the quantity for each size is listed separately. Plan for at least five dozen of each custom pattern in each size you choose.

For shops and lodges, use past sales and the length of your fishing season as a starting point. For guides, consider how often the pattern is used and how many anglers you expect to supply. For a club or group trip, combine everyone's requests into one clear list before contacting us.

Keep the first discussion focused on the sizes and variations you expect to use most. A long list of lightly stocked variations can make planning harder without giving you a stronger working assortment. Ask us to confirm packing arrangements before finalizing your request.

Work backward from your season

Custom orders require a three-month lead time. Start the conversation early enough to work through the details before the period when you need the flies. If you are preparing for a hatch, opening a lodge for the season, or supplying a scheduled trip, give us the actual date you need the order in hand.

Do not assume that a custom order follows the same timing as an order from available inventory. Confirm the expected timing with us before making commitments to customers or trip participants.

For custom orders, 50% of the order total is due when the order is placed. The remaining balance, plus shipping, is due when the order is shipped. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

Confirm the details before proceeding

Before moving forward, make sure you and our team are working from the same pattern description, sizes, variations, and quantities. Check that your request meets both the $100 order minimum and the five-dozen minimum for each custom pattern in each size. Ask us to confirm pricing, payment arrangements, delivery timing, and how changes to the request will be handled.

If any detail is still undecided, call it out rather than leaving it to assumption. A concise written summary gives everyone a useful reference and reduces the chance of an important feature being overlooked.

A simple custom-order inquiry

You do not need a complicated specification sheet to begin. Use this outline to organize your message:

Pattern or regional favorite: Name and brief description.
Reference: Photos, if available, and the details they illustrate.
Sizes and quantities: Each size and variation listed separately, with at least five dozen per custom pattern in each size.
Essential features: Colors, materials, hook preferences, and weight.
Intended use: Shop stock, guiding, lodge guests, club order, or personal fishing.
Needed by: Your requested in-hand date, allowing for the three-month lead time.
Questions: Anything you need clarified before proceeding.

Let's discuss your regional favorite

Contact us with your pattern details and the order you have in mind. You do not need to have every question answered before getting in touch. A clear starting point gives us something useful to discuss and helps you plan a custom order around the fishing you actually do.