My friend Harry Murray—of Murray’s Fly Shop in Edinburg, Virginia—has been in the fly-fishing business since 1962, so he knows what he’s talking about. In this video, he offers some very important general tips on adding usable life to flies that may look tired or ratty.
True, some flies need to be thrown in the garbage, but a lot of the patterns in your box just need a little TLC before you can use them to catch more fish. Before the season starts, take some time to sort, cull, and rehab your flies, and you’ll thank yourself come Opening Day.

Great idea! I use a hair dryer to refurbish some of my streamers and dry flies.
I’ve been doing this for years.