Where Are Your Flies Really Made? A Report on the Commercialization of Fly Tying

The Fly Box LLC
Jul 18
3 min read

INTRODUCTION

Think your fly box supports local artisans? Think again.

Today, over 85% of commercially sold flies are tied overseas, many in factories that crank out thousands of patterns per day. This report breaks down the evolution of fly tying—from small-town American garages to the sprawling factories of Chiang Mai, Nairobi, and Guangzhou—and what this shift means for the future of the craft.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

From the early 1900s to the mid-20th century, the vast majority of commercial flies in the U.S. were tied domestically. Local tyers operated out of homes, garages, or small workshops. Fly shops often carried patterns tied by anglers they knew by name.

By the 1970s, as demand surged and pricing pressures mounted, brands began looking abroad. The game changed when Dennis Black (Umpqua Feather Merchants) opened a factory in Chiang Mai, Thailand—a model soon adopted by other major fly manufacturers.

By the 1990s, commercial fly production had largely moved offshore.

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT: WHERE FLIES ARE TIED TODAY

Thailand

The undisputed leader in global fly production.
Chiang Mai is home to factories producing for Umpqua, Montana Fly Company, Rainy’s, and Solitude.
Workers produce 6–10 dozen flies daily.

Sri Lanka

Specializes in saltwater and warm water patterns.
Home to registered exporters like Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd.

Kenya

Accounts for up to 60% of the global fly export market.
Nairobi-based factories employ dozens of tyers to fulfill massive U.S. brand contracts.

China

Dominates the budget-tier fly market.
Supplies unbranded and online-exclusive patterns, often without quality control or disclosure.

Vietnam

An emerging player in the fly tying industry.
Increasingly used by brands looking for consistent quality at lower labor costs.
Factories operate in a similar model to Thailand, focusing on freshwater and trout patterns.

COST COMPARISON: DOMESTIC VS. OVERSEAS

Category	Domestic (USA)	Overseas (Thailand, Kenya, etc.)
Labor Cost	$15–30/hour	$1–3/day
Output per Tyer	1–2 dozen/day	6–10 dozen/day
Cost per Finished Fly	$2–3	$0.20–$0.60

The economics aren’t close. Domestic tyers simply can’t match these numbers without raising retail prices dramatically.

VERIFYING THE 85% ESTIMATE

While no global fly registry exists, multiple credible sources support the conclusion that 85%—and possibly more—of the world’s commercial fly production occurs overseas.

For instance, The Economist (2023) reports that Kenya alone may be responsible for up to 60% of global commercial fly exports, citing high-volume output from factories in Nairobi. This number is corroborated by the Global Fly Fisher’s analysis of East African operations, which notes that many U.S. brands source thousands of flies per month from Kenya-based factories.

Thailand is widely acknowledged as the epicenter of premium production, with factories in Chiang Mai supplying many American manufacturers who source from overseas. According to The Itinerant Angler, top tyers in these factories produce 8–10 dozen flies per day under structured quotas.

Export directories from Sri Lanka list multiple international fly producers, such as Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd., which specialize in saltwater and warm water flies. Meanwhile, Chinese and Vietnamese factories dominate the low-cost, bulk-tier market—especially on Amazon and Alibaba, where hundreds of assorted flies are sold at rates as low as $0.20 per fly.

Import/export records, factory output data, and interviews with U.S. fly shop buyers all reinforce that 85% is a well-supported, if not conservative, estimate. Some industry insiders suggest the actual figure could be approaching 90%.Cross-referencing import/export volumes, factory capacities, and retail stock confirms that 85% is a conservative, supportable figure. Some experts suggest the true number could be closer to 90%.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

For Fly Shops & Brands

Overseas production enables low prices and steady inventory.
Most brands do not disclose fly origin.

For American Tyers

Mass commercial tying jobs are virtually extinct.
Domestic tyers survive through:
- Custom orders
- DTC websites
- Fly tying education
- Brand partnerships and nonprofits

For Consumers

The artisan connection is fading.
Choosing U.S.-tied flies helps preserve fly tying as an art, not just a commodity.

CONCLUSION

Yes, most of your flies are tied overseas. But the remaining 15% matters more than you think.

Behind every fly is a choice:

Pay for volume, or invest in value?
Support mass production, or craftsmanship?

In a globalized fly market, the fly in your box might be cheap. But it might also come from someone whose name you'll never know.

The future of fly tying won’t be built in factories. It will be crafted at the desks of those who still do it for love.