By Chris Santella
I woke up to National Public Radio’s Morning Edition the other day, as I do most days. Instead of a new development in the Afghanistan conflict, however, I was treated to a curio business piece concerning a crisis facing fly tiers: a hair style, inspired in part by American Idol judge (and erstwhile Aerosmith front man) Steven Tyler and the dismissible pop persona Ke$ha was draining fly shops of hackle feathers, which are being grabbed up by beauticians. Regular readers of Angling Trade, of course, have been aware of this development for months. (See Hackle: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?), but this was the first I’d heard of it. Perhaps we should be happy that Mr. Tyler – and, for that matter, Stevie Nicks, who is currently touring – have not opted to embellish their flowing scarves with elk hair or jungle cock feathers. Listen to the piece here.
