Gold for Feathers

[FlyReelFisher]

I remember many years ago, a lodgekeeper was tying earrings out of her boyfriend-guides feather stash. One of the guests demanded her earrings for $40 on the spot. I wondered how long it would take to catch on.

So have you noticed its pretty hard to find many feathers these days?

Now I hear Whiting wrote the fly shops a letter describing essentially how "the fashion industry is willing to pay more for the feathers to get first pick." "So the price will double for everybody." So they screwed the people who got them the business they have now for this trend? Great business model. Makes sense, but screw them. And they wont be the only feather supplier to follow suit.

I was in Albany, OR today. I had to wait, in person, $100 in tying materials rung up, while poor Mitch went through his feather stock with an "earring girl" from California, over the phone. Business is business, I do understand.

[David Lee]

'Money makes the Mare go' , I think the phrase is .....

D.~

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The new rage is hair dressers putting very long thin died grizzly saddle hackles in women's hair. It is $10 per feather, installed right now.

They like the Whiting Euro grizzly saddle patches that were $37.00 but are going to be $60.00 this year.

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We have had mostly women coming in for years buying feathers to make feathered masks and also jewelry.

This is nothing new.......

For many decades the dancers like up in Reno and Los Vegas have been buying up all the deluxe big plumage for dancing costumes.

That is the big ostrich plumbs, peacock eyed sticks and big marabou feathers.

I was told years ago that the fly tiers get the junk that is left over from many other industries. They will pay lots more for the "good stuff" than we will.

Natural materials that are from animals have always been in short supply.

That is why the synthetics are so popular.....endless supply and consistency too.

[FlyReelFisher]

I know of more than one fly shop that cancelled their order with Whiting just to make the statement.

Maybe I should start raising chickens....

[Jay Murakoshi]

Damn, this must make my Hoffman Super Saddles worth a $250.00 per hackle. All you people remember those lonnnnnnnng, thin, size 18, hackles that Henry came out with. At that time they were $95.00 and everybody thought that was "highway robberey". I have to pull them out of the freezer and maybe design some wigs with my wig hair and add a couple saddles :-) hummm, not a bad idea

Jay

[Mike O]

guess we are going to have to go back to the days before genetic hackle. back when you could catch fish on flies made from India or China hackle...

that brings up somethng else. How long will whiting, etc. have their corner on the market at these prices? They raise a lot of chickens in China...and they can selectively breed them too!!

[Bob Scheidt]

The Whiting Euro saddles are no longer available. They have disassembled them, and they now offer 16 long feathers of a single color for $20.00. Called a Whiting Fashion Pack.

Bob