Fly Tying Inventory logoFly Tying Inventory

About Fly Tying Inventory

A free personal project to help fly tyers manage materials, build knowledge, and share.

Hi, I'm Benjamin

I'm Benjamin Arai, the person behind Fly Tying Inventory. This is a personal project I build for fun. It is free, and no credit card is required.

What this site is for

I want Fly Tying Inventory to be a rich and complete source for fly tyers: a place to manage your materials, build your knowledge of patterns and materials, and share what you tie. That is the starting point, not the boundary. I expect it to keep growing, and the direction will come from what tyers actually need at the bench.

Why I built it

I have a Ph.D. in computer science, I love data, and I'm a little overly organized. Building software for my fishing hobby brings those interests together.

I wanted a tool that connects the whole process: keeping track of materials, finding patterns to tie with them, and making a shopping list for what's missing. Part of the fun for me is building something that works from beginning to end. The practical goal is simple: help a few other fly tyers avoid buying materials they already own.

The goal is not to make money. It is to give the community a useful tool, and to give me a project I can keep improving as I head into retirement. I pay the hosting bills myself, and there are no plans to charge for any service on the site.

You can see that same interest in fishing and data in my other projects: outfish.in, for exploring fishing conditions, and the Yakima Canyon fishing dashboard.

For your tying bench

Whether you're starting with a few materials or keeping track of years of supplies, the app helps you answer three questions:

  • What do I have? Keep your materials together in an inventory you can search.
  • What can I tie? Compare your inventory with patterns and explore suggested substitutions.
  • What do I need? See what's missing for a pattern and add those materials to your shopping list.

The library includes 316 patterns, 4,711 catalog materials, and 264 suggested substitutions. You can also save your own patterns, share them by link, or submit them for review in the community library.

Your inventory stays yours

Adding your materials takes time. You keep ownership of the content you add, and you can download your inventory as a CSV file from Settings. The privacy policy explains how the service collects and uses information. The website may include affiliate shopping links, as explained in the terms.

Try it and tell me what you think

Browse the patterns or create a free account to start your inventory. You can also try the iPhone app through TestFlight, Apple's app for testing beta releases.

Found a missing material, a pattern that needs correcting, or a way to make the app more useful at your bench? Email support@flytyinginventory.com, or use the feedback form when signed in. I'd like to hear about it.

You can also find me on Instagram.