Never having seen an issue with as much bitter vitriol, that undoes 60 years of woman’s suffrage, polarizing the fly fishing community with tempers flaring in a frenzy of miscommunication and righteous anger …
… and all because some poor gal dares add a dab of genetic saddle hackle to her flowing mane …
Last week you were hoping she was around the next bend, and that she’d stalk you like a lioness in heat, now that’s all changed.
While this issue has been covered with great vigor in other venues, I thought you might want to read a darned good, dispassionate view of the fad, part of Angling Trade magazine and Kirk Deeter.
Make sure you read the comments to get some straight facts from Tom Whiting (of Whiting Hackle) – it’ll add some scope to the issue and outline what it all means for us anglers and coming seasons.
Us hoarders have stocked up on a couple seasons worth of the goodie, and can withstand a little scrutiny from Fashion Week and the couture crowd.
Hopefully this ridiculous fad will be over soon, so we can once again put feathers to their proper use. Fortunately I don’t use much in the way of dry fly hackle. Steelhead flies now, grrrr…Some of that stuff is bloody expensive as it is. Thank god ducks are “free.” I wonder if my neighbor would miss a peacock or two, and maybe a chicken?
Poppy at the Red Shed fly shop confided the other day that he is trying to vet his orders. His reasoning is that his steady, repeat customers will be here long after the fashion demand dries up. In other words, steady long-term sales and customer service are more important than a short-term windfall. I do admit to carrying a pair of scissors in my pocket these days…