» * • « r> i Y

LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA

ROD AND RIVER

OR

FLY-FISHING FOR SALMON, TROUT,
AND GRAYLING

MAJOR A1; T. FISHER

AUTHOR OF ' THROUGH THE STABLE AND SADDLE-ROOM

LONDON
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON

in ©rfcinarg to ^er ffi&jtsty tht (Queen
1892

[All rights reserved]

TO

E. ST. J. G.,
G. B. W.,
G. R. K.,

IN REMEMBRANCE OF
MANY HAPPY DAYS SPENT IN THEIR SOCIETY

WITH ROD AND GUN,

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE DEDICATED
BY THEIR FRIEND

THE AUTHOR.

M838975

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

Ignorance of Fishermen regarding the Habits of Fish —
Fishing Literature— Yarrell's 'British Fishes' — Yarrell's
Classification of Salmonidae — The Common Trout — De-
scription of Rivers suitable for Trout — Fly-food Essential
for Trout — Chalk and Gravel Beds — Varying Colour of
Common Trout— Sensitiveness of Fish to Colour — Fish
difficult to Discern — Fish visible from a Height above the
River — Deterioration of Trout with Age — Overlarge Trout
detrimental to a River— Loss of Sporting Qualities in
Trout — Partial Cause of Same — Overstocked Streams —
Shelter for Fish necessary — Care of Spawning-beds neces-
sary— Evils of neglecting Rivers — Positions for Fish-
shelters — The Hampshire Wey — Pollution of same —
Evil Effects of Watercress-farming — Inland Fisheries Act
not duly enforced— Variation of Rivers as to the Spawning
Season for Trout —Advisability of abridging the Trout-
fishing Season — Objections to same — 'Sport-spoilers'—
Disappointed Anticipations— ' The Weed-cutting Fiend' —
Rocky Rivers and Small Trout — Beauty of Small Trout —
Lochleven Trout — Experiment of Transportation of Small
Trout to more Suitable Streams — Varieties of Common
Trout in same River — Varieties of Trout in the River Test
—True Test Trout— Early Condition of Brown Trout in
Lower Test— A Ruined Trout-stream— Pollution of Rivers
— Pollution of Rivers Act, 1876 — Inactivity as regards the
Act being enforced— Necessity for Cleanliness of Rivers
and Spawning-beds — Plausible Pollution . . I — 27

vi CONTENTS

CHAPTER II.

I'AGE

Trout-spawning — Perils of Spawning Fish — The 'Water-
drowner '—Process of Spawning— Spawning-beds— Late-
spawning Trout — Early Condition of Spawn-eaters —
Large Trout in Lower Test — Mr. Kendle's Specimens of
such Trout — Mr. Butt, Taxidermist — Growth of Trout —
Experimental Feeding of Trout— Thames Trout—' Salmo
Ferox' ....... 28—39

CHAPTER III.

Fishing-gear — Trout Rods — Greenheart— Material and Work-
manship of Rods — Washaba — Blue Mahoe— Hickory —
Cane Rods— Wear and Tear of Rods— Shape of Rods —
Selection of Rods — Mr. Foster's Steel-centred Rods —
The ' St. Lucas ' Rods— Length of Trout Rods— Castle-
Connell Rods — Spliced Rod v. Ferruled — Rod Fittings
— Ferruling — Rod Rings — Winch Fittings —Spears-
Spare Tops — Waxed Silk, etc. — Binding a Rod when
Broken — How to Wax Silk— Patience under Difficulties
— A Broken Line and how to Splice it — A Reel gone
wrong — Self-help in Difficulties — Use of Cutting-pliers
— How to extract a Hook .... 40—63

CHAPTER IV.

Trout Reels — How to take a Reel to Pieces — Trout Lines —
Messrs. Eaton and Deller's Patent Lines — Tapered Lines
— Silk and Hair Lines — Necessity for drying Lines
after Use — Messrs. Farlow's Patent Line-winder — How
to uncoil a New Line — Use of Red-deer Suet — Caution
respecting use of same — Trout Gut — Varieties of same —
Mr. Ramsbottom, Manchester — How Gut is manufactured
— How to make a Taper Cast — Selection of Gut — Horse-
hair Casts — How to knot Gut — Soaking Gut — Damping-
box for Gut-casts — Damping-box for Gut-flies — Cutting
out Knots in Gut— Landing-nets — Shape of same — Utility
of Long Staff to Landing-nets— Short-handled Nets —
Material recommended — Fishing-bags v. Baskets — Plan

CONTENTS vii

of Fishing-bag — 'Freke' Bags — Wading Garments —
Danger of not using Waders — Danger of Waders — Fish-
ing-stockings and Socks — Brogues — Messrs. Cording's
Wading-boots — Mackintosh Coat and Square . . 64 — 83

CHAPTER V.

Trout-hooks — Requirements of a Good Trout-hook — Shape of
Trout- hooks — Bends of Trout-hooks — Limerick and Kirby
Bends — Necessary Strength of Hooks — A Bad Batch of
Hooks — Lightness Essential — Pennell Hooks — Eyed
Hooks v. Hooks tied on Gut — Eyed Hooks recommended
by Wade — Advantages of Eyed Hooks — Disadvantages of
Eyed Hooks— Shape of Eye for Eyed Hooks— Mr. Hall's
Pattern v. Mr. C. Pennell's — How to tie on an Eyed Hook
— Prejudices against Use of Eyed Hooks — Sizes of Trout-
hooks ....... 84 — 93

CHAPTER VI.

The Right Fly and the Wrong— Wasted Time— Science and
Sport — Beauty of Water-flies — Artificial and Natural Flies
— Wings v. Bodies — Mr. Richardson's Flies — The Water-
flies — Ephemera and Trichoptera — feQuotations from
' Homes without Hands ' — The Ephemera — The Trichop-
tera— Duration of the Larval Period — Transportation of
Mayfly — Duration of Life of Ephemera — Ephemera cast-
ing their Skins — Quotations from Kirby and Spence . 94 — 1 1 5

CHAPTER VII.

List of Flies for Trout-fishing— The Stone-fly— The Mayfly—
The Spent Gnat— The Virtues of the ' Wickham '—Varie-
ties of Artificial Mayflies — Mr. Green's Pattern — Drying
the Mayfly— The Blow-line— True Sport— Patterns of
Mayflies— The Gray Drake and Spent Gnat— The March
Brown— The Blue Dun— The Olive Dun— Four Useful
Flies— Detached Bodies— The Yellow Dun— The Iron-
blue Dun — The Jenny Spinner — The July Dun — The
August Dun — The Little Pale blue Dun — Spinners —
Dressings of Spinners — Local Names of Flies — Theak-
stone on ' British Angling Flies ' . . . 116 — 165

viii CONTENTS

CHAPTER VIII.

PAGE

The Alder Fly— Sedge-flies— The Grannom— The Needle
Brown— The Silver Horns— The Hawthorn Fly— The
Peacock Fly— The Gold-eyed Gauze- wing— The Black
Gnat — The Red Ant— The Cowdung-fly — The Coch-y-
bonddhu— Fancy Flies— The 'Wickham's Fancy'— The
Red Tag— The Coachman— The Governor— The Orange
Bumble— The Claret Bumble .... 166—189

CHAPTER IX.

Mr. Halford's Work, ' Floating Flies, and how to Dress them '
— The Experience of an Amateur Fly-tyer — Mr. George
Currell — Pleasure to be derived from the Ability to tie
one's own Flies — Advice to Beginners— Fly-tying Vices —
Mr. Holland's Pattern of Vice— A Vice and its Vices-
Good and Bad Silk — Waxing Silk — Varnishing — Recipe
for Varnish — Good Materials Necessary — Order and Dis-
order—Scissors— Tweezers— Utility of Wooden Trays —
Fly-tying by Lamplight — Eyeglass for Fly-tying — The
Use of a Trout-rod — Casting with a Trout-rod — Different
Styles of Casting — How to Cast— Overhead and Steeple
Casting — Casting Horizontally — Switching — Casting in
Windy Weather — Casting Dead against Wind — Casting
with a Cross-wind — Utility of changing Mode of Casting
— Use of Slack Line — Striking : the Right and the Wrong
Way — Reasons for not Striking from the Reel — The
Limbridge Trout ..... 190—212

CHAPTER X.

Where to Cast — Keeping out of Sight— Advantages and Dis-
advantages of Wading — Streams apparently Barren —
Likely Spots — A Quiet Way of doing Things — Much ado
about nothing — Where to find Fish — Banks should not be
shaken — Fishing directly Down-stream unadvisable — How
to cast Down-stream — ' Every Fish has its Angle' — Wet-fly
and Dry-fly— The Virtue of Humility— Why a Dry-fly fails

CONTENTS ix

on certain Streams — Hackles v. Wings for Wet-fly Fishing
—The Use of the Dry-fly— An Unbeliever— A Convert-
How to Fish with a Dry-fly — Tailing Fish — A Day of
Woe— The 'Coppersmith' and the ' Tinsmith'— Casting
with a Dry-fly — ' Streams within Streams ; — Wandering
Fish — Vacant Shoes — A Slice of Luck — Long Lines
and Short — A Change of Tactics— An Alternative — Play-
ing a Fish—' Notice to Quit '—A ' Sell '—Testing a Fish
—'Give and Take'— The Value of Good Hands— Fish
jumping when hooked — School-board Education — Landing
a Fish — 'Double-hooked' — Foul-hooked . . 213 — 233

CHAPTER XI.

Loch-fishing — Reminiscences of Lochleven — The Castle Keys
— How to fish a Loch — Drifting — Sunk Flies — Want of
Skill conducive to Success — Fighting Qualities of Loch-
leven Trout — The Angling Competition Nuisance —
Feeding-grounds of Loch Fish — Dangers of Loch-fishing
— 'An East Wind and its only Virtue' — Best Months for
Fishing on Lochleven — The Green Inn — Flies suitable for
Lake Trout-fishing ..... 234 — 244

CHAPTER XII.

Grayling — Relative Size of Grayling — Description of Streams
suitable for Grayling — Peculiarity of Grayling when rising
at a Fly — Casting for Grayling — The Grayling as a Sport-
ing Fish — Tactics of Grayling when hooked — Spawning of
Grayling — Best Month for Grayling-fishing— Advantages
of a Grayling Stream — Rising Qualities of Grayling — An
Exceptional Day — The Olive Dun as a Grayling Fly —
Shape of Gray ling— Delicacy and Shape of Mouth of
Grayling — The Virtues of Grayling — Edible Qualities of
Grayling — Origin of Grayling— Weather and Time of Day
most suitable for Grayling-fishing — Grayling as Spawn-
eaters — The Law of Retaliation — Yorkshire Grayling Flies
— Derbyshire Bumbles — Selection of Grayling Flies . 245 — 254

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XIII.

PAGE

Pollution of Salmon Rivers — Obstructions — Fish-passes —
Salmon-life — Extract from Preface of Reports made to the
Tweed Commissioners — Questions and Answers from
Tweed Fishery Reports — Summary of Information given
in Tweed Fishery Reports — Average Rate of Speed of
Salmon when ascending Rivers — Extraordinary Rate of
Speed attained by a Salmon in the Sea — Spring Fish and
Early Rivers — Temperature of Water — The Parr — The
Sewin — Local Nomenclature — Classification of the Migra-
tory Salmonidae— Differences between Varieties of Migra-
tory Salmonidas — Care of Salmon Rivers — The Value of a
River well cared for — The Value of Trout Streams — The
Duties of a Water-keeper — Improving a River — Weed-
cutting on Salmon Rivers — A Weed-net . . 255 — 283

CHAPTER XIV.

Fishing a Strange River — Alterations in Rivers by Floods —
Taking Places — Fishing the Water — An Amateur at Work
— ' Potted Fish '—Water and Weather . . 284—292

CHAPTER XV.

Salmon-rods — Spliced Salmon-rods — Rings for Salmon-rods —
Salmon-lines — Salmon gut — Salmon-gut Casting-lines —
Damping-box for Salmon-casts — Gut-tips — How to put on
a Salmon-fly — Testing Salmon-tackle — Gaffs — Berthon
Folding Gaff— Salmon-fly Box — Messengers . 293 — 305

CHAPTER XVI.

The Action of a Salmon Fly— Necessity for fishing Down-
stream for Salmon — How to hold a Salmon-rod — How to
face the Water— Placing the Fly— Working the Rod-
Picking the Line off the Water— Casting— Slack Line—
The Value of Switching — Good Style — Length of Line to
be used— Fishing a Pool, or Reach— Mr. Kelson's Theory

CONTENTS xi

PAGE

—The Use of Silver-bodied Flies— Small Flies for Low
Water — * Coming ' and ' Refusing ' — Changing Flies —
Selection of Flies with reference to Weather, etc. — Old
Standard Flies — ' Coming' and * Taking ' — Striking a
Salmon— Playing a Salmon — Sulking — Gaffing a Salmon
—Killing and Gaffing — Difference in Weight after Gilling
— How to carry a Salmon .... 306 — 319

CHAPTER XVII.

