The Feather Thief - Kirk Wallace Johnson
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silver creek
Well-known member
It sure PO'd the classic salmon fly tiers, revealing their dirty little secret of buying stolen and CITES prohibited wild fowl feathers.
Did it really? Rather than tar us all with the same brush, bear in mind many of those who purchased in good faith, did return feathers/skins.
Yes, there were a few who may not have done so - does that make us all bad?
flytire
Well-known member
Hi - the book lays this all out in very fine detail, but only 19 skins were returned by post. I have accounted for most of them, and will say that it wasn't 19 separate tiers (but a smaller # that returned more than one skin). The balance, some 100+ skins, were never sent back...and their value only continues to climb. He made staggering amounts of money, which takes this out of the 'one bad apple' defense, since a whole lot of people in the community were quite content to squint their eyes and not ask many questions about how a 20-year-old student flautist suddenly had one of the greatest private collections of materials in the world (when the Tring heist was common knowledge in the forums).
And, as recounted in the book, when I made a public solicitation to the community to return the skins that were still at large - and even arranged with the museum to accept them anonymously - it quickly devolved into a flamewar against me, before 43 separate individuals begged the administrator to delete my post from the forum (which he then did).
silver creek
Well-known member
Here is the Podcast for those who want to listen to it.
Podcast: The Feather Thief, with Kirk Johnson - Orvis News
Podcast: The Feather Thief, with Kirk Johnson - Orvis News
Kirk
I read the book and liked it. I think you spoke with me at Somerset that year you were there. It was my first year tying at that show, and my first year in the salmon fly game.
You're right, not all skins were returned, but did every member of the salmon fly community buy one or more of those skins? I'd say there are only a very select few with the resources to make such an extravagant purchase when you look at the salmon fly tyers as whole. And maybe some of those who purchased were not even salmon fly tyers - you can probably answer that question better than I.
The 'community' you refer to has been on a downward spiral for a long time, so much so that many members of that place have refrained from posting there due to the toxic ownership and administration of that forum (my opinion only).
Maybe some of those folks have the skins, likely most of them they don't, but the overarching insinuation by the poster above that 'the dirty little secret was revealed' is what irked me. While true that many were pissed off, either by the heist or their 'guilt by association with salmon fly tying' - not all should be tarred with the same brush and being complicit in the theft and sale of the birds/feathers, especially those who were not involved in that scene when those skins were stolen and sold. I'm a tyer of salmon flies, i'm also a scientist, so i understand the value lost in the theft of those birds, perhaps better than most.
I read the book and liked it. I think you spoke with me at Somerset that year you were there. It was my first year tying at that show, and my first year in the salmon fly game.
You're right, not all skins were returned, but did every member of the salmon fly community buy one or more of those skins? I'd say there are only a very select few with the resources to make such an extravagant purchase when you look at the salmon fly tyers as whole. And maybe some of those who purchased were not even salmon fly tyers - you can probably answer that question better than I.
The 'community' you refer to has been on a downward spiral for a long time, so much so that many members of that place have refrained from posting there due to the toxic ownership and administration of that forum (my opinion only).
Maybe some of those folks have the skins, likely most of them they don't, but the overarching insinuation by the poster above that 'the dirty little secret was revealed' is what irked me. While true that many were pissed off, either by the heist or their 'guilt by association with salmon fly tying' - not all should be tarred with the same brush and being complicit in the theft and sale of the birds/feathers, especially those who were not involved in that scene when those skins were stolen and sold. I'm a tyer of salmon flies, i'm also a scientist, so i understand the value lost in the theft of those birds, perhaps better than most.
The 'tarred with the same brush' is something I heard a lot over the years, and is why I spent nearly seven years on this investigation, which included interviews with hundreds of people. True: not that many people have deep pockets to buy full skins, but you probably are aware of the fact that he sold tons of this as plucked feathers. (See the police evidence photos in the book for an example). He had tons of buyers for this version of the 'product' - and, even though they're scientifically useless at that point, there wasn't much of that returned by anyone with a guilt-ridden conscience.
I'll just add that there is Cotinga maculata for sale, right now, on one of the private FB groups. 100% illegal, CITES I bird. Resplendent Quetzal, currently for sale on eBay, for fly-tiers. You're right - the forum has become less popular, but that has been accompanied by a large rise in FB groups, most of which are private, most of which have strict rules on keeping transactions private, and which also delete Tring-related threads when they come up.
I'll just add that there is Cotinga maculata for sale, right now, on one of the private FB groups. 100% illegal, CITES I bird. Resplendent Quetzal, currently for sale on eBay, for fly-tiers. You're right - the forum has become less popular, but that has been accompanied by a large rise in FB groups, most of which are private, most of which have strict rules on keeping transactions private, and which also delete Tring-related threads when they come up.
It's pretty crazy that I ask for feedback on a book and the author adds to a thread. Thank you Kirk. My intention wasn't to incite a riot. I was simply asking if anyone has read the book and could offer their opinion on it. Is it well written, is it a compelling story, is it worth picking up?
As far as traditional Atlantic Salmon flies and the stigma of using rare or endangered birds under CITES....yeah I am personally at odds with this. There are many beautiful Atlantic Salmon Fly patterns that I have recently purchased books on. The Farlow book lists page after page of beautiful patterns that I realize are best left to be admired. Many require the use of feathers that would only be obtained beyond my means or under questionable methods.
