As a Canadian, I remember it was difficult to find online fly shops when I first started fly fishing many years ago. Many are American fly shops that do not ship to Canada. After some searching I was able to find some good sources for flies online. Listed below are the online stores I use for flies and fly tying materials that will ship to Canada.
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This is my favourite source to buy flies online in Canada. The website is easy to navigate and the fly selection is massive. All the flies I’ve ordered from them have ranged in quality between good and excellent. Never had a problem with hook quality either. The best part about this site is how cheap the flies are! Most of the trout flies are under $1, and the bass flies are also quite affordable. Even pike flies, which can be quite expensive elsewhere, only cost a few dollars here.
Big Y Fly Co is based in America. Unlike most fly shops in the USA, they do ship to Canada. At the time of writing this they offer free shipping to Canada on flies for orders over $60! You can get alot of flies at this website for $60, it’s a fun shopping experience trying to spend that extra $15 to reach the free shipping mark. This is assuming you don’t order heavier items alongside it such as a fly reel or other fly fishing equipment.
Keep in mind the exchange rate when buying flies from this site! It took me a few years to discover this site, I wish I knew about it when I first started fly fishing!
This was my go-to online fly shop before I discovered Big Y Co. The site has a really nice design and layout which makes shopping on it a pleasant experience. My favourite part about this online fly shop is the large number of different fly patterns available. The flies are also priced very reasonably, with many of their flies are around the $1 mark. It’s also a Canadian company.
The fly quality ranges from mediocre to good. They all fish well, but sometimes you get one that will start to fall apart after a few fish. The most common part of the fly that starts to let go is the head thread wraps, or wrapped hackle. There’s an easy fix for this though, just apply some head cement or clear nail polish to the head thread wraps with a bodkin. This locks them in place and makes the fly’s last much longer. I started doing this will all the flies I ordered from here and have found it made them last much longer. I’ve never had a problem with hook quality an any of their flies.
I’ve recently learned about the Toronto based company Eddy Outfitters. They specialize in higher quality flies than some of the other online stores on this list, while still keeping prices affordable. You can tell whoever is managing their inventory fishes for trout themselves; there’s a solid selection of effective trout flies available (especially dries).
The biggest selling point (to me) is that orders over $49 ship free. That coupled with the fact that this is a Canadian company based in Toronto (no exchange rate!), makes it a top pick for any Canadian shopping for flies online.
Amazon
I was actually surprised to find that Amazon sells flies online as well. Most of the flies available come in bundle packages, which makes them quite affordable. Make sure you check out the reviews to be sure you’re getting quality flies.
Amazon is a good source for flies, but it is an even better choice for buying fly tying supplies in Canada. Deer hair, synthetic flash, bead heads, eyes, thread, it’s all available, and often at a good price. Just make sure to be on Amazon.ca and not Amazon.com when you’re shopping if you live in Canada to avoid extra shipping costs.
Assorted Trout Flies + Double Side Waterproof Pocketed Fly Box (Amazon Link)
Now that Bass Pro Shops bought Cabelas, they have very similar product offerings. They’re a much better source for tying materials and fly fishing equipment than the are for buying flys. They do have some fly packs available for sale though. The quality on most of the flies is mediocre, and alot of them are overpriced. That being said there are a few that are decent quality and reasonably priced, such as the 12 pack of elk hair caddis that they sell.
They offer free shipping on orders over $50 at the time of writing this. They also offer free shipping to stores if you live near a Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas.
I wouldn’t use them as my primary source of flies, but I do like them for buying equipment and fly tying material. If you’re buying some fly fishing equipment or fly tying materials and are just shy of the $50 needed for free shipping, it can be worth while to throw a few flies on the order aswell.
Don’t forget your local fly shop
Buying flies online is a great way to get a large number of affordable flies. If you’re looking for flies specific to your area, I recommend seeing if you have a local fly shop around. They know the local water intimately, and will likely have some patterns designed specifically for that water. You can also ask them for advice on techniques and locations. Most will be happy to point you in the right direction.
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