Gut Loops v. Metal Eyes for Salmon-hooks — Double Hooks —
Cholmondeley-Pennell Pattern of Hook — Parts of a Salmon
Fly described — List of Useful Salmon Flies : Anonyma,
Baron, Benchill, Britannia, Bruce (A), Bruce Variety (B),
Butcher, Champion, Childers (A), Childers (B), Dirty
Orange, Black Doctor, Blue Doctor, Silver Doctor, Dur-
ham Ranger, Dusty Miller, Brown Eagle, Yellow Eagle,
French's Fancy, Greenwell, Glow-worm, Grub, Spring Grub,
Infallible, Jock Scott, Blue Scott, Kendle, Lion, Mohair
Canary, Mystery (A), Mystery (B), Popham, Silver Gray,
Stevenson, Thunder and Lightning, Wilkinson, Gitana,
Phoebus, Nepenthian ..... 320 — 356

CHAPTER XVIII.

Hints on the Manufacture of Salmon Flies — Sea-trout Fishing

—Useful Sea-trout Flies— Conclusion . . 357—368

PREFATORY.

As long as there are rivers, and fish in them, so
long there will be fishermen. The brotherhood
of anglers is large, and the methods they employ
to catch fish many and various.

It is my intention to treat of fishing for salmon,
trout, and grayling only in the following pages,
restricting myself to the consideration of these
three varieties of the Salmonidae, their capture by
means of the artificial fly, and the natural flies
which form food for trout and grayling.

Scores of books have from time to time been
written on matters piscatorial, and it may be said,
'Still they come.' I have the audacity to add yet
another volume to the long list of such works
already existing.

Fishermen are ever ready to peruse anything
new in the way of fishing literature, despite the
enormous mass which has been and is ever
being published for their behoof. They are,
too, ever lenient and kindly disposed towards

xiv PREFATORY

their brethren of the craft, and so, trusting to
their leniency, I make my cast, and try them
with yet another fly in the shape of the present
volume ; not a very large one, it is true, but one
which I trust may be reckoned amongst the
standard patterns.

Wherein lies the charm of fishing ? It is a
question I have often asked myself, and to which
I have never as yet been able to make a satis-
factory reply. It most certainly does not consist
solely in the killing of fish, for if fish were to be
caught all day and every day it would be want-
ing. I can only conclude that it must be the
difficulty and uncertainty of the sport which form
the attraction.

Then again, a salmon-river or trout-stream is
nearly always situated in the midst of beautiful
scenery ; such streams as both fish frequent are
usually of a description which cannot fail to
charm — deeps and shallows, rapids and flats
alternating with each other as the river flows
ever on over its gravelly or rocky bed. There
is, too, a feeling of such perfect rest and peace by
the riverside, to say nothing of the many objects
of natural history and botany, which every-
where meet the eye of the observant angler,
as, rod in hand, he rambles at will along its
banks.

The best fishing month in all the year is c leafy

PREFATORY xv

June/ the most beautiful of all the twelve.
Everything is out and about in June ; flowers,
birds, fish, all seem to revel in the sunlight of the
summer's day. There are kingcups in the water-
meadows, and by the riverside forget-me-nots in
profusion ; ragged robins, red and white campions,
wild garlic (the latter best left ungathered), cow-
slips, and here and there a yellow iris casting its
golden reflection on the stream. Birds singing,
fish rising, what more can the heart of man desire
when all is so beautiful ?

Later on in the summer the purple and yellow
loosestrife, willow - herb, and meadow - sweet
appear upon the scene. There may be a lack
of sport, and fish may be disinclined to feed, but
there is an amount of infinite pleasure to be
derived from the mere fact of being in the midst
of such things — a glorious feeling of freedom and
independence — and there is always the chance of
sport. The man who fails to extract enjoyment
out of such things must be indeed hard to
satisfy, and be altogether soulless, or in love.
It is these and such-like beauties which invest the
sport of fishing with such * glamourie.' Is it to
be wondered that it is so ? Is it not rather a
matter for surprise that everyone who can be is
not a fisherman ? I most heartily congratulate
myself that I am one.

In conclusion, I can hardly do better than

xvi PREFATORY

quote the following passage from the * Compleat
Angler ' :

'And now look about you, and see how plea-
santly that meadow looks ; nay, and the earth
smells as sweetly too. Come, let me tell you
what holy Mr. Herbert says of such days and
flowers as these, and then we will thank God that
we enjoy them.'

ROD AND RIVER

CHAPTER I.

Ignorance of Fishermen regarding the Habits of Fish — Fishing
Literature — Yarrell's ' British Fishes ' — Yarrell;s Classifica-
tion of Salmonidae — The Common Trout — Description of
Rivers suitable for Trout — Fly-food Essential for Trout —
Chalk and Gravel Beds — Varying Colour of Common
Trout — Sensitiveness of Fish to Colour — Fish difficult to
Discern — Fish visible from a Height above the River —
Deterioration of Trout with Age — Overlarge Trout detri-
mental to a River — Loss of Sporting Qualities in Trout —
Partial Cause of same — Overstocked Streams — Shelter for
Fish necessary — Care of Spawning-beds necessary — Evils of
neglecting Rivers — Positions for Fish-shelters — The Hamp-
shire Wey — Pollution of same — Evil Effects of Watercress-
farming — Inland Fisheries Act not duly enforced —
Variation of Rivers as to the Spawning Season for Trout
— Advisability of abridging the Trout-fishing Season —
Objections to same — • ' Sport- spoilers ' — Disappointed
Anticipations — ' The Weed-cutting Fiend ' — Rocky Rivers
and Small Trout — Beauty of Small Trout — Lochleven Trout
— Experiment of Transportation of Small Trout to more
Suitable Streams — Varieties of Common Trout in same
River— Varieties of Trout in the River Test — True Test
Trout — Early Condition of Brown Trout in Lower Test —
A Ruined Trout-stream— Pollution of Rivers — Pollution of
Rivers Act, 1876 — Inactivity as regards the Act being
enforced — Necessity for Cleanliness of Rivers and Spawning-
beds — Plausible Pollution.

IT is a somewhat singular fact that, despite the
great and ever-increasing number of fishermen,

i

ROD AND RIVER

so few, comparatively speaking, possess any know-
ledge of what may be termed the natural history
of the fish for which they angle, or of the flies
which the artificials they employ are intended to
represent.

Now, many of these individuals are keen
enough so far as the mere sport of fishing is
concerned, but they are often too apathetic to
make any effort to acquire the little knowledge of
ichthyology and entomology so far as the latter
are connected with angling ; and so long as there
are fish to be caught, and the local patterns of
artificials are found equal to the occasion, they
are content.

All this seems to me to be very lacking in
what may be termed the refinement of sport. A
master of hounds merely able to ride, and
ignorant of the habits and many wiles of a fox,
could hardly expect to be successful. He might
now and again kill a fox, it is true, but the credit
of so doing could not be due to any efforts or
intelligence on his part, and he would utterly fail
to give satisfaction to his supporters. So, in like
manner, a man may be an excellent shot with
gun or rifle, but unless the game is found for or
driven to him, he would, if unacquainted with the
habits and ways of the latter, make but a sorry
bag.

Whether hunting, shooting, or fishing, the man

FISHING LITERATURE

who can ride, shoot, use a rod, and knows most
about the ways and habits of fox, game, or fish,
as the case may be, will ever secure the greatest
amount of sport. There is always something
more to be learned ; season after season reveals
something new to the intelligent sportsman ; and
I fail to understand how it happens that so many
men who are sportsmen at heart, and who would
be utterly disgusted if they thought they were not
considered to be such, can be content to go on
in the same groove year after year, and yet know
little more respecting the animals, birds, and fish,
in pursuit of which they have spent half a life-
time or more, than they did at the commence-
ment of their career. But so it is, and I have
frequently observed that fishermen are peculiarly
ignorant in this respect ; although perhaps less
so of late years than formerly, a very great deal
of ignorance still prevails amongst them, and
at least half of them know nothing whatever
about the water-flies which are taken as food by
trout and grayling. I think, perhaps, that long-
winded treatises and long names serve to choke
them off; there is too much theoretical instruc-
tion. There are no end of books on such
subjects, but it is difficult to know which are the
ones to read. One volume treats principally of
one portion of the subject, another of a second,
and so on, until it becomes necessary to purchase

ROD AND RIVER

half a dozen or more books before the very
ABC can be mastered. I myself have read
no end of such works. Some few are really good
and valuable, many are but indifferent, and the
majority are more or less useless. I desire to
try and condense from the best works which have
been published, such information as may serve
to interest and instruct those who may hitherto
have been ignorant of the subjects to which I
have referred, and if I can succeed in exciting
the interest of any reader who may have pre-
viously cared naught for such things, or instruct
one who fain would learn, so much the better.

Of all the works which have been written on
our British fishes, I consider that by Yarrell to
.be the very best, inasmuch as no other naturalist
has ever taken the trouble to enter into such
minute detail as he has done ; and although it is
now many years since he died, and so many
other works of a similar nature have been pub-
lished, I set the latter aside in favour of his.

He thus classifies the Salmonidse :

1. Salmon.

2. Bull-trout, sewin, whitling.

3. Salmon-trout, sea-trout, white trout.

4. Samlet or parr (vide chap. xiii.).

5. Common trout.

6. Great lake trout, or great gray trout

(Salmo ferox).

YARRELL'S CLASSIFICATION

7. Northern char.

8. Welsh char.

9. Smelt.

10. Grayling.

11. Gwyniad.
j 2. Vendace.
13. Argentine.

Thirteen in all. It is, however, only of the
first six and the tenth to which I propose to refer.
For the present we will devote our attention to
the common trout.

There are comparatively few counties in the
United Kingdom in whose streams trout are not
more or less plentiful, nor is there any fish more
beautiful than a well -conditioned trout — a fish
whose very appearance bespeaks the character of
the streams it loves to frequent ; bold, vigorous,
beautiful, and clean, it ever prefers those rivers
which, possessing food enough for its sustenance,
are unpolluted, rapid, and course over a hard,
clean bed of gravel, chalk, or rock ; and it is
more especially in the two former of these that
trout thrive best and attain to the greatest
weight. Where the bed is rocky, the stream
over- swift, and subject to extreme variation
in height during excessive flood or drought,
though trout may be plentiful, they rarely
attain to anything like a good average weight,
and they are mostly small. Since it has been

ROD AND RIVER

conclusively proved that fly-food is the best of
all food for trout, I can only conclude that, from
the very fact of such rivers being subject to
heavy and sudden floods, and the extreme hard-
ness of their beds, the fly is washed away before
it attains maturity, and the fish are therefore
stunted in growth by reason of the want of suffi-
cient nourishment.

Where the bed is of chalk or gravel, the case
is different, and fly-food is ever more plentiful ;
there is not only more lodgment for the eggs of
the water-flies, but such rivers are more constant
in height, and consequently more fly-eggs arrive
at maturity. It is, as I say, in such rivers as
these that trout attain to the heaviest weight, for
these streams abound in fly-food.

That what is termed the ordinary brown trout,
the common trout, varies very considerably in
colour is indisputable ; and, indeed, this may be
observed in every stream, those fish which
frequent the shadier and deeper portions of the
water being of a fuller, richer colour than those
in the other parts. Soil also has a very marked
effect on the colour of fish, for in rivers which run
through peat -bogs and such -like, the trout are
deeper and yellower in colour. Fish are very
sensitive to their surroundings, and possess the
power of adapting their colour to that of the
water. Anyone who has watched any of the sole

FISH DIFFICULT TO DISCERN

species must have been struck with the capability
which they possess of assimilating their colour
to that of the mud or sand upon which they may
be lying. Hence, for this reason, it is often
difficult for a person, who is unaccustomed to it,
to discern the fish in a river, even though they
may be pointed out to him, and it requires no
little practice to do so, more especially, of course,
in deep water. I have myself often failed for a
long time to perceive a salmon lying in a pool,
although the keeper has done his utmost to
point it out to me, while he, being accustomed to
the colour of the water, instantly detected its
presence.

Once, when fishing in North Wales, near to
Dolgelly, I had, in order to reach a higher por-
tion of the river, to walk for some distance along
a path at a considerable height above the latter.
The day was hot and bright, and looking down
on the river below me, it was curious to note the
salmon, which from that height were plainly
visible, and in considerable numbers. There they
lay, motionless, nor in such weather would the
most alluring salmon-fly have succeeded in moving
one of them. I quite forget how many I counted
in one reach, but I remember that they were
very plentiful, and that the water, though deep,
appeared from the high ground above too shallow
for such large fish to lie in.

ROD AND RIVER

After they attain to a certain age and size, trout
generally deteriorate and lose condition, and I
do not think that many fish of over four or five
pounds in weight are by any means an acquisition
to a river, inasmuch as they do an incalculable
amount of damage. They rarely rise at a fly
until it is too dark to see to fish for them, and
they not only make up for their abstinence from
fly-food during the day by hunting and killing
an enormous number of the smaller fish, but they
are also the most inveterate spawn-eaters, and
doubtless set a similarly bad example to the other
fish, who, seeing them so poaching, learn the
habit from them.

