$250.00 Roosters?
what a coincidence! after reading some of the replies on the "fancy stone fly patterns" post and what i did a couple of weeks ago cleaning out my old fly tying catalogs prompted me to write yet another short story. hope you all enjoy!
$250.00 Roosters?
I was throwing away a few of my older fly tying catalogs the other day. On the front page of one read, "Ultra-Platinum" rooster capes, $150.00! "Platinum" rooster saddles $100.00!! I guess back when I got this catalog I didn’t pay much attention to it, but now it got me thinking!
Do you realize that there are $250.00 roosters running around in the United States? What the heck’s is going on here? I know there is such a thing as high quality but come on! I thought $65.00 capes were high for a grade #1 but $150.00?
I’m not knocking these high priced capes or saddles of quality, I learned not to judge fly-fishermen by his flies, so to say, I’m just saying are they really going to sell at this price. I know if I get an inkling of buying one of these capes my fishing buddy better kick me in the a- - and talk me into a new 7 ½ foot 4wt. Fly rod instead for that kind of money. I can tie flies and catch plenty of fish without spending that much money that’s all I’m saying.
Is there a race by top-notch hackle companies as of who can become the Orville Redenbacher of fly tying hackle?
I’ve watched American companies out price them selves right out of the market to be replaced by imports. My question "$150.00 capes?" is this long term. Are we going to be seeing grade #1 capes go for $100.00 soon? The big question will this lead to overseas companies to compete with these high priced capes with cheaper but just as effective ones? When fishermen see they can catch fish without the high priced merchandise, the high price merchandise now becomes more for prestige. Can a fly tier actually be able to tell the difference between the ultra-capes to the grade one capes? More important will the fish know or do they care?
Now don’t get me wrong I don’t like buying imports when I can buy American made goods but I’m sure not going to go broke over it.
Maybe these ultra capes and saddles are for the elite to hang on their walls under their $4,000.00 bamboo, limited edition, numbered rod? Maybe as a show piece under a glass end table, or displayed in a hatband on their exquisite, virgin kangaroo skin, Aussie hat!
I guess if you did tie a fly, with one, it wouldn’t be justified with a common hook. You’ll get instructions on where to buy titanium or gold plated hooks by Ghotti-Goochi Specialized Hook Company. Even if you’d tie one on a common Mustad hook, would you actually use it? I can picture my first overhand cast in a small thin native trout stream. My fly gets stuck in an over-head branch way up high !#&!! I’d have to make sure no ones watching as I climb the tree to retrieve this fly. Couldn’t lose such an exclusive fly on the first cast, can I? Can you imagine watching the fly being refused by trout after trout only to be sucked up and slobbered on by some creek chub? I mean that just wouldn’t be right, using a $150.00 rooster cape hackle, spun on a golden hook imitation #18 blue wing olive!! Then catching an ugly horned nose fat, ga-dam, creek chub gumming the hell out of it!! For $250.00 rooster feathers I better be catching some impressive size fish!
Silk thread, real silver wire for ribbing, gold plated hook, genuine mink dubbing, blue herring wings with a tail of $100.00 saddle hackle barbs and a hackle of $150.00 rooster cape. That’s some impressive fly, right there!
Now let’s see, them $250.00 roosters. I believe if I win big in the lottery maybe, just maybe I’ll have to buy one of those there $250.00 roosters. I’ll go right to the platinum rooster farm myself and bring with me my bolt action 22cal. Pay the guy $300.00 and go pick me out one. Shoot it and take it to my favorite taxidermy guy. I can then hang it, full mounted in front of my bear rug, or maybe above my fly tying desk. I can see it now when my hunting and fishing buddies come over and I take them to my den.
When we enter the den my buddy will notice the black squirrel on its piece of wood bark upon entrance. My two trophy whitetail head mounts against the far wall. A couple of turkey fans and my bear rug draped over an old cedar trunk I reconditioned. But the real eye catcher will be this full mounted ultra-platinum grizzly hackle rooster, in all his glory, sitting on the side of a replicated rooftop between my 20"brown trout and 22" palomino trout.
"What the heck you got a rooster mounted up there for?" my buddy might ask
"I got that old bird with my 22cal." I’ll reply
"It’s a nice looking bird but what did you do, go out and kill some poor farmers rooster?"
"Oh no, I went out to the ultra-platinum rooster farm for that one"
"Was it a challenging shot, that rooster standing there just crowing away?" he’d chuckle
"I picked him off at 75 yards. Took him right thru the heart so as not to ruin his feathers" I’d say proudly
"Come on" he’d comment, " You’re not serious and then have the gumption to mount him?"
" That so called rooster actually has a price value more than any mount in here" I’d retort back
"An actual value?" he’d ask quizzically
"$250.00 worth!" I’d reply, and
"Next year I might go back and get me one in Coachman Brown!"
~jerry