Plural of herl, which are barbs or fibers stripped from a feather, commonly used in fly-fishing to tie fishing lures.
From Middle Dutch 'herl' or similar Germanic sources; the word entered English fishing terminology in the 17th century, likely from craft traditions in the Low Countries where feather-working was highly developed.
Fly fishers have turned feather fibers into an art form—herls are so important that experienced anglers can identify which birds produce the best ones, and some rare feathers have become collectibles worth small fortunes in the fishing world.
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