The book and Kirk's research should not paint a broad stroke of all of those who seek to tie these patterns as evil doers. And I assume that this is not his intent. We must all come to grips that fly fishing is a blood sport. We use the feathers and hide of animals to make contact with living animals. Whether for the grill, camera or a simple connection before release. Within the confines of the law...I'm ok with it.
This may sound barbaric to some...but I'm comfortable with it.
However, the thought of using rare or endangered or illegally obtained materials to replicate a 1800s Salmon fly pattern I must say has brought me to the point where I will not go there. What this young man did was sad for himself and our sport.
I am still curious about opinions on the book. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
ft09
As far as traditional Atlantic Salmon flies and the stigma of using rare or endangered birds under CITES....yeah I am personally at odds with this. There are many beautiful Atlantic Salmon Fly patterns that I have recently purchased books on. The Farlow book lists page after page of beautiful patterns that I realize are best left to be admired. Many require the use of feathers that would only be obtained beyond my means or under questionable methods.
The book and Kirk's research should not paint a broad stroke of all of those who seek to tie these patterns as evil doers. And I assume that this is not his intent. We must all come to grips that fly fishing is a blood sport. We use the feathers and hide of animals to make contact with living animals. Whether for the grill, camera or a simple connection before release. Within the confines of the law...I'm ok with it.
This may sound barbaric to some...but I'm comfortable with it.
However, the thought of using rare or endangered or illegally obtained materials to replicate a 1800s Salmon fly pattern I must say has brought me to the point where I will not go there. What this young man did was sad for himself and our sport.
I am still curious about opinions on the book. Please feel free to share your thoughts.
ft09
hambone111
Well-known member
That so funny you posted this! i heard the same interview on the radio and then promptly called my father (retired) and told him about the book. he has much more time to read than i do and always has 4-6 books working. i think he ordered it the other day on Amazon. such a cool story. CRAZY tho. i mean come on!
fredaevans
Well-known member
Feather Thief: That was my old cat! 
eep: If it wasn't locked down in my roll top desk it was 'fair game.'
eep: If it wasn't locked down in my roll top desk it was 'fair game.'A follow up interview with Mr Johnson that adds more to the story.......
The Feather Heist - This American Life
ft09
The Feather Heist - This American Life
ft09
chechem
Well-known member
I've just finished reading the book. It's a worthy read for us all. And thank you, Kirk, for responding to this thread.
CITES violations are quite common today. Not only are birds poached from remote jungles, but rhino horns are taken from slaughtered animals, and coral reefs are purged of their fish and corals. It's all rather ugly. We are living in difficult times as species of rare animals suffer.
I enjoyed the book, but remain stressed and torn over the uproar among the flyfishing community. I can understand both sides.
Let me finish by saying Kirk's writing is excellent, as was his extensive research. Thank you again.
CITES violations are quite common today. Not only are birds poached from remote jungles, but rhino horns are taken from slaughtered animals, and coral reefs are purged of their fish and corals. It's all rather ugly. We are living in difficult times as species of rare animals suffer.
I enjoyed the book, but remain stressed and torn over the uproar among the flyfishing community. I can understand both sides.
Let me finish by saying Kirk's writing is excellent, as was his extensive research. Thank you again.
myt1
Well-known member
I likewise read the book and enjoyed it very much.
I thought it interesting that a thief that broke into the same museum and destroyed a plaster model of a saber tooth tiger received a stiffer penalty than the feather thief.
I forget what penalty, if any, the feather thief received. I know it wasn't much.
Does anyone know what he is doing now? How did this impact his life after getting caught?
I thought it interesting that a thief that broke into the same museum and destroyed a plaster model of a saber tooth tiger received a stiffer penalty than the feather thief.
I forget what penalty, if any, the feather thief received. I know it wasn't much.
Does anyone know what he is doing now? How did this impact his life after getting caught?
Edwin Rist got off easy without any jail time and had to pay a fine of ~ $100k.... noone is sure if he or his parents paid this or not.
Last I heard he is going by a different last name, living in Germany and was touring throughout Europe playing the flute. He has a youtube channel and Facebook account under his assumed name where people heap praise on his great fluting accomplishments.
YouTube
The Classic Fly Tying community has turned their back on him and is trying to let time heal the damage he has done to the hobby. I'm afraid Edwin's story will leave it's mark in the history books forever. I was a member on there for a while....poked around for tips and patterns. But there hasn't been much being discussed or shared in the past couple of years. Most of the members have moved to private Facebook accounts.
There are still 100 birds out there that are unaccounted for. I'm certain that Edwin, his brother and Long know where ALL of these birds went. They left a paper trail that any jr sleuth could follow. But authorities and the museum have all but written it off and aren't pursuing their return.
A crazy story where one's passion becomes an obsession and minor fame leads to global infamy.
Last I heard he is going by a different last name, living in Germany and was touring throughout Europe playing the flute. He has a youtube channel and Facebook account under his assumed name where people heap praise on his great fluting accomplishments.
YouTube
The Classic Fly Tying community has turned their back on him and is trying to let time heal the damage he has done to the hobby. I'm afraid Edwin's story will leave it's mark in the history books forever. I was a member on there for a while....poked around for tips and patterns. But there hasn't been much being discussed or shared in the past couple of years. Most of the members have moved to private Facebook accounts.
There are still 100 birds out there that are unaccounted for. I'm certain that Edwin, his brother and Long know where ALL of these birds went. They left a paper trail that any jr sleuth could follow. But authorities and the museum have all but written it off and aren't pursuing their return.
A crazy story where one's passion becomes an obsession and minor fame leads to global infamy.
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