I'm Not Easily Shocked But This.................

[Ard]

I'm not a guy who has so much money I don't know what to do with it. I also learned over the years that proper materials were seldom dirt cheap. I started tying salmon flies before I even understood trout fishing very well and way back then good feathers were expensive. Through out the 1980's and 90's I built a supply of what I thought were expensive rooster capes and some saddles for dry and streamer tying. They were expensive enough that I had 2 different lay away programs running at the same time with the 2 best supply shops in my part of the state. I seem to remember the most costly cape was approaching $100 but it was the finest dry fly cape I'd ever seen in my life.

When I say not easily shocked I'm serious, I think my materials cabinet has a drawer with about 14 jungle cock capes in it and they can get pricey. My salmon flies get real silk not rayon floss and I'm willing to pay top end for vintage embossed tinsels and old Bartleet hooks etc.

I was searching on the auction site early today for vintage fly tying materials just curious as to what might pop up.

These were not typos





Listed as vintage Hoffman Signature Saddle they are priced at $499.00 each. That is four hundred ninety-nine dollars American :icon_eek:

Am I really a dinosaur? Have I lived too far off the current trends grid? Or does that seem a little high to you? I'm not saying they aren't really thick saddles, I'm not saying there aren't a lot of fibers there, I'm just saying I wouldn't, couldn't pay that much for saddles.

These are for sale by a fly shop (supposedly) and are listed as a Buy It Now item without the OBO category option.

Anyone here own any $500 saddles and if so please let me know what I missed out on all those years :shades:

 

[mcnerney]

Ard

I think that falls in the category "there's a sucker born every minute". The guy probably picked up those saddles at an estate sale and is trying to maximize his return.

Silver just posted a kindle book, so I went over to Amazon and bought it for a couple bucks. Then I was looking at some stillwater books, there were a couple that were out of print and the OP was asking $500.........give me a break!

 

[s fontinalis]

asking price, does not correlate to market value

given these are hoffman lines, currently Whiting, they'll never be branded again as Hoffamn. Historic old stock and get pricy, and usually, there's a fool willing to part with that sort of cash. Seller is a reputable store too.

 

[clsmith131]

That's ridiculous! Not long ago, I saw a platinum grade Whiting Farms cape go for $86. I was fishing at the time the auction ended, or I would have jumped on it. I don't know whose signature is on there, I'm admittedly new to tying, but I would never buy nice saddles like that and not use them. They are being sold seemingly as collectables. Then again, people will list things at outrageous prices just to see if there are any suckers out there. I also wonder if they may be trying to influence the market on similar items by listing something they have no intentions in selling at $500.

 

[dennyk]

My Scott fly rod cost $499!

Denny

 

[Ard]

Hi guys,

I get the collectable thing and understand the concept of shooting for the moon as well. I did however think these were a bit over the top.

I remember when the genetic saddle business first appeared on the fly tying market. They were (I guess) a good move for people tying commercially because you could produce many turns of the fine fibers off of each stem. That I surmise created a bit of room for increased profit and some time saving for those guys & gals sitting at the vise churning out hundreds of Little Blue Quills in size 18 and the like. But me? I was always a slow poke tying dry flies at an old roll top desk in my den. A guy who learned to make them back when you had to select 2 feathers from an Indian Game Cock pelt to get a good full collar. Because of that ingrained training "necks" were what I used and when the Metz hackles became available I thought it was quite the coup that I needed only one of those feathers to make a good fly.

The concept of clipping a saddle feather and continuing to reattach the remains to another hook with body was lost to me. I was a pluck er stubbornly clinging to the way I learned albeit with better hackles by the 1980's. I did buy some saddles to use for streamers but I found the very pointed feathers didn't fit my vision of what a good feather wing should look like so I continued using the Game cock feathers for my streamers. I still have over 2 dozen of them in all those old school colors; Furnace, Cochy bon Duro or whatever it's called, All the types of Badger, even Cree capes which were the poor mans Grizzly back then. I guess the saddle thing never caught on with me until I found that they worked on Intruders and Tubes so now I do use a few of what I have here.

500 dollars for those or 1000 for the pair sounds like I could find a better place to put the dough.

 

[kentuckysteve]

They are probably thinking if they set a price high like that and then accept OBO offers,the highest offer will be higher than if they had accepted regular bids.The prices are ridiculous but someone will buy them.Just a matter of someone that cant live without them or as Larry said....."there's a sucker born every minute".

 

[Ard]

Hi Steve,

What prompted me to even mention seeing them was that the sale is not open to offers, they are serious. I get that, I have things I would sell but if I have to take way more than they are worth I'd sooner donate them to a good cause. I doubt these will be donation pieces.

 

[flytire]

a few weeks ago while looking at whiting feathers on a flyshop site in utah, i did see a platinum grade cree saddle priced at $899.00. it wasnt listed for too long so i dont know what happened to it

however, $200 was to go to a charity

 

[cpowell]

Being right down the road from dr toms chicken ranch I have had many friends over the years that work or worked there. Phil trim is now head is of sales and marketing and I have been knowing him well for almost 25 years.

