By Kirk Deeter
Around 30 years ago, a fur store opened in Telluride, Colorado, and after mere days, that store was broken into, and all the expensive fur products were stuffed into the town’s “free box.”
Yeah… it was against the law, and wrong. But it might also have been Telluride’s last defiant statement against the fur coat crowd, and the distaste many have for the fur industry. That sentiment certainly remains in many parts of the state.
This November, Denver voters are faced with a referendum on banning the sale of all fur products in Denver. On the one hand, I get it, but on the other hand, I think it’s an over-reach, because all fur would include things like the flies most of us use when we go fishing.
Do you wear a cowboy hat? I do. I love my hat. A beaver fur cowboy hat is utilitarian because it sheds water, which is why cowboys wear those hats in the first place.
I also fly fish.
Personally, I think the best, most “natural” fly patterns I fish with are the ones tied with fur dubbing, hair wings, and so forth. Although I certainly appreciate the performance of flies created with manmade materials like foam and plastics, there’s just something to be said for catching fish with fur and feather. Something that seems cleaner… more natural.
I don’t think banning the sale of fur and feather flies, in Denver, of all places—the highest concentration of fly-fishing enthusiasts in the world—makes any sense at all. Maybe the proponents of the measure don’t understand.
Anglers should consider all of this and if you live in that area, vote your conscience on initiated Ordinance 308. As it stands, while it might address some very worthy issues related to the fur/fashion industry, it misses the mark in other regards, particularly the the cowboy-hat-wearing, fly-fishing culture that is very much a part of Colorado and Denver.
