I had the pleasure of talking to Tom Whiting who is the man behind Whiting Farms, the leader in fly tying hackles. We hear about the history of how Tom built a great company and has taken the lead in producing the highest quality hackles for fly tying.
Tom has had a passion for chicken genetics and shares some cool stories about how he produces ultra high-quality chicken hackles including the spey hackles that are substitutes for heron hackle.
Click below and listen to the Tom Whiting Interview:
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Show Notes with Tom Whiting and Whiting Farms
00:20 – The Fly Fish Food guys produced this Video on the Whiting Farms Operation.
We also had Curtis Fry on the Podcast from Fly Fish Food way back in episode #40 of the Wet Fly Swing Podcast.
15:10 – Archaeopteryx was noted as one of the first feathered dinosaurs and how birds evolved from dinosaurs.
18:00 – We talked about the history with Henry Hoffman and the history of how Tom purchased Hoffman’s.
24:23 – We note Metz hackles who was also a big player in the past. Umpqua purchased them in the mid 1990’s and sold many more times.
32:50 – This Clip of the Feather King, plus Tom Whiting – The Real Bird Man, as well as the CBS video that should be out soon.
47:00 – Their spey hackle and how close it is to heron hackle.
47:45 – John Shewey and Spey Cock was a topic that Tom has been working on. John Shewey was on the podcast here.
48:50 – Classic Steelhead Flies by John Shewey
49:40 – The new book on Spey and Dee Flies is coming out soon. Here’s the first run of Spey and Dee Flies.
52:38 – The Predator Packs are great for pike, musky and steelhead.
57:00 – Rick Takahashi was on the podcast here and is a pro team member for Whiting Farms.
1:02:00 – Tom notes Crystal Bowersox who for 2 years blew up Whiting Farms because of her fashion trends. Here’s one of her videos from American Idol.
1:07:30 – Kelly Galloup noted that fly tying is cool in this episode.
1:10:20 – Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials: A Natural History, Volume 2–Birds and Mammals has a full chapter on what Tom does.
You can Find Tom at Whiting Farms.
Resources Noted in the Show
Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials: A Natural History, Volume 2–Birds and Mammals
Classic Steelhead Flies by John Shewey
Videos Noted in the Show
Tom Whiting – The Real Bird Man
Crystal Bowersox Midnight Train to Georgia
Conclusion with Tom Whiting
We hear the full Whiting Farms story and how Tom Whiting has created one of the best fly hackle supplier in the world. We get into steelhead hackles and different methods he has used to create amazing hackles.
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