It is the complaint on* many a river that the
trout, which formerly rose freely at a fly, although
every means may have been taken to secure the
preservation of the river, year by year afford less
and less sport. I am convinced that, though
perhaps not the sole cause, such is, to a very
great extent, due to the stock of large fish being
too great. Such fish become almost as bad as
pike, and their destruction is not only justifiable,
but judicious, and any means may be taken to
effect it, for they play havoc with a river. Nor
should too large a stock of fish ever be permitted.
There are limits to the supply of food in every
river, and those limits should not only never be
exceeded, but never reached. The fish will

SHELTER FOR FISH NECESSARY 9

thereby be not only of a greater average weight,
but they will be better in health and condition.
It is a somewhat difficult matter to induce owners
of fishings to accept the truth of all this, and
there are some points upon which they are often
most obstinate. One person will insist upon
cutting away all shelter afforded by bushes, trees,
weeds, etc. ; -another going to the opposite ex-
treme, and refusing to remove what is useless and
detrimental to sport. In many rivers there is not
sufficient attention paid to the spawning-beds.
Rivers, especially those whose banks are soft and
spongy, alter their course at times very con-
siderably, and what one year is a spawning-bed
may, through neglect, in the course of a year or
two, become overgrown with reeds and rushes,
especially if the summer is a dry one ; and so,
by degrees, the spawning-beds are insufficient for
the stock of fish. Where such alterations take
place, the channel of the river is for a time
narrowed ; but after a few floods the opposite
bank becomes unduly worn away, and so the
river takes from the one side what it loses on the
other. The deep side invariably becomes deeper
than it was previously, and so affords no com-
pensation in lieu of the spawning-bed which has
gone.

Trout must have shelter to hide in, and
where they can lie unobserved without the undue

io ROD AND RIVER

exertion of heading against a strong stream,
and be protected from the heat of the sun.
Such spots ought not to be too far removed
from the shallows on which the fish come out to
feed.

On a portion of the river Wey, in Hampshire,
the fishing of which at one time belonged to a
relation of mine, the trout would, in the evening,
travel for nearly a quarter of a mile to their
feeding - ground. I have often, when fishing,
seen them pass close by me in dozens, one after
the other, on their upward journey, and when
they had apparently satisfied themselves, they
would in like manner return. They were poor
sporting fish, so far as their rising qualities were
concerned, and it was necessary to fish for them
with a large fly sunk deep under water. When
hooked, however, they fought desperately, and
were large and beautiful to look at, many of
those I caught being nearly three pounds in
weight. When cooked, although their flesh was
of a lovely red colour, they were quite uneatable.
We several times attempted to eat them, for their
appearance was all that it should be ; their flavour
was, however, too disgusting. This was due, I
fancy, to the filthy condition of the river, and its
pollution by the paper-mills, etc. It is a sad
pity, for in former years the fish were noted for
their good qualities, both sporting and edible.

POLLUTION OF HAMPSHIRE WEY n

Such, alas ! is the fate of many of our trout
streams. In my own river, once full of good
trout, the latter are year by year dwindling
away in numbers and condition, despite all my
efforts to preserve them and keep up a sufficient
stock. The stream is small, but there is still a
sufficiency of food for a good head of fish, and
such there would be were it not that, un-
fortunately, during the last five or six years, two
men have started watercress-growing about a mile
above my boundary, and by reason of the filth
which they are for ever sending down the river,
when making, planting, and cleaning the beds,
the channel is becoming blocked up, and where
there was formerly a hard, clean bed of chalk and
gravel, there is now, in many places, an accumula-
tion of foul, oozy mud, of a foot or more in depth,
overlying it ; and this, when disturbed, emits the
most disgusting stench. The spawning-beds are
ruined, the fish blinded and sickened, and fishing
is of course impossible. Last season, at such
times as the water was clear enough to use a fly,
I took out a few fish, but they were nearly all in
very poor condition, and of a mealy, unhealthy-
looking colour. The river, being a tributary of
one which is under a conservancy, is also under
the like protection, but I much fear that if, as
they have threatened, the conservators take any
decisive steps to abate the nuisance, one or other

12 ROD AND RIVER

of the owners of the watercress -beds will sur-
reptitiously lime the river, and so destroy every
fish in it, and it would be a matter of extreme
difficulty to detect the offender, especially in the
chalky colour of the water after rain.

The laws relating to fish and fishing are not
only not sufficiently stringent, but they are not
enforced as they should be. In the river I speak
of there are nowadays not ten fish, where, before
the watercress-beds were made, there were a
thousand. Such work is heartbreaking and
sickening, and in the course of a very few years
there will be no fish at all. Formerly there was a
good stock of mayfly ; now such a thing as a
mayfly is unknown. I conclude that this also
is due to the same foul work. As I say, I fear
the result of any decisive steps being taken by the
conservators, but at the same time I very much
doubt the latter having sufficient energy to do
more than threaten, since, so far as this portion of
the river is concerned, their own personal interests
are not involved in the pollution of the stream.
When the fish do spawn (such few of them as
have the pluck and strength to do so), they work
up to the head of the river where the water-
cress-beds are situated, and suffer hardly at the
hands of the labourers employed in the latter,
and but very few survive to drop down stream
again.

SPAWNING SEASON FOR TROUT 13

All this may possibly be of service to some
one or other of my readers, who may contemplate
renting a stretch of water in a district similar to
the one in which I live. Let him therefore be
careful to make every possible inquiry before he
signs any agreement, or he may, as I have done,
find his hopes of sport ruthlessly frustrated.

Rivers vary very considerably as to the time
in which the trout in them spawn. Some are
much earlier than others, but as a general rule
the fish begin to get about the spawning-beds
towards the end of September, and actually spawn
in October, November, and December. During
the severe winter of 1890-91 the trout in some
rivers had not spawned till February — at least,
so I am informed, and I have no reason to doubt
the assertion.

Although our trout- fishing season in Britain
opens on February i and closes on September 30,
these dates by no means imply that the fish are
in a condition fit to allow of their being taken.
There are very few rivers in which they have
sufficiently recovered after spawning to afford
sport or to be fit to eat before the end of March,
for, as I have said, to thrive well, trout must have
plenty of fly-food, and at so early a period of the
season there is but comparatively little of the
latter, and the fish, being weakened by spawning,
require rest and plenty of food to enable them

14 ROD AND RIVER

to recuperate their strength. Anyone who has
fished on a river on which there is mayfly, must
have noticed how very great a difference there is
in the condition and fighting powers of the trout,
before the mayfly season has commenced, and a
few days after a good ' rise ' has been on.

The Legislature permits trout to be taken until
the end of September, but I am most strongly of
opinion that the season should, in most rivers,
terminate by the I4th of that month ; for, unless
it becomes necessary to thin down an overstocked
stream, it is a pity to take fish when they are
growing heavy with spawn. Where the stock is
excessive, the privilege of the extra fortnight
might, on proper representation, be accorded.
The year before last I noticed the trout on the
beds, or I should say about them, quite early in
September, and so I put away my rod. A
season abridged as I have suggested would, it is
true, allow but a very few months for the fisher-
man, and so my suggestion is one which would
scarcely meet with general approbation, for, as
all fishermen are aware, there are not many
days during the entire season which may be
termed really good fishing days. It is either too
hot or too cold, rain is threatening or thunder is
hanging about ; nine days out of ten — nay,
nineteen out of twenty — are by no means all that
the fisherman could desire ; and then, on the one

SPORT-SPOILERS 15

day on which he reckons to have sport, some
energetic person higher up the river elects to cut
his weeds, wash his sheep, or indulge in some
such occupation, and on reaching the river, ere
he has had time perhaps to make his first cast,
to the fisherman's dismay, down come weeds or
foul water, and the day's sport, on which he had
so fondly reckoned, is knocked on the head. In
Hampshire and Wiltshire, perhaps the two very
best counties in all Britain for trout, such disappoint-
ments are very frequent. To the man who lives
on or near to a river these contretemps do not so
much matter ; but if perchance a friend, to whom
a day's fishing is a rare treat, happens to be his
guest, and he is anxious to show the latter all the
sport he can, disappointment is peculiarly dis-
tressing. I fear that on such occasions one needs
all one's Christian charity, and anger, hatred, and
every evil feeling wage war against forbearance.
There is nothing for it but to reel up and go
home.

I always feel sorry for those who, being keen
sportsmen, and who but very rarely get an oppor-
tunity of indulging in their favourite sport, have
all their hopes dashed by reason of impossible
weather, or some such calamity as the foregoing.
The tackle so carefully got together, and looked
over so many times before the arrival of the all
too scanty holiday, is useless. The anticipation

1 6 ROD AND RIVER

of fish to be caught at such and such particular
spots, on the perhaps well-known, well-remembered
stream, is anticipation and no more. I have so
often witnessed such bitter disappointments as
these. Weather, of course, no one can alter ;
but it does seem too bad that at Whitsuntide, and
such-like times, when so many business-men look
forward to enjoying a few days' fishing, the farmers
and others should have so little thought and
consideration as to select that very time for
cutting weeds, etc. Yet such is invariably the
case in some districts with which I am well
acquainted, and year after year, especially if
Whitsuntide is at all late, the same thing occurs.
The weed- cutting fiend is in truth a terrible
bugbear to the fisherman. It may be that the
latter has been fishing for an hour or two, when
he notices a small green patch come floating round
the bend of the river above him. He tries to
put away the fears which present themselves to
him, and to conclude that it is nothing — ' a piece
of lodged weed, perhaps.' As it passes him,
however, he cannot help seeing that the stalks
appear freshly cut, and on looking up the water
again he sees another bunch appearing, and then
more and more come down, and it is all too
evident that the foul work has begun. A man
in a cart passes over the bridge, and he asks him
where the weeds are coming from.

THE WEED-CUTTING FIEND'

4 Up at Longbridge Meads,' is the reply.

' Will they be cutting there to-morrow ?' he
again asks.

' Yes ; I reckon they'll be on at it the best part
of the week between there and Stockley ; they've
a main bit to cut, for there's the little river as
well. They ain't cut that yet.'

' All this week, and this is only Monday !'
ejaculates the crestfallen angler to himself.

The carter goes on his way, and begins to
whistle as he sees the sign of the roadside pot-
house round the corner ; and if our friend does
feel inclined to go for the owners of Longbridge
and Stockley Meads, jump on his rod or shy his
fishing-basket, tackle, everything, into the stream,
who can blame him ? For months he has looked
forward to this annual outing. It has cost him
some hard work, trouble, and no little expense, to
get away even for the few wretched days he can
spare or be spared from business. The river is
well stocked and in good order, the weather per-
fect, for a wonder ; and now these confounded
weeds have spoiled everything. There is abso-
lutely nothing for it but to go, and so he sadly
and wearily returns to his lodgings or inn, packs
up his belongings and departs, much to the dis-
may of his landlady, who is thereby also a loser.

There are, of course, plenty of rivers in which
such troubles are unknown — rivers where they

2

1 8 ROD AND RIVER

never cut weeds because there are no weeds to
cut, and where sheep-washing does not mar one's
sport ; but such streams are for the most part
rocky, small, or shallow, and the fish in them are
insignificant specimens. Where, however, the
stream is strong, even though the trout be small,
they can afford no little fun on light tackle ; and it
requires some careful handling to land so small a
fish as one of only a quarter of a pound, especially
if the banks are wooded, for such troutlets jump
and tug hard in the rough water-way, and can
make a stiffish rod bend as much as would a two-
pounder in a more placid river. Such trout, too,
are brilliant, healthy little fish, and the very best
of good eating ; they have to work hard for their
living, and are quick to seize every opportunity of
obtaining it, and so, if the fisherman can keep out
of sight, and cast his fly deftly over them, they will
dash at it and hook themselves almost before it
has reached the water.

No trout are, perhaps, more beautiful in colour
and form than these liliputians, and the weather
must indeed be unsuitable for fishing when an
experienced hand cannot secure several brace of
them, not including those which he may return
to the river as being too small to retain. Now
and again a fish of half a pound, or even one
of a pound weight, may reward his efforts. Such
captures, are, however, by no means frequent, and

LOCHLEVEN TROUT 19

he will have to be content with quarter-pounders.
No one who calls hmself a fisherman should
hesitate to return to the river any fish of less
than this weight.

Of recent years many of our rivers have been
stocked with Lochleven trout ; nor for shape,
dash, and edible qualities can they be surpassed.
The shape of a true Lochleven fish is, I consider
as perfect as it can be, and there is as much differ-
ence between the lines of such fish and those of
the ordinary trout as there is between those of a
racing-yacht and a coal-brig. They are very bold
and fight hard, though after the first brilliant rush,
which is more like that of a salmon, they speedily
give in. Many a time I have hooked one of
these fish in our Hampshire streams, and for the
moment believed that I had caught some veteran
monster ; but on reeling up and landing it,
have been not a little surprised to find a fish of
but a pound and a half or thereabouts. When
they first feel the hook they will at times spring
high into the air and try one's tackle sorely, espe-
cially if they are of any size and in good condition.
In colour they differ considerably from the brown
trout, and are more silvery ; the red spots, too,
are absent. Their flesh is as pink as that of a
sea-trout, and the flavour peculiarly delicate. Nor
do I think that, although the original fish come
from Lochleven itself — a loch in which there are

20 ROD AND RIVER

no less than four thousand acres of water — they
are, when laid down in rivers suitable for their
well-being, any better in the former than they are
in the latter. Indeed, I am almost inclined to the
belief, judging from my own experiences of both,
that they are, in many instances, inferior.

Doubtless they exercise a very powerful influ-
ence for good in those streams where fresh blood
is required, and in which the fish have become
dull and wanting in dash and vigour. But good
as they are, and well as they thrive in streams
which are suitable for them, I should, I think,
were I desirous of importing the breed to any
particular river, and the distance and expense
were not too great, prefer to get the ova or fry
direct from the Leven fishery, to obtaining it, so
to speak, secondhand from fish imported thence,
though it is quite possible that the adult fish from
which such ova or fry may have been bred, may
be more fully developed in the latter case than in
the former. I do not positively assert that the
trout in the loch are better as regards their
sporting capabilities, etc., than their river de-
scendants, but I do know that they are very
brilliant fighters and rise freely, and so large
an expanse of water resembles the sea rather
than an ordinary fresh-water lake ; and indeed I
have known the waters of the loch so rough as to
preclude a boat from going out for any ordinary

TRANSPORTATION OF SMALL TROUT 21

purpose, the waves curling and the ' white watter '
dashing about like a miniature sea. Fish bred
and brought up under such conditions as these
must surely be as hardy and bold as any of their
species can well be. And so I should give the
preference to such parentage.