I still have bags of loose feathers they just scoop up off the floor. Anyone want a bag...I will settle for 599$. Lmao. Tom has done such a fine job. You’re more likely to make it in to the vaults of Fort Knox than into toms areana. Very private and well protected yard birds. He loves his birds. Another close friend actually gets his chickens from whiting to sell for eggs and meat.

Usually at the fly fishing rendezvous in grand junction in March/April they do a tour of the farm... it’s worth it if you can ever make it.

 

[spm]

I just jumped on ebay and can't find them. Maybe they sold, already.

steve

Okay, found them. And he is charging for shipping.

 

[mikew1959]

Opps...never mind...Hoffman Kaughman I get so confused sometimes

 

[corn fed fins]

Some of the grades with certain feathers can get pricey, I was astonished. One of the guys in our club is a collector. He was mentioning to me he past on buying some cape while in Salt Lake and he thinks he may drive back and get it. $350 cape! I was talking with the sales manager for Whiting, as they are up the road, and some capes will never see the public market from my understanding. Tom himself has to approve some capes for release.

And to think I just pick up feathers my chickens drop. I had a rooster with the best grizzly hackle. I was going to end him this last winter for his feathers and raise another. Dang fox had other ideas. But now I have fox fur. Lol

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk

 

[JoJer]

I posted a while back that I got a coupon for a "destination" fly shop a while back and never thought to cash it in till the following year. I did walk around and look in the bins and was amazed at what asking price was for flies-not having bought any for many years- perhaps they're tied with heritage feathers?

 

[fredaevans]

Ard

I think that falls in the category "there's a sucker born every minute". The guy probably picked up those saddles at an estate sale and is trying to maximize his return.

Silver just posted a kindle book, so I went over to Amazon and bought it for a couple bucks. Then I was looking at some stillwater books, there were a couple that were out of print and the OP was asking $500.........give me a break!

Market is flooded with folks who want to sell this stuff ... unload? Move on?

fae

 

[mcnerney]

Being right down the road from dr toms chicken ranch I have had many friends over the years that work or worked there. Phil trim is now head is of sales and marketing and I have been knowing him well for almost 25 years.

I still have bags of loose feathers they just scoop up off the floor. Anyone want a bag...I will settle for 599$. Lmao. Tom has done such a fine job. You’re more likely to make it in to the vaults of Fort Knox than into toms areana. Very private and well protected yard birds. He loves his birds. Another close friend actually gets his chickens from whiting to sell for eggs and meat.

Usually at the fly fishing rendezvous in grand junction in March/April they do a tour of the farm... it’s worth it if you can ever make it.

Cody
Would you pass me the info on the fly fishing rendezvous in Grand Junction, I'd certainly like to take the tour. I had heard that they don't open the farm to visitors.

 

[mikechell]

You'd have to ask around ... but I believe such capes were going for those prices in the "hair extension" craze days. Hackle went through the roof when every hairdo specialist had to get their hands on some.

 

[cpowell]

until those pretty girls found out where those feathers came from.

The supply shifted but prices stayed pretty much the same....Just could not get them. Tom knew it but honey badger don't care...His feathers are in such demand he could completely shut down the north america market and he would sell every feather to foreign tyres.

YouTube

That is Ned Mayer the owner of Western Anglers Fly shop in GJ, he is fishing the lower Gunny.

 

[cpowell]

Cody
Would you pass me the info on the fly fishing rendezvous in Grand Junction, I'd certainly like to take the tour. I had heard that they don't open the farm to visitors.

Larry, here is the contact info for the grand valley anglers chapter, I am not sure if they still do it or not Pat Oglesby and his Wife Carol (absolute die hard trout care takers and fisher people) did so much of the show along with John Trammel...Well sadly Pat died last year of cancer and Trammel is now a bit to aged to take on the task.

We have seen many of these shows fade, yet the popularity of the sport still grows. I feel like the manufacturers could do much more to help keep these shows going. The GVA rendezvous was is a special event and has huge focus on youth fly angling.

Grand Valley Anglers - 319 | Trout Unlimited - Conserving coldwater fisheries

I know they have a facebook page but I am not on facebook. I think they let their main web page go. Western Anglers # is 970-244-8658 and they will have the most current info on it.

Pat is sorely missed by not only the anglers and people who loved his photography but also by the fish, he was a true steward and a one of a kind.

The show is typically around the dne of march or first of April in Grand Junction and usually has tours of Scott rods and Whiting.

Carol I believe still publishes the Territorial Trout Tribune and Piscatorial Post which has in the past won awards for fine writing. Trammel spearheaded it when it was really good but Carol is awesome.

 

[mcnerney]

Cody

Thanks!!!!!