Grasshopper

The quest in search of the elusive glimmer flash chenille took a disappointing albeit predictable turn this morning. I had finally nailed a wholesaler of this magical material, Zucker Feather. Not only do they sell chenille, but they sell bulk krystal flash and just about every type of feather imaginable. While they might not have high graded hackles (more suitable for costume use), there is no reason a tyer couldn't use the materials for streamers for bass or big meaty half-chickens to throw for pike or muskie. Esocids don't care what a fly looks like, just as long as it wiggles right. They love the butterfaces. In fact, they give other piscivores a bad rap, by pouncing on anything that strolls by their lair, much like the cougars down at the local bar in town. Put a bag over their head and do the business. They possess permanent beer-goggle vision.

Carp and roughfish, on the other hand, can be a bit more picky when it comes to grabbing a meal. Not only does the glimmer flash chenille have a great buggy look to it, mixed with just the right amount of flash, it is easy as sin to wrap and an awesome substitute for soft hackled collars and thoraxes. It pained me to hear the sales rep explain that the material is no longer in production, though I wasn't surprised. Like most wonderful fly tying materials, they all seem to have a limited lifespan; a byproduct of a textile trial that never quite caught on. Some conniving entrepreneurial distributor pounces on that opportunity to buyout the remaining inventory on the cheap, once realizing that you can wrap the stuff around a hook and market it to unsuspecting fly tyers. Luckily for me, I've been schooled by the ultimate zen master of scrounging, KB from Singlebarbed. Becoming wise in the ways of my master, I learned not to squander an opportunity to acquire an obsolete material, and began the hording process. Now, the student becomes the teacher. I liquidated out the remaining inventory of glimmer flash chenille in peacock, brown, dark brown and olive, thus cornering the market.

Bow to your sensei!

Don't mess with a brownliner in the dojo.