A Yak to Shave II

Wiets · 06-09-07

The deal is now done!

The money will be transferred to the bank account of an intermediary based in Beijing. The intermediary, Qiyuhong, will give the money to his father who frequently drives to Jyekundo, Tibet. Once there, he will be met by Yeshe Longchenpa, a monk from the nearby Princess Wencheng Temple. He will appoint a lesser ranking monk to go and find the Nomad family with the Yak herd where the money and yak hair will be exchanged. The goods will then follow the same route back all the way to Beijing. Once in Beijing, Qiyuhong will take the hair to one of the hair processing plants in Anping - about 300 km north of Beijing. The hair will then be washed and cleaned, sorted, double drawn and finally bound in bundles ready for shipment. Then it is all the way back to Qiyuhong in Beijing where he will parcel and ship the goods to me. By the sounds of things, the nomads will harvest about 6 Kg of raw Yak hair and once processed, I will receive about 2.5 Kg of bundled white Yak hair.

So many twists and trails, sounds dicey - I will probably never get my Yak hair!

**Michael** · 07-09-07

You seriaaaaas about this???

**pieterkriel** · 07-09-07

it would be damn interesting to see if you pull this off, keep us posted..

Wiets · 07-09-07

Total cost is R852.60 for 2500 grams delivered to my doorstep.
It sure beats the R40.00 for 15 grams (1/4 ounce) in the fly fishing shops.

If I had to buy the Yak hair in the fly fishing shops, I will
pay almost R6,400.00 for 2500 grams.

But .... will I ever get the stuff?

**honda2** · 10-09-07

Excuse my ignorance...

I have never used Yak hair before. What properties does it have that make it good to use for fly tying. I presume it has dence long hair (to cope with the temperatures where it lives). What are the pros / cons of using it and why do you need so much of it Wiets?

Wiets · 10-09-07

Originally Posted by honda2

Excuse my ignorance...

I have never used Yak hair before. What properties does it have that make it good to use for fly tying. I presume it has dence long hair (to cope with the temperatures where it lives). What are the pros / cons of using it and why do you need so much of it Wiets?

Hi Cornelis

Info on this website.
Yak Hair -The most amazing extra long material I've ever seen! This is the nearest thing I've seen to the now illegal polar bear hair, at least in textures and translucency....this hair is much longer! It's brilliantly clear even though the colors are are surprisingly rich. This is the good stuff for you guys that would like to make big long flies, it's 14" - 15" long! The hair is solid, not hollow like bucktail, so it doesn't absorb much water and casts very well. If you haven't seen this yak hair, you really need to, it will open lots of doors for your fly tying.

Further info on another website.
Yak hair is fast becoming the natural material of choice for fly tiers who want to make larger more life-like flies. Yak hair has a sheen similar to Polar Bear. It holds its shape well in the water providing a large profile for flies such as herring, bunker (menhaden) and mullet. The larger size also helps "move water" the way a real bait fish would. This material is excellent for all types of saltwater patterns (inshore and offshore) as well as steelhead, bass, pike and muskie flies.

I buy bulk for a couple of reasons;
I need to stock a yacht for years of supply.
Buying bulk is far cheaper than buying in small quantities.
In addition, it was great fun chasing this deal - wheeling
and dealing through all the obstacles.

**Herman Jooste** · 10-09-07

Originally Posted by Wiets

Hi Cornelis

I buy bulk for a couple of reasons;
I need to stock a yacht for years of supply.
.

So come on, out with it. a years supply for a yacht

What are you planning, and may I please stow away

Wiets · 10-09-07

Originally Posted by Herman Jooste

So come on, out with it. a years supply for a yacht

What are you planning, and may I please stow away

My yacht is almost completed and in about 12 months time, we will go sailing for at least the next 6 to 8 years. In addition, we are gearing the yacht for chartering to scuba divers and fly fishers when in appropriate locations.

You can book if you want!

Cheap!