I do not know if the little trout which inhabit
our more rocky streams, and the moor and other
brooks in these islands, were to be transported to
any of our rivers, such as the Test, Itchen,
Hampshire Avon, etc., which are prolific in fly-
food, would, provided they were young enough
for the experiment to be made, grow to the size
of the fish which belong to the latter rivers ?
But I am of opinion that they would not ; their
descendants of the second or third generation per-
haps might do so, but it is my belief that the
species, if such it may be termed, has, by reason
of scarcity of food, etc., become dwarfed and
stunted. They would doubtless improve rapidly,
and if not fully matured when moved from the
one river to the other, would attain to greater size
than if left in their own stream.

I believe these fish to have been always small
of their kind. True it is that here and there
one of a respectable size may be taken ; such fish
are doubtless * master-trout,' old stagers which
keep all other fish which are inclined to trespass
on the territory which they have annexed, on the

22 ROD AND RIVER

principle of 'might is right,' at a respectable dis-
tance, and so ever secure the lion's share of such
food as there may be, to say nothing of their
indulging in a little occasional cannibalism.

In some rivers there are as many as two or
three distinct varieties of the common trout, and
in one river on which I used to fish many years
ago, and which, not very far from its mouth, is
joined by another smaller river, the trout are
strangely different ; those in the main stream
being in colour and markings unlike those in the
tributary. There is no apparent reason for this
dissimilarity, inasmuch as the conditions of both
rivers are precisely alike. A similar difference
also exists between the trout in the Test. There,
however, the Lochleven variety may be included.
There are this latter kind, the ordinary brown
trout, and what are called the Test trout. The last-
named are devoid of red spots, somewhat plain,
and flatsided, but very game and sporting fish,
rising well at the fly, fighting hard when hooked,
attaining to great size, and of the most delicate
flavour when cooked. It is quite possible that
these fish may have been the result of intermar-
riage between the brown and the sea trout, the
latter, together with the salmon, having a nearly
free run from the mouth of the river at Redbridge
up to Romsey, where there are mills, and beyond
which a salmon can but rarely ascend ; some few

TRUE TEST TROUT 23

fish in a season may perhaps succeed in doing so
if the water is high enough to admit of their
making the attempt during the spawning period ;
but at the same time, so far as my experience of
the river above Romsey extends, and for several
years I fished both above and below the latter
town, I do not think that the brown trout is as
plentiful as the Test trout. This may be accounted
for by the latter being the more powerful and
pugnacious of the two, and their having thinned
out the former. However, as I have no statis-
tics to produce in favour of such an argument,
this is purely theoretical, and merely my own idea
as to what may have caused the difference between
the two fish. The Lochleven trout are a more
modern innovation in the river, and whether they
have joined forces with the other trout during the
breeding season, since their introduction, I cannot
say. Such may perhaps be the case, but the
varieties of which I speak existed prior to the
introduction of the Lochleven fish.

I have noticed during several seasons, when
salmon-fishing in the Test early in March, that a
few brown trout are annually caught with the
salmon-fly, which they have had the audacity to
take ; and these fish have invariably been in the
most perfect condition. But it is always the
brown trout ; the others do not show so early in
the season, and in the upper portions of the same

24 ROD AND RIVER

river, neither variety is in a condition fit to take
before the first or second week in April, nor even
then are they any too forward or strong.

The very term, * a trout stream,' conjures up ail
sorts of pleasant thoughts and fancies. How
many streams there are which are falsely so called,
and must be numbered with the 'have beens'!
A trout-stream devoid of trout is, like an empty
stable, an altogether sad affair. In former days
every stream suitable for the habitation of trout
was doubtless more or less well stocked with fish.
Apart from the depressing picture presented by
a stream denuded of its natural tenants, from
the fisherman's point of view, much of the charm
which such a river would otherwise possess for
everyone must be wanting. The life and soul of
the water is dead and gone ; here and there,
perhaps, some slimy eel may send a few bubbles
to the surface, but the latter is no longer, as of
yore, broken with the circles made by rising fish.
The very kingfishers, those (I grieve to say)
lovely pests to a trout-stream, have also deserted
it, and the water itself, instead of being clear and
sparkling, wears an unpleasant tinge ; the stones,
too, on the shallows look dull and lustreless. If
the pools are in any way disturbed, the water is at
once blackened, and a foul stench arises. Yet
this was, and not so long ago either, a well-known
trout-stream. It is hard to believe it, but such

POLLUTION OF RIVERS ACT 25

was, nevertheless, the case. In the village over
the fields there are many who can tell you that
when the old squire owned the property things
were very different ; but when he died and the
estate was bought by the company which set up
the works, the hideous chimney of which is visible
for miles round, the fish rapidly disappeared, by
reason of the filth from the manufactory, and it is
now many a day since a trout has been seen.

Nor is the foregoing at all an exaggerated
description. Scarce a county in England which
does not possess one or more rivers in a more or
less similar condition from similar causes. I may
go much further, and at once state that I do not
believe that there is one single river in England
which is not to a certain extent polluted. And yet
there is an Act entitled the ' Rivers Pollution
Act,' and its terms are, roughly speaking, as
follows :

' Every person who puts, or causes, or permits
to be put, or to fall, or to be carried into any
stream, so as to interfere with its flow, or to
pollute its waters, the solid refuse of any manufac-
tory, manufacturing process, or quarry, or any
rubbish, cinders, or waste, or any putrid or solid
matter, will be guilty of an offence against the
Act/

The Act also contains prohibitions against
allowing solid or liquid sewage matter to be put,

26 ROD AND RIVER

or to flow into any stream of water. ( Vide the
Rivers Pollution Prevention Act, 1876.)

That a coach-and-four may be driven through
any Act of Parliament is a saying as true as it is
old. What, I ask, is the good of the foregoing
Act if it is permitted to be so flagrantly and
generally ignored ? Can any farce be more truly
farcical ? It is about time that something were
done to put matters straight. I cannot at the
present moment, though I have tried to do so,
call to mind any one single river in England, out
of the many with which I am acquainted, and
have fished in, which is not polluted in a greater
or less degree, and I could, moreover, give the
names of rivers, and where and how they are so
polluted. Everybody who knows them is aware
that such is the case, but then, when it comes to
taking any active part to prevent the nuisance,
everybody becomes nobody.

Salmon, trout, and grayling must have clean
water in which to live and thrive, and clean beds
on which to spawn. It is not much to ask, yet this
reasonable request is denied them. Where trout
are dwindling in a stream, one is informed that it
is the work of * otters,' ' Jack herons ' — (why
always Jack, I know not) — everything, any-
thing, but what it really is. When I am so
informed I invariably view my informant with
some considerable suspicion. Ten to one but

PL A USIBLE POLL UTION 27

he has a finger in the pie, or he would not be
so ready with his explanation. Otters and herons
are, doubtless, capable of inflicting very consider-
able damage on a river ; so also are kingfishers
(these latter must ever be free of the stream) ; but
otters and herons have always existed, and yet
there used to be plenty of trout also. How is
this argument to be overcome ? Again, do otters
and herons discolour the water, and choke up the
bed of the river with filthy slime ? No, my friend,
it is the doing of the chemical works or manufac-
turing company over there, in which you have a
share, or which you are well aware are now in
treaty with you for the purchase of those fields
upon which they want to build ; and well you
know it too — no one knows it better — but the
truth sticks in your throat and cannot escape
you.

CHAPTER II.

Trout-spawning — Perils of Spawning Fish — The 'Water-
drowner' — Process of Spawning — Spawning-beds — Late-
spawning Trout — Early Condition of Spawn-eaters — Large
Trout in Lower Test — Mr. Kendle's Specimens of such
Trout— Mr. Butt, Taxidermist — Growth of Trout — Experi-
mental Feeding of Trout— Thames Trout—' Salmo Ferox.'

IT had been my intention to refer to the spawning
of trout in the previous chapter, but as I found
that the latter was growing somewhat over-long I
decided to leave it for the present one.

Trout spawn in October, November, or
December, the time varying very considerably
in different rivers, and according to the season.
As a rule, however, they begin to draw up to the
spawning-beds about the second or third week in
September. At first they appear to content them-
selves with darting about around the latter, and
selecting a suitable spot for the transaction of their
family affairs. At these times they are somewhat
indifferent to the charms of an artificial fly, and
such food as they consume is for the most part
taken under water. At this period, and later on,

PERILS OF SPAWNING FISH 29

they are very easily secured by poachers and such
unscrupulous folk, for they are so intent upon
the business they have in hand as to be easily
approached, and if they are scared for the time
will very quickly return and play about in an all
too confident manner.

Those fish which eventually elect to thread
their way up the smaller streams and ditches, as
a great number do, are very much at the mercy*
of any evil-disposed person ; and where rivers are
not carefully watched, numberless fish are poached
out. At times these small streams and ditches
run dry, and the wretched fish are helplessly
stranded.

Where the spawning-beds are insufficient or
unsuitable, the inducement for fish to leave the
main river is very considerably increased, and the
small side-streams in which the flow of water may
be fairly constant, and which can be well watched,
are an advantage to a river, for such not only form
quiet, suitable spawning places, but it is ever at
the mouths of these streams, where they enter the
main river, that the best fish are to be caught
during the season.

In districts where there are water-meadows,
unless the water-keepers are on the alert, the
trout are apt to suffer considerably from the mal-
practices of the individuals called ' water-drowners,'
who have charge of the various hatches, for these

3o ROD AND RIVER

men have every facility for taking fish both in
and out of season, and nothing is easier than to
draw off the water by raising a hatch. The result
may be well imagined. It matters little to these
people whether the fish are in season or not, they
can always get sixpence or a pot of beer for a
good fish, and, failing such remuneration, they
can consume it themselves. Where there is an
efficient water-keeper, the hatches should be pad-
locked, and the keys of them kept in his pos-
session.

After they have spawned, trout drop down-
stream again to their former stations. The pro-
cess of spawning is a somewhat interesting one.
The fish, which are at this period in pairs, after
they have found a suitable place to spawn in, set
to work to clean and prepare it as best they can ;
and when they consider it is to their satisfaction,
they rush at the bed, both fish taking their turn
at the work, and hollow out a grooved channel in
it. They then for a time lie parallel to each
other a few inches apart, now and again closing
sideways together. The female then deposits her
spawn in the groove which has been made, and
the male milts on it. They then cover the groove
over, and the action of the water does the rest.
The due preparing of the bed and covering up of
the spawn occupy some considerable time. While
the female is busy in depositing her spawn the

SPAWNING BEDS 31

male fish keeps watch and ward over her, and
will at once attack any other fish which may
chance to be prying about. It is curious to note
what trouble fish will take in order to make a
suitable spawning-bed, and marvellous how large
a quantity of gravel or sand they contrive to
collect. These mounds are, when the river is low
in the summer, very plainly visible. A person
ignorant of such matters would not recognise
them. To a fisherman they are welcome indica-
tions of the prosperity of the river. The places
selected for them are generally at the head of
some pool, in the shallower water, or on what are
termed the * flats ' of a river in contradistinction
to the more rapid portion. Francis Francis states
that there are some rivers, of which he quotes
the Wandle as an instance, in which the trout do
not spawn until February, and that there are a
few in which they may be found spawning as
late as March. These latter are, however, very
exceptional cases ; nor do I know what is the
cause why these rivers should be so very much
later. Of course the fish are in such cases cor-
respondingly backward in getting into condition.

Yarrell mentions a case where two specimens
of the common trout, which were taken early in
January, were found to be full of the roe of the
bull-trout, which they had been eating, and as
these two fish were in unusually good condition

32 ROD AND RIVER

for the time of year, and very brilliant in colour,
such was believed to be due to the fact of their
having availed themselves of such food, which is
of an albuminous nature. In the previous chapter
I made mention of the fact of some few brown
trout being annually taken in the lower Test by
salmon fishermen early in March, and of their
invariably being in good condition ; whereas in
the upper portions of the same river it is not until
many weeks later on that the fish are in any con-
dition at all Now, as the lower Test is a salmon
river, and a well-stocked one, the reason is not far
to seek why these trout are so forward in their
condition. It is my belief that it is because they
have been fattening themselves on the salmon-
spawn.* Since, as I have observed, but very few
salmon ever ascend the Test above Romsey, by
reason of the mills there, the fish in the upper
portion of the river, not obtaining the same free
living as their brethren of the lower waters, are
longer in recovering their strength. Very beau-
tiful and sporting, too, are these brown trout of
the lower Test ; and no wonder, when they have
the advantage of such aldermanic fare. They are
unfortunately by no means as plentiful as they
might and used to be, for since the salmon fishing
has been better preserved and more generally

* My friend Mr. Kendle will not allow that this is the case.
He may be right ; I only state my own ideas on the subject.

LARGE TROUT 33

cared for — it now being a salmon river of some
note — the trout have most certainly either become
less plentiful than they were formerly, or have
given up rising as freely, and taken rather to
feeding under water.

Such trout as there are in the river are of con-
siderable size,, and I have seen some which could
rival a salmon in proportion. One which I saw
on several occasions, but could not succeed in
capturing, must have been quite twelve pounds in
weight. My friend Mr. Kendle, the agent to the
estate, has two of these large trout, which were
taken some two or three seasons ago, one by him-
self and another by a friend, of nine and ten
pounds respectively. These fish, which, despite
their great size, were in the height of condition
and beauty, were stuffed by Mr. Butt, of Wigmore
Street (formerly Mr. R. Ward's foreman). Nor
could anything be more perfect than the way in
which they have been set up and mounted. The
work of the true naturalist is very apparent,
and yet the accessories are so few and simple.
The fish appear alive, and ready to dart off at the
slightest alarm. Both fish are in the same case.
Mr. Butt also stuffed a large trout for me, and
performed the work so admirably that he received
the order for these two fish. I can most strongly
advise any of my readers who may desire to have
specimens of fish stuffed, to send them to Mr.

3

34 ROD AND RIVER

Butt, for his work is so very good. But at the
same time I may as well take this opportunity
of stating that I have the greatest objection
to recommending any tradesman, save for the
benefit of the reader. I do not wish to make this
work a medium for advertisements. When I
know and have proved such and such a shop to
be the best with which I am acquainted for the
purchase of any article, I consider it to be my
duty to the reader to inform him, but solely and
entirely for his benefit, in order that he may rely
on procuring what he may require, and the best of
its kind. Nor do I intend to study economy, for
fishing-gear is one of those things which must be
good, and nothing but the best is reliable.

All this, however, is, I fear, digression, but the
present opportunity seemed a fitting one, and I
am anxious to be able, thus early in the work, to
clear myself from the possibility of being accused
of any unworthy motive in mentioning the names
of tradesmen. I shall therefore feel freer to do
so, now that I have had my say on the subject.
Although I may make such mention, I do not
wish it to be inferred that such firms as I may
refer to are the only ones where the requisite
may be obtained, but those with which I am best
acquainted, and whose work I know to be
unimpeachable.

As regards the growth of trout, there is but

GROWTH OF TROUT 35

little to be said further than what I have already
remarked, viz., that fly-food (salmon-roe, perhaps,
excepted !), is the most suitable and the most
nourishing. In proof of which statement it may
be of interest to quote the results of an experiment
which was made many years ago in the South of
England, with a view of ascertaining the value of
different foods. Yarrell makes mention of it as
being recorded by Mr. Stoddart in his ' Art of
Angling as practised in Scotland,' and I quote
from him :

' Fish were placed in three separate tanks, one
of which was supplied daily with worms, another
with live minnows, and a third with those small,
dark-coloured water-flies which are to be found
moving about on the surface under banks and
sheltered places. The trout fed with worms grew
slowly, and had a lean appearance ; those nour-
ished on minnows, which, it was observed, they
darted at with great voracity, became much larger;
while such as were fattened upon flies only, at-
tained in a short time prodigious dimensions,
weighing twice as much as both the others
together, although the quantity of food swallowed
by them was in nowise so great.'

Roughly speaking, it takes, under favourable
conditions, three years for a trout to grow to a
pound in weight. It is therefore quite possible
to arrive at a tolerably accurate conclusion as

36 ROD AND RIVER

regards the age of such fish. As I have before
explained, after a certain age trout deteriorate in
size and condition. Some fish will grow to a great
size before they show any signs of such deteriora-
tion, while others again will never reach more
than two or three pounds weight ; and in the
rocky streams of the North and elsewhere they
may never attain to more than a pound or a pound
and a half, everything depending upon the food
they obtain during their youth.

The great size to which Thames trout grow is
well known, but I do not intend to refer to these
fish, since, as they can hardly be included in the
list of fish which rise at a fly, their capture being
invariably effected by spinning or trolling, they do
not come within the limits of this work, which
I desire to confine solely to fly-fishing.

I think I have for the present given enough
consideration to the ordinary trout, somewhat dis-
jointedly, perhaps, but I am desirous to avoid
treating the subject in anything like a stereotyped
fashion, trusting by such digressions as I may
make from time to time to carry the reader along
with me, rather as if we were strolling together
beside the banks of the stream, than by trying to
string a number of facts together, and having
made the mass as dry and unpalatable as possible,
to cram them down his throat. I know full well,
from my own experience, the strong inclination

SALMO FEROX 37

which arises to pitch such a work, be it ever so
good, or even valuable, into the fire, out of the
window, anywhere, rather than to have to wade
through it and take it all in.

Of salmon, bull-trout, sea-trout, etc., I intend
to treat later on. Such fish are migratory, and
require a portion of the work to themselves.
There remains but one other variety of fresh-
water trout for me to refer to, viz., the great
gray trout, or the Salmo ferox, a fish which
is to be found in very few of our lakes, viz.,
Lochs Awe, Luggan, Shin, Loyal, and Assynt,
in Scotland, Lough Neagh in Ireland, and
U 11s water in Cumberland. They are said to
be found in all these lakes, and there may,
for all I know to the contrary, be others which
they also inhabit ; my own belief, however,
is that they are extremely rare anywhere. If I
remember rightly, I think that both Windermere
and Derwentwater lakes are also believed to
possess them.

These fish run to an enormous size at times.
One captured in Ullswater is declared to have
scaled between fifty and sixty pounds. They are
very voracious, and play havoc with the smaller
fish, and will, like the pike, seize a bait and permit
themselves to be dragged by it, and if they miss
it, again rush at it. Although, when compara-
tively small fish of a pound or two in weight, they

38 ROD AND RIVER

will rise at a trout-fly, when they are matured
they are only to be caught by spinning with a
trout, or a night-line. They are, when full
grown, very handsome fish, despite the extreme
size of their heads. In colour they are a deep
purple-brown, shading off into a red-gray, and
of an orange-yellow hue on the belly ; but
the colouring, like that of the mackerel, rapidly
fades after death. When cooked the flesh is
yellowish, and is by no means as good eating as
might be expected.

I fancy but few of my readers have had the
fortune to secure a good specimen of this fish.
Should, however, such luck be theirs, and they
should obtain one of large size, I should advise
their sending it to Mr. Butt for preservation
as a curiosity. Fortunately the species is not
often met with. I say fortunately, because were
they abundant in any of the lakes which they
inhabit, no other fish would have the ghost of a
chance of living in the same water, for they are
the most insatiable cannibals, and are capable of
inflicting more damage in the way of the whole-
sale slaughter of other fish than any two pike of
the same size, their activity being superior to that
of the latter, and with their terrible teeth their
is no hope of escape for any unlucky fish they
may chance to seize.

The name Salmo ferox far better expresses

LAKE SHARKS 39

the general character of this fish than that of the
* great gray trout.' I must admit that I have
never had the luck to catch one of these lake
sharks, though I have seen specimens of them,
and such knowledge as I possess respecting them
has been acquired from what I have heard and
read ; but the authority from which I quote is
reliable, and may prove of service to the reader,
and enable him to recognise the fish should he
at any time be fortunate enough to catch one in
good condition.

[40 ]

CHAPTER III.

Fishing-gear — Trout Rods — Greenheart — Material and Work-
manship of Rods — Washaba — Blue Mahoe — Hickory —
Cane Rods — Wear and Tear of Rods — Shape of Rods —
Selection of Rods — Mr. Foster's Steel-centred Rods — The
' St. Lucas ' Rods— Length of Trout Rods— Castle-Connell
Rods — Spliced Rod v. Ferruled — Rod Fittings— Ferruling
—Rod Rings — Winch Fittings — Spears — Spare Tops —
Waxed Silk, etc. — Binding a Rod. when Broken — How to
Wax Silk— Patience under Difficulties — A Broken Line and
how to Splice it — A Reel gone wrong — Self-help in Diffi-
culties— Use of Cutting-pliers — How to extract a Hook.

THE list of what may be termed fishing-gear is,
even for a fly-fisherman, a somewhat long one,
and it is, moreover, absolutely indispensable that
each and all of the several articles should be not
only practically good, but as good of their kind
as it is possible. There is an old saying which
I have learned to detest, viz., that 'a bad work-
man finds fault with his tools,' for while it is
possible that a good workman may be able to
make shift with indifferent tools, the reverse is
the case in hands unskilful. Nor can a good work-
man, be he ever so skilful, make as good a job
with bad tools as with good ; it is rather the

GOOD FISHING-TACKLE INDISPENSABLE 41

good workman who finds fault with bad tools,
and from not being used to them, will give up
the labour before him in sheer disgust at having
to use them.

The difficulties of fly-fishing are quite enough
without their being further increased to a beginner
by reason of his being handicapped with rubbish-
ing tackle. Good tackle is extremely difficult to
procure ; even an old hand may at times be
deceived into purchasing an article which can,
by means of varnish, etc., be made to appear
good, and yet prove utterly worthless when put
to the test. The fisherman, therefore, is very
much in the hands of his tackle-maker, and, as
in every other trade, there are tricks in that
of fishing-tackle manufacture. Good work and
materials are never cheap, and good both must
be. The fish are in the river and the angler is
on the bank, and it is the desire of the latter to
secure the former. His tackle being the means
he proposes to employ, it stands to reason that
forming, as he hopes and intends it may, a link
between him and the fish, that link must, from
the rod in his hand to the hook in the mouth of
the fish, be as perfect as it well can be, and free
from any flaw, or else it must break, and he be
left lamenting.

The rod must be our first consideration, and
it is necessary to go into the matter of material,

42 ROD AND RIVER

shape, and proportion. Of the woods generally
in use for the manufacture of rods at the present
day, greenheart is perhaps the most common. It
is a somewhat heavy wood, capable of bending
freely, and yet possessing the power of regaining
its shape the instant the tension on it is relaxed,
properties which render it very suitable for the
purpose ; but at the same time it is extremely
brittle, and a fall may shiver it, even in so light
an article as a trout-rod. It is nevertheless the
wood which I myself prefer to any other, for
despite its weight, which latter is a matter for
some consideration (especially for dry-fly fishing,
when the arm is at work unceasingly), it has
great power, and if duly seasoned and made, a
greenheart rod can force a line against the wind
as no other rod can. It possesses what may be
termed ' backbone,' and yet, if properly handled,
permits of the greatest delicacy in casting. But
there are rods and rods, and there is green-
heart and greenheart ; nothing but the best and
most flawless wood should be used for the
purpose, and it must be well seasoned. It can-
not be too perfectly seasoned, and this remark
holds good regarding any wood which may be
used for fishing-rods. Let the reader but re-
member how slender a thing a trout-rod is, even
the strongest, and reflect how perpetually it is
in motion when being used (in dry-fly fishing

MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP 43

especially), the strain which it is called upon to
bear, and the combined effects of wet, wind, and
sun, to say nothing of rough usage ; and yet
this slender slip of wood is expected to bend and
never break, and to retain its original rigidity
and truth of shape for an indefinite period.
Material and manufacture must indeed be good
to stand all this. Varnish won't do it. The
latter serves to preserve the wood, etc., of a
good rod, and may help a dishonest maker to
sell a bad one, but there its uses end. It is
the material and workmanship which underlie
the shining surface which are the chief points
to be considered. Varnish is cheap enough, but,
as I have said, good work and good material
are not to be had for nothing. Of the two, I
should feel inclined to lay the greater stress on
the necessity for good material, for that will last,
and perhaps make up again ; but no skill can
convert bad material into good, and if the wood
is not thoroughly seasoned, no matter how beauti-
fully fitted the mountings may be, in process of
time it shrinks away from the ferrulings, and the
rod falls to pieces, or breaks by reason of the
undue play at the joints.

Some people advocate the use of washaba
wood, and I believe it is excellent ; but as I have
had no experience of it, I cannot express an
opinion. I think it is inclined to be heavy,

44 ROD AND RIVER

more so even than greenheart. Blue Mahoe is
also another excellent wood for rods, and has of
late years been much used for the purpose.

Hickory is, of all such woods, the lightest;
but if ever so well seasoned, it fails to preserve
its shape as perfectly as the other woods. It
is otherwise most charming for rods. This
one drawback is, however, an insuperable one.
I have a salmon- rod made of hickory in my
possession, and it is excellent for grilse ; but it
is all shapes, and I detest the sight of it. It
is, however, so light that I can use it throughout
a long day without feeling the least tired.

Of the four woods which I have enumerated,
I pin my faith to a good honest greenheart ; and
if I cannot kill fish with such a rod — provided
it is well made — as well as and better than with
any other, the fault is my own.

.Though I have not included it in the list of
woods used for rods, there is another material
which has of late years found general favour,
viz., cane. I do not own a cane rod myself,
for two reasons : firstly, because such rods are
very costly ; and secondly, because, though I
have frequently used them for a short time, at
the solicitation of friends who have now and
again requested me to try their rods, I have,
with but two exceptions, never found any of
them quite to my liking. One of these excep-

CANE RODS 45

tions was a salmon-rod by Macdougall, the other
a twelve-foot trout-rod by Messrs. Eaton and
Deller. Both of these rods were very beautiful
to handle, and, though extremely light, very
powerful. Whether they would stand the same
amount of wear and tear as a well-seasoned
greenheart, I am not prepared to say ; but I
must admit that when rods cost as much money
as did these — thirteen guineas having been paid
for one, and seven or eight for the other — I
could not feel the same pleasure in using them
as a more moderate-priced one, and I should,
I arn sure, be afraid to try any very dangerous
cast with them for fear of a smash up. When
testing the latter of these two rods for a friend,
who eventually purchased it, I succeeded in
making some sensational casts, the distance being
measured from the reel to the end of the line,
over grass. If I remember rightly I think that I
covered some twenty-six or twenty-seven paces,
with ease ; the line I was using being also one
of Messrs. Eaton and Deller's patent lines, to
which I intend to refer further on.

As regards the price of cane rods, T am well
aware that they, of all rods, cannot be made
cheaply. Mr. Halford, in his book on dry-fly
fishing, explains very clearly how they are manu-
factured, and why they must of necessity be
expensive. First of all there is the cane itself,

46 ROD AND RIVER

the selection of which requires the very greatest
care, and canes suitable for the purpose are
extremely difficult to procure. Then there is
the seasoning, and this latter process takes some
considerable time ; then comes the splitting or

Jr o

rending the canes, which requires great skill and
care, each joint of the rod being composed of no
less than six such strips laid together in the form
of a hexagon. These are then glued together,
and the glue requires a very considerable time
to set and harden, often many months ; and after
all this trouble the rod is probably unsatisfactory
to the maker, and it has to be laid aside. When
the reverse is the case there is the ferruling,
fitting, and binding, the latter being at every
two or three inches throughout the entire length
of the rod. The rings are then fitted, and the
whole is varnished. Now such a process is
tedious, and the reader may well imagine how
many rods must be reckoned as failures by the
maker to every one which is satisfactory to him.
Therefore, seven or eight guineas is not too much
for him to ask for a perfect rod ; but it will be
readily seen that all this work cannot, even by
the aid of the best machinery, be turned out
cheaply. Many of the cane rods which are sold
at low prices are not only made of inferior,
unseasoned canes, but instead of being split up
into parts of a hexagon, and none but the very

WEAR AND TEAR 47

soundest and best portions of cane retained,
good, bad, and indifferent pieces are all glued up
together, and if the balance of the rod is imper-
fect, the outside of the cane is shaved down
in order to remedy the defect. Now since it
is the outside of the cane, its enamel, which gives
the chief strength to the wood, the evil of remov-
ing it is manifest, and no amount of varnish can
ever replace it, save as regards the appearance
when new. Cane rods, even the best, require
to be varnished annually, and the tyings well
looked to, otherwise the joints are apt to spring
open, the wet to get in between them, and the
rod is thereby, of course, rendered useless.

I find it no easy matter to obtain a solid wood
rod, even the best of its kind, which will last me
more than two or three seasons. I may as well
state that during the season I use my rod almost
daily, and it is subjected to very heavy work in
dry-fly fishing ; for it requires certainly four or
five false casts in the air to dry the fly for every
cast which is delivered, and this, with a consider-
able length of line out, in wind, wet, or hot sun,
as the case may be, is a severe trial to a rod.
After a season or two it loses its elasticity, or
rather, I should say, rigidity, for it becomes weak,
and unable to sustain the same length of line as at
first. For ordinary fly-fishing, where the casting
required is less frequent and a wet-fly is used, a

48 ROD AND RIVER

rod may last a lifetime, and for such fishing the
line may be lighter than when fishing up-stream
with a dry-fly. For mayfly fishing in the latter
style, where the feathers of the fly require a
great deal of drying, the strain on a rod is very
heavy, and I may also add the strain on the arm
of the fisherman ; for it is trying work, and can
make the strongest and most supple wrist ache
intensely. So trying is it, that one person of my
acquaintance — who, by the way, is one of the very
best of our Hampshire fishermen, and famous
for his skill with a rod — prefers to change his fly
for a fresh one, when wetted, to the labour en-
tailed by having to dry it, and the strain to which
his rod is subjected. He certainly kills a tre-
mendous quantity of fish, and I am told that he
is one of the few men who can cast a natural
fly, not merely a mayfly, without flicking it
off; such a feat is difficult enough with a may-
fly on a blow-line, but with an ordinary midge-fly,
such as an olive-dun, etc., it requires an unusual
amount of delicacy and skill.

The more modern trout-rods are somewhat
different in shape to those of former days. Green-
heart is more extensively used than it used to
be, and being a heavy wood, demands that the
rod should be lightened proportionately, and no
more wood retained than is absolutely necessary.
The lightening of the rod is effected by reducing

SELECTION OF RODS 49

the butt above the portion where it is grasped by
the hand.

The chief point to be attended to in the selec-
tion of a rod is to secure sufficient power from the
butt to the middle, with a due regard to the neces-
sary elasticity. A top-heavy trout-rod may be very
powerful, and allow of longer casts being made
against a wind, but its own weight wears it out,
and tires the user. On the other hand, the reverse
will not do, for there is then a lack of power,
and the strain is over-much for the top joint,
which is necessarily too tapered. The play must
extend from the top to the lower half of the
middle joint, and the balance in the hand should
be so perfect, that in the motion of bringing the
rod back after a cast there should be no undue
strain on the hand and wrist of the user.

I may be thought peculiar or stupid, or pecu-
liarly stupid, but I find it most difficult to select
either a rod or a gun for myself in a shop. I
cannot make sure of getting what will suit me
until I have tried them, and tried them well — the
result being that I have often wasted a consider-
able amount of money in such purchases, and
been consequently disappointed. I would almost
prefer to get a friend to make the sejection for
me, and I have not infrequently, when choosing a
rod in company with a friend, who was also pur-
chasing at the same time, afterwards come to the

4

50 ROD AND RIVER

conclusion that his selection has been better than
my own, though I may have had the advantage
of far greater experience in such matters. I could
wish that the case were otherwise, for, although I
can never resist the temptation of purchasing a
new rod if it appears what I like, I often get
disgusted with it after a short time, and probably
end by giving it away.

Like many fishermen, I possess a considerable
number of rods. Some of these are excellent,
or, I should say, have been so, but many are
much the worse for wear. I have killed a great
many heavy fish on them, and they have done
me good service. Some few are still as good
as they need be. If I entertain a preference
for any, it is for one which is a four-jointed,
ferruled trout-rod. I draw the attention of the
reader to this fact because I intend to refer to it
later on. I have killed no end of heavy fish on
this rod, and I have used it for some eight or nine
seasons. It has certainly been done up twice
during that time, but as far as its power and
elasticity are concerned, it is as good as ever.
When I first purchased it it was over- stiff, but I
persisted in using it, and thereby sprained my
elbow-joint, and have never completely recovered
from it. In order to make the rod more supple I
scraped it with a piece of glass. This had the
desired effect, but it was a risky measure to adopt,

STEEL-CENTRED RODS 51

and the merest piece of luck that I did not com-
pletely ruin it.

I possess two trout-rods which are steel-centred.

This plan is the invention of the late David

Foster, of Ashbourne, in Derbyshire, a noted

angler and fishing-tackle maker, and the father of

. the Messrs. Foster who still continue the business.

Mr. Hal ford states that he is of opinion that
cane-rods, steel-centred, cannot last, inasmuch as
the unyielding nature of the metal, and the yield-
ing texture of the cane, cannot act in unison, and
he still further expresses his belief that such would
be the result if ordinary wood were used instead
of cane, and that the steel-centred cane rods are
considerably more expensive than the already
somewhat costly ordinary cane-rods.

This may be so, but as regards Mr. Foster's
invention of steel-centring ordinary wood, I must
beg to differ with him very decidedly. It is the
one only point to which I could possibly take
exception in either of the two works which he has
written, and which I have found to be as valuable
as they are practical and useful. The two rods I
have, made by Mr. Foster, are simply perfection,
and they have had work enough to try any rod
which was ever made, and in all weathers. Their
power is extraordinary, and yet they are very sen-
sitive, more so than any other rods I ever handled,
and this quality is very apparent when playing a

52 ROD AND RIVER

fish on fine tackle, the slightest movement being
communicated to the hand. I have not only no
fault to find with them, but nothing save the
highest praise to award them. In price they are
moderate, some 555. or 6os. I, however, prefer
those which are made with fittings for an ordinary
reel, and would advise the reader, should he
think of purchasing such a rod, to mention this in
his order. If I required a new rod I should
prefer to purchase one of these, and would sooner
do so than any other description of rod with which
I am acquainted.

I also possess another — a most wonderful little
rod. I believe that the maker, Dr. Lucas, lives,
or used to live, at Nottingham. It is the work of
an artist and a sportsman : plain and unpreten-
tious to a fault, but of perfect balance and wonder-
ful power. The rings are very large, the top ring
of steel, and the fittings of gun-metal. It is but
a tiny rod, yet I can cast from eighteen to twenty
yards with it. In small streams it is invaluable,
and it is equally good for ' switching ' as for cast-
ing. I only wish that it were a longer, larger
rod, as for the work I require it is too small to be
of general service to me. I have recently seen a
fishing-reel also made by Dr. Lucas, .and it
appeared to me to be as practical and good of its
kind as the rod. It is my intention to try and
purchase one at the first opportunity.

LENGTH OF RODS 53

As regards the length for a trout-rod there are
a great many opinions. I speak, of course, of
single-handed rods. The fashion of late years
has been to reduce the length of rods very con-
siderably, and I think that this has been carried
to an excess. In my opinion no trout-rod, to be
a good, all-round, serviceable rod, should be less
than eleven feet six inches in length, and I prefer,
for my own use, one of twelve feet. With any
rod under the former length a long line becomes
a nuisance, especially in high grass, and when it
comes to long casting, the extra six inches make
all the difference between reaching a fish easily
or not reaching it at all, and if a rod of such a
length is well made and well balanced, it is just as
light to handle as a shorter rod. One might just
as well advocate the driving a coach with an
Australian stock-whip instead of an ordinary four-
in-hand whip. The former would doubtless be a
nuisance to one's self and everybody else. I am
not fond of such toys myself, and dislike too short
a rod as much as I do too short a gun. A short
rod is all very well where long casts are never
requisite, but when, as I say, it comes to long
grass and a trout rising far off, the bother and
exertion necessary to keep the line going and to
prevent the fly catching in the surrounding obstruc-
tions are very great.

There is a description of rod very much used

54 ROD AND RIVER

in Ireland, called the Castle Connell, inasmuch as
they are made at the place of that name. Of all
abominable things to fish with these rods are, I
consider, the most unsatisfactory. Those people
who like them, and can use them, swear by them,
and for switching, and a switch style of casting,
they may be all very well. But they are, at the
best, but limp, wobbly rods. It takes a consider-
able time to get into the way of using them, and
I fail to see what possible advantage there is in
taking the trouble to learn how to manage them ;
for any good rod can perform all that they are
capable of, and a great deal more which they
cannot. They are made to splice in two pieces,
and are excessively awkward to carry about by
reason of their length.

And now, while referring to spliced rods, I may
as well state that opinion is very much divided as
to the merits of spliced rods over those which are
ferruled. I hold to my own ideas on the subject,
and I do not wish to influence my readers, but
would prefer their forming their own judgment.
Personally, I must say that I have quite failed to
recognise the advantages claimed for spliced rods.
I have owned several of them, and am forced to
admit that I infinitely prefer ferruled rods. Setting
aside the trouble of splicing the rod when required
for use, and its awkwardness for carrying about, I
do not like the action of spliced rods. I have

SPLICED ROD v. FERRULED 55

been frequently told that there is nothing like a
spliced rod, and I have tried hard to believe
it, and to like them. But each time I use
them I am more confirmed in my opinion
regarding them. There has been no fault in
the splicing, for such has been most carefully
done, and every chance has been given to the rod
to work its very best. They always seem to me
to be wanting in recovering power ; they are too
pliant. They are very sensitive, and whether
made for salmon or trout, are first-rate when a fish
is hooked, and they exhibit great power ; but
there ever seems to me to be something wanting
when it comes to using them, and especially in
heavy wind. I may be called a rank heretic
for having such opinions, still more so for ven-
tilating them.. Nevertheless that for casting I
prefer the ferruled rods, I am well aware that
they do not and cannot last as long as spliced,
and whenever there is a ferrule there must be a
certain amount of weakness. I grant such is the
case, and also that a ferruled rod when bent
cannot describe as perfect an arc as one which is
spliced. But all the same these very joints seem
to me to afford the rigidity which I miss in a
spliced rod. I will go even further than this in
my heresy, and state that I actually prefer a four-
jointed rod to one with three joints. I hope my
reader will not infer that I should therefore prefer

56 ROD AND RIVER

one with five joints to the latter, because I do not
consider that more than four are advisable. How-
ever, we may take it as a general rule that three
are sufficient. As I say, the best rod in my col-
lection is a four-jointed rod, and it is one of the
very best rods I ever handled. I wish I knew
the makers' name. I fancy it may have been
Messrs. Allcock, of Redditch, but I do not know
for certain. I regret that Mr. Cox (from whom I
purchased it) has left business in Winchester,
though he is very ably represented by Mr. George
Currell, the well-known fisherman and tackle-
maker.

It is essential that all the fittings of a rod should
be as good of their kind as possible. Nothing is
a greater nuisance than a badly-tempered ferrule,
or one which is badly fitted. The ferrules, both
male and female, should fit exactly, and in a well-
finished rod the brazing should be double, i.e., the
whole of the male ferrule should be brazed, and
the fitting should be so exact, that although it
should be easy to take the rod to pieces, without
the joints sticking, the latter should never work
apart when put together, and though it is always
advisable to tie the joints by means of the eyes,
which are bound on the ferrule for this purpose,
there should be no fear of their working apart, if
the tying is at any time omitted.

There are several kinds of patent joints which

ROD RINGS 57

are made to obviate the necessity for tying, one
of them, the ' Lockfast,' being especially good ;
but I prefer the older-fashioned principle when it
is well carried out.

The rings for a rod should be large enough.
Nothing is gained by their being too small ; and
whether they are 'standing' rings or May-down,'
the metal and the soldering should be of the best.
Where standing rings are used, those which have
the inside of the eye made to revolve, so that the
parts of the rings which are most subject to move
can be shifted from time to time, are the best.
And there is also another kind of standing ring,
the ' Snake ' pattern, which is excellent. But
standing rings are awrkward for travelling, and are
very apt to get knocked about. Were it not for
this drawback they are preferable, but they must
be made wide in the neck, as otherwise the line
may twist round them. This, in the snake pat-
terns, they cannot do. The top ring should be of
steel ; brass wears out too soon, and a very few
weeks' hard work will suffice for the line to cut
clean through it, to the annoyance of the fisher-
man and the detriment of the line. I have on
several occasions, on finding that my line failed to
run freely, discovered that the top ring, being of
brass, was worn quite through, and the line running
through the second ring of the top joint. Of
course, it is an easy matter to rig up a make-

58 ROD AND RIVER

shift top ring by means of a bent pin, etc. ;
but all these things take time, and are a great
nuisance, especially when fish are on the rise and
every minute is of consequence, and it is, of course,
always at such times that things will go wrong if
they can.

The winch-fittings require to be as good and
as carefully put on as the ferrules. Messrs.
Hardy, of Alnwick, have patented an excellent
winch-fitting. Some of the Irish rods are made
with merely a hole drilled through the butt of the
rod, the latter being furnished with a spike with
a screw at its end, on which a thumb-nut is
placed in order to keep it tight ; but they are
always in the way, and are for ever fouling the
line.

Every trout-rod should be furnished with a spike
made to screw into the end of the butt ; it is most
useful, and enables the rod to be kept upright
when not in use. It is thus out of the way of
danger, and is also handy for fitting on the line,
cast, flies, etc. ; but this spear should not be made
too pointed.

A spare top, where one can be carried either
in the landing-net handle, or the hollow butt of
the rod, is a luxury. I prefer to carry it in the
former ; but I will warn the reader to be very
careful respecting the description of screw or cap
with which either rod or landing-handle is fur-

SPARE TOPS 59

nished, if he elects to carry a spare top, for such
screws and screw-caps have a playful habit of
coming off, and the result is that they are not only
lost, but the spare top also. For this reason,
having lost several tops. I have given up carrying
a spare top about with me, and prefer to trust to
my being able to mend a broken top with a piece
of waxed silk. The latter should always form a
part of the fisherman's equipment, as also a small
file to level any splicings which it may be necessary
to make in such a case. If the smash is not too
bad, it can be easily repaired by the river-side ;
but I would caution my reader, if he has the mis-
fortune to have to so make good a damaged rod,
to be careful to cut the splices long enough, and
above all to see that they are cut so that the rings
of the rod are true above each other. A little
cobbler's wax put between the new splices will
serve to still further secure them, and hold them
while the waxed thread is being bound round.

The way to bind a rod is to lap a few turns of
the silk round it, and then, placing the foot on
the silk, to turn the joint in the hands, allowing
more silk to pass under the foot as required. A
long piece of silk goes a very short way in so
binding a rod, and it is well to wax a good bit
more than the estimated quantity, and to wind it
on a piece of stick.

In waxing silk, the best plan is to double it

60 ROD AND RIVER

backwards and forwards three or four times over
a nail, or anything of the kind which may be
handy for the purpose, and to wax all these
strands together as one, carefully unwinding and
separating them afterwards, and working the wax
well between the fingers before using. If the
fingers are wetted the wax will not adhere to
them. Nothing is more uncomfortable or likely
to raise a blister than a piece of wax adhering
to one's hand, for the rod becomes sticky,
and every movement of it tends to create a
gall.

I would urge the reader, whenever things seem
to be going all wrong, as they do sometimes, to
make up his mind to be as resolutely slow in his
endeavours to put them straight as he possibly
can be ; to quietly and deliberately fill and light
up a pipe first of all, and if the fish are rising, and
so increasing his vexation, to turn his back to the
river, or walk away from the latter to where he
can neither see nor hear them rise. It is doubtless
a nuisance, but he must ever remember that it is
his own fault, and that he has to make the best he
can of it, and this he will never do if he is to lose
his temper and allow himself to be flustered and
hurried. Let the tangle appear never so inextric-
able, five minutes will suffice to clear it with the
aid of a pin. It is but rarely that a rod is so
hopelessly broken as to be incapable of being

SPLICING A BROKEN LINE 61

made serviceable enough to fish on with during
the rest of the day.

It happens at times that a line may be broken,
and broken at a spot which apparently completely
spoils it. Yet even this damage can be made
good, and in the following way. Take the two
broken ends and pick each one into two parts with
a pin for about an inch. (Any line can be so un-
picked.) Wax these ends slightly, and then, open-
ing the picked-out portions, lay them into each
other in the manner in which the thumbs and
forefingers of two people cross when shaking
hands, and then bind them carefully and tightly
with fine waxed silk. When they are bound, roll
the bound part on any hard substance, the butt of
the rod will do if there is nothing better at hand.
Such splicing will last a long time, and if varnished
and allowed to thoroughly dry and harden, will
run as perfectly through the rings as any other
part of the line. The binding silk must, however,
be fine.

Perhaps one of the worst things which can
happen is when a reel gets out of order. But
a little ingenuity and the blade of a strong knife
will generally succeed in putting it to rights, and
if not, there is always the alternative of cutting a
stick, binding the line round it, and, by means of a
slit in the top of it, making shift for a reel.

In the greater portion of the foregoing centre-

62 . ROD AND RIVER

temps waxed silk will be found, if properly applied
and well waxed, equal to the occasion. But it is
always as well to carry two or more sizes of silk,
from coarse to the finest procurable, and plenty
of each, and the pale-yellow will ever be found
the strongest. Pearsall's gossamer and coarser
silks are among the best for fishing purposes

It is wonderful what one can do by means of a
little waxed-silk, a pin, a knife, a file, and a little
coil of fine copper-wire, in the way of repairing
damages when fishing, and they are all so easily
carried that there is no excuse for the fisherman
ever being without them. I myself carry a small
leathern case which contains a few such necessaries,
and I cannot recount the times I have had occa-
sion to congratulate myself on having this with
me. Accidents will happen even to the most
careful person ; but with the means of repair at
hand one can rise superior to them.

I would add that a small pair of strong pliers,
with cutting-sides, may be most useful, for it does
at times happen that a hook may catch the fisher-
man and go into the flesh beyond the barb. The
best way to extract it, if not too deeply lodged,
is to cut off the gut, feathers, etc., and to carefully
clean the shank of the hook ; then, with the pliers
or fingers, force the barb still further into the flesh,
but turning the point so as to again come out
through the skin. If the hook is an eyed one,

HOW TO EXTRACT A HOOK 63

and well tempered, no scissors will cut through it.
Nothing but pliers will do so, as the eye must,
of course, be removed before the hook can be
forced through. If any wax, etc., is left on the
shank, before pushing it through, it is very
likely to cause a great deal of after irritation, as
some of it is sure to be left in the flesh as the
shank passes through. I have several times had
to extract a hook in the manner above described,
and on one occasion, not having my pliers with
me, was forced to walk a long distance to borrow
a pair. So I decided in future to always carry a
pair with me.

I trust the reader may not think these trifles
above his notice ; but since it is the smaller
troubles which cause the greatest annoyance, I
think it may be of possible service to him to know
how, if he cannot avoid getting into trouble, to,
at all events, make the best of a bad job.

CHAPTER IV.

Trout Reels— How to take a Reel to Pieces — Trout Lines—
Messrs. Eaton and Deller's Patent Lines — Tapered Lines
— Silk and Hair Lines — Necessity for drying Lines after Use
— Messrs. Farlow's Patent Line- winder — How to uncoil a
New Line — Use of Red-deer Suet— Caution respecting
use of same — Trout Gut — Varieties of same — Mr. Rams-
bottom, Manchester — How Gut is manufactured — How to
make a Taper Cast— Selection of Gut — Horsehair Casts —
How to knot Gut — Soaking Gut — Damping-box for Gut-
casts — Damping-box for Gut-flies — Cutting-out Knots in
Gut — Landing-nets — Shape of same — Utility of Long Staff
to Landing-net — Short-handled Nets — Material recom-
mended— Fishing-bags v. Baskets — Plan of Fishing-bag —
' Freke ' Bags — Wading Garments — Danger of not using
Waders — Danger of Waders — Fishing-stockings and Socks
— Brogues — Messrs. Cording's Wading-boots — Mackintosh
Coat and Square.

THE reel, or winch as it is termed, is an article of
no slight importance. Many people are far too
apt to think that any reel will do, so long as it
will wind and run freely, and that any size or
weight will answer the purpose. As a point of
fact, the reel requires to be perfectly adapted to
the rod, and just any reel will not do. It seems
a very inconsistent proceeding to take so much
trouble, and to be at such expense, to procure a

TROUT REELS 65

well-balanced, well-fitted rod, and then to mar the
whole, and upset the balance completely, by fitting
on a cheap, worthless reel, which is either too light
or too heavy. Where rods differ much in weight,
they should have their own reels ; and it is far
better, when purchasing these, to get the best and
simplest. The wear and tear in a reel is very con-
siderable, and the internal mechanism needs to be
very perfect and well tempered. There is a very
great deal of difference between the price of a
good reel and a common one. I myself am
strongly in favour of metal reels as opposed to
vulcanite. The latter are very light and nice to
use, but a fall on a stone will shiver them to pieces ;
and this is too serious a calamity to run the risk
of incurring. Multiplying reels are an abomina-
tion ; but I think that the ordinary ' check ' or
' click ' reel is advisable, inasmuch as the check
prevents the line overrunning and so fouling ;
and the sound, too, is far from unpleasant when
a good fighting fish makes play from it. By all
means let the reel be as large as the rod can
carry to balance well ; and it is a good plan to
fill it about a third full with an old line, in order
that the one in use can be more speedily wound
up by reason of the circumference of the axle
being thus increased. When purchasing a reel I
would advise the reader to be very careful to see
that the fitting of the inner plates, which are made

5

66 ROD AND RIVER

to revolve, is very accurate, and that there is not
the slightest space between them and the outer
plates. If there is, be the space ever so slight,
the line is very likely to get in between them, and
the most dreadful trouble is thereby caused, for the
reel must be taken to pieces to get it out. In
nearly all well-made reels there is a small hole
which is left for the purpose of dropping in a little
oil from time to time. Care should be taken to
use suitable oil — that sold for sewing - machines
or gun-oil is the best for the purpose, as these oils
do not clog.

Should it be found necessary to take a reel to
pieces, the following is the way :

Lay a piece of white paper or a handkerchief
on the table or ground, unscrew the outer plate-
screws on the handle side, and then, holding the
inner and outer plates firmly with the fingers to keep
them from moving, turn the handle the reverse
way ; the screws which hold the bars can then, if
necessary, be taken out, and the work is completed.

A good trout-rod reel cannot be purchased much
under half a guinea, or even twelve or thirteen
shillings ; and it is money well spent, and should
not be grudged, if a good article is obtained.

Lines may be purchased for almost any price,
from a penny a yard, up to twelve or thirteen
shillings for thirty yards. Of course, it cannot be
expected that the cheaper lines can possibly wear

TROUT LINES 67

as well or be as satisfactory as the best. A proper
trout-line should be all silk — the purest and best
silk. There are no end of lines to be purchased
which are warranted pure silk — so they may be,
but bad silk is as bad as any other inferior
material ; and there are, moreover, a great
number of these lines which are warranted to be
of silk in which there is very little, if any, silk at
all. I have as yet, despite the number of lines I
have bought at different times from different
makers, never succeeded in finding any, save one
description, what I consider a trout-line should be
—and that is Messrs. Eaton and Deller's patent.
Mr. Halford, in his book on Dry-fly Fishing,
explains very fully the process of its manufacture.
Suffice it to say that this line is of pure silk, the
oil with which it is dressed being forced into it
by means of an air-pump. It is then baked, and
when thoroughly dry, rubbed down ; the process
of dressing with the oil and baking, etc., is re-
peated several times, and the result is a line not
only perfectly dressed and well-nigh imperishable,
but as supple as the softest kid, and very heavy
for its size ; the advantage of this latter being
that a much finer line can be used, and that greater
casting power is obtained than with one which,
though perhaps much more bulky, is considerably
lighter. I believe that the price of these lines for
trout-rods is about twelve and sixpence, nor is it

68 ROD AND RIVER

at all excessive. They will wear out two or
three cheaper lines, and instead of being hard
and kinky when first taken into use, they run as
smoothly and perfectly through the rings the first
day as the last, and it is by no means easy to foul
them, whereas the generality of lines are for ever
getting into curls, and kinks, and knots, thereby
wearing themselves out in no time.
. Many of the best trout-lines are now made
tapered at either end, with a view of greater
casting-power being thereby obtained. Frankly
speaking, I do not like them ; they are, as a
rule, made to taper far too suddenly.
. Moreover, the ends of all lines must wear out
sooner or later, and so the taper becomes shorter
and shorter, until by degrees the line is done for.
Again, when it becomes necessary to use a long
line, .the weight of one tapered is too great ; the
increased length is quite sufficient for the rod to
sustain without the additional thickness. With
a line dressed on Messrs. Eaton and Deller's
principle, taper should be unnecessary. Such fads
are all very well in theory, but they are not as
practical as they ought to be, and it is never
advisable, in all sporting requisites, to make use
of anything which is not thoroughly so. I cannot
too strongly caution the reader against the pur-
chase of such an abomination as a line composed
of silk and horsehair ; such lines kink and stretch,

NECESSITY FOR DRYING LINES 69

and require to be well soaked every time before
they are used ; they have absolutely nothing to
recommend them, not even economy, and are of
all lines perhaps the very worst. A ball of com-
mon string would be preferable.

It is absolutely essential for the preservation of
all fishing-lines that the part which has been used
should never be allowed to remain on the reel wet.
Nothing tends to rot them more quickly. It is
but little trouble to run a wet line backwards and
forwards for a few yards of its length between a
couple of nails driven into the wall. A small
wooden bracket, on which to rest the reel while
the line is drying, is very useful.

Messrs. Farlow sell a capital little arrange-
ment for drying lines. It is very portable, and
consists of a strong wire reel with a handle and a
clamp to secure it to the edge of a table, etc. It
is also very useful for changing lines from one reel
to another, preventing their getting into a tangle,
and the operation is very speedily performed. It
is also made so as to fold up and pack away into
a small compass.

Lines are usually sold in round coils, and a new
line is often troublesome to unwind and gets hope-
lessly tangled before it can be put on the reel.
The following very simple plan will obviate this
annoyance : A roll of music or stout paper should
be passed through the coil before the ty ing-strings

70 ROD AND RIVER

are cut ; the tendency of the roll to uncurl itself
will cause it to fit tightly into the coil, which can
then be unwound without any fear of its getting
entangled.

Some people advocate the use of red-deer suet,
not only as a preservative for fishing-lines, but
also as enabling the latter to be cast more cleanly,
and be more readily picked off the water. The
two latter conditions it doubtless fulfils, but I
would caution the reader to be very sparing in
its use ; indeed, never to use it all, unless he is
most careful to dry his lines after fishing, or he
will speedily find that the dressing will become
softened and sticky, and the silk be utterly ruined.
I have for this reason abandoned its use, except
occasionally, since I do not consider that its
advantages are commensurate with its drawbacks.
I have completely spoiled two lines by its use,
and so state my experiences.

We have considered the rod, its fittings, the
reel, and the line : it now remains for me to say
something respecting fishing-gut. As I remarked,
good articles are not to be obtained cheaply, and
gut is no exception to this rule ; moreover, it is
no easy matter to procure really good gut at any
price. It must be long and strong. If really
strong, the longer it is the better ; and the finer
the last few links of a trout casting-line, the

VARIETIES OF TROUT-GUT

greater will be the chance of sport, especially in
clear, low water.

There are two kinds of fine trout-gut — viz.,
1 natural ' and ' drawn/ the latter so-called because,
in order to fine it, it is drawn through a gauge.
Such gut as this does very well for a time, and
with small fish ; but it will not answer where the
fish are large and in good condition. ' Drawn '
gut can be easily obtained from almost any tackle-
maker ; but good, long, c natural ' gut is extremely
difficult to procure, save at the very best shops,
and at a high price — certainly not less than 73. 6d.
a hundred strands ; and even at that price it
cannot always be relied on, and it will be found
that the strands differ very materially in sub-
stance, even if they are all equally good and
sound throughout their length.

Mr. Ramsbottom, in Manchester, is perhaps the
principal gut-importer in England, and he sends a
list to his customers annually of the gut he has
purchased. Seasons vary very considerably as
regards the quality of the gut imported.

As my readers are doubtless aware, it is
procured from silkworms, which latter are soaked
in vinegar (I think), and then pulled apart, the
gut thus obtained being allowed to dry. Thus
each strand of gut represents the inside of a
silkworm ; nor can it be wondered at that gut is
a somewhat expensive article when good.

72 ROD AND RIVER

The following plan of making a gut casting-
line was shown to me some few years ago by a
friend and brother-fisherman. Having purchased
three gut casting-lines, each of three yards long
— viz., one fine grilse cast, one medium cast, and
one fine — cut each into three lengths of a yard.
By joining one coarse, one medium, and one
fine length together, three taper gut-casts are
obtained. To these I would further add one or
two lengths of the finest ' natural ' gut. Though
I am of opinion that it is unnecessary for a trout-
line to taper, I am equally so that it is absolutely
essential — for clean, light casting — that a gut
casting-line should do so. If it does not, it is
certain to fall in loose, untidy, fish-scaring folds
on the water, and is, moreover, very apt to tangle
in a wind ; nor can the fly be as lightly cast. Of
course, where more than one fly is used, a taper-
cast is useless, inasmuch as the upper part is too
coarse to attach the flies to ; and they, being tied
on fine gut, have every inducement to swing
round and catch in the coarser gut of the upper
portion of the casting-line. However, on streams
where more than one fly is used, the fish are
generally small, the water rapid and rough, and
long and delicate casting is unnecessary ; and
such rivers are frequently fished down, or across
and down stream, and unless the water is very
clear, the use of extra fine gut is needless.

HORSEHAIR CASTS 73

It is always an easy matter to select gut, and
provided each strand is of uniform thickness,
round, and shining, it may be assumed that it is
good ; but where the reverse is the case, and it is
dull and lustreless, it is unreliable, and will pro-
bably not even stand knotting together.

Tt is a pity that horsehair cannot be more
generally used, for there is nothing which is so
charming to cast with ; its great length, also, is an
advantage, inasmuch as so few knots are neces-
sary. It will not, however, do for anything but
small fish, and even in the most skilful hands is
bound to go in the rushes made by a heavy fish.
It also has the advantage of but rarely tangling
when used single. It is, nevertheless, by no
means easy to obtain good horsehair. The white
is the best and most suitable, and the more
transparent the hair the better. It is said that
stallion's hair only should be used for fishing
purposes. This I very much doubt, inasmuch as
I have obtained excellent hair from geldings and
mares.

In knotting a gut-cast, the simplest and best
knot is that formed by placing both ends of the
gut together side by side, and then making a
simple loop with each piece round the other ;
when they are pulled, the two loops slide together,
and meeting, form a knot which is small, neat,
and strong, and it is also an economical method,

74 ROD AND RIVER

inasmuch as there is but very little gut wasted in
the tying. Where more than one fly is used on
the cast, the gut of these can be advantageously
inserted before the strands are pulled together,
and a common knot being made in the fly-gut will
prevent its slipping through.

Whether gut or hair is adopted, it is absolutely
imperative that it should be well soaked previously,
and if time is pressing, warm water may be used
for the purpose. It is not a fair test to gut to use
it before it has been soaked. Passing it through
a piece of india-rubber will serve to straighten it,
but it will not render it less brittle ; and when the
india-rubber is used, care should be taken not to
work it ruthlessly up and down the gut, as the
latter is very easily frayed. The india-rubber
should be pressed firmly but lightly against the
gut, and not drawn from it with a jerk, or other-
wise the very object of using it will be frustrated,
and the gut will curl up.

A common round flat box with two pieces of
spongiopiline fitted into it, and kept moist, will
serve to damp any casts or gut which may be
required for use during the journey to the river-
side. The gut and casts should, however, be
taken out at the end of the day, or they will become
rotten. If flies are placed in it, the gut only
should be between the layers of spongiopiline, the
flies being turned over the top of the upper layer.

DAMPING-BOX FOR GUT-FLIES 75

The same friend who put me up to the dodge
of making taper-casts also showed me a most
excellent little arrangement for carrying flies tied
on gut, and keeping the latter damp without
interfering with the flies. It consisted of a tin
box, about ten inches long, four or five wide, and
half an inch thick. It was lined on both sides
inside with spongiopiline, and made to open like
a book, so as to admit of the flies being placed
lengthwise, the gut only being between the layers
of spongiopiline, the flies themselves protruded at
either end, being arranged alternately head and
tail. The box, when closed, was fastened by
means of a catch, and the two ends were fur-
nished with hinged tops, which protected the
flies. Thus when a fly was required, the cover at
either end was thrown back, and the kind wanted
was visible, and could be drawn out, the gut
being perfectly straight and damp, and ready for
tying on. The wings were by this means kept
unruffled, and as sprightly and well set up as
when they left the tackle-maker's shop. It is the
best thing of the kind I have ever seen. My
friend did tell me who was the inventor, but I
forget. They are doubtless to be bought at one
or other of the leading shops.

I may as well here caution the reader, if
his gut casting-line by chance becomes knotted,
never to trust it, but to at once either unpick the

76 ROD AND RIVER

knot, or cut it out and make a proper water-knot
such as I have described, for the gut is certain to
break there, and this, especially with salmon-gut,
is a point to which it is necessary to pay very
careful attention.

As I propose to deal with flies both natural
and artificial in a separate chapter or chapters
later on, I will forbear from making any reference
to them at present ; and as we have discussed
the requirements of rod, reel, line and gut, I
may as well turn my attention to the other por-
tions of fishing equipment which are necessary.

A landing-net is a sine qua non, for no fish
of any size can possibly be landed without its
aid, especially on fine tackle. There are ever
so many different varieties of nets made and sold,
some few of which are really good and practical
The great fault of the majority of landing-nets
is that they are too small in the bow, and the
net itself not deep enough. It is not so easy
as it may appear to land a large fish, even with
a good net, and the difficulty and risk of losing
it is considerably increased if it is too small and
shallow. The proper shape for the bow of a
landing-net is that of a pear, rather than circular ;
and it should also be of wood in preference to
iron, as being more convenient to carry. There
are several descriptions of folding-rings, amongst

LANDING-NETS 77

them one which consists of two thin pieces of
very strong iron spring which, when not in use,
are straight. When it is required to put the
net together, the two upper ends, which are
furnished the one with a socket, the other with
a tongue, are fitted to each other. The springs
are bent, and the other ends are fastened by
slipping the eye at the end of the spring on the
side over the screw at the end of the other ; the
latter being fixed into the handle secures the
whole, and a very nice portable net is produced.
For real hard wear and tear, however, there is
nothing better than, or as good as, the wooden
bow made of ash.

In rivers where wading is necessary, whose beds
are rocky, or in which loose stones abound, it is
well, and indeed necessary, to use a good stout
landing-handle, unjointed, and at least five feet
long, the end of it shod with iron, and fitted with
a strong spike in order to enable the fisherman to
feel his way amongst the rocks under water, and
to act as a stay against the force of the stream.
Without some such assistance wading is frequently
dangerous work. In rivers which do not necessi-
tate wading, the net can be carried on the strap
of the fishing bag or basket, the handle being
furnished with a joint and spring catch, the latter
to hold the net in place when the joint is opened.
There are many joints which have been designed

78 ROD AND RIVER

to meet this requirement, but I would advise
the use of those with the least possible amount
of mechanism as being less likely to get out of
order.

As regards the shape of the actual net itself,
it should be deep, and fuller at the bottom than
at the top, so as to prevent a fish jumping out
after it has been netted, a by no means impossible
or unusual thing when a net is shallow and small.
The material used for the netting should be fine
and very hard, and dressed with oil like a line ;
if this is not clone the flies are certain to catch
in the strands of cord at each and every possible
opportunity, and cause the very greatest annoy-
ance and trouble ; added to which, unless the net
is perfectly waterproof, after it has been used
it becomes a wet, flabby, hanging mess, capable
of wetting one's clothes very considerably. The
cord also shrinks up, and things are, generally
speaking, altogether uncomfortable. Such nets,
too, wear but badly, and it is therefore more
economical, as well as more comfortable, to pay
the higher price for material which is water-
proof. The mesh need not be as small as is
frequently the case ; the weight is doubled in
the excessively small mesh, and no one is desirous
of catching fish the size of sardines.

The use of fishing-baskets is now a thing of
the past. A basket is doubtless a very picturesque-

FISHING-BAGS v. BASKETS 79

looking affair, but it possesses no one other
advantage. It is heavy, it lets the wet in, is
perpetually swinging round just at the very time
it is most desirable to be free and unhampered,
as when getting over a fence, etc. ; and unless
it is large and furnished with divisions, fish, tackle,
and luncheon must all jostle about together, and,
as may be expected, agree as well as three tom-
cats in a sack. The tackle-book is smeared all
over with the blood and scales off the fish, sand-
wiches are rendered uneatable, and the fish get
bruised and knocked about. The convenient
little hole with which baskets are furnished, is
useless for anything but the smallest of fish to
be passed through, and in wet weather the rain
of course finds ready entrance through it. More-
over, unless baskets are constantly scrubbed out,
they are apt to smell most disgustingly.

The best arrangement instead of a basket is
a good-sized oblong bag, made of strong twilled,
waterproofed canvas, furnished with a broad
webbing strap and buckle. The strap should
at either end be provided with a stout brass
hook, the bag being fitted with brass eyes for
the latter to fit into. Outside the bag, a pocket
made of netting, with one or two leather tabs
to button on to the former, is by far the best
way to carry the fish, which latter are easily
shielded from the sun by cutting a handful or

8o ROD AND RIVER

two of long grass before putting them into the
netting. Inside, the bag may be furnished with
pockets and divisions as required, and a good
deep flap, also made to button, will serve to keep
tackle and luncheon dry. Nothing can be better
than this arrangement, which is both light and
waterproof, and also free from any one of the
objections which can be urged against the use
of a basket. What is termed the ' Freke ' bag
is an excellent arrangement. It is, however,
somewhat heavier than the bag which I have
described. It is useful for carrying very large
fish, but it is rarely necessary to carry such about
in a bag all day, and there are other means of
carrying them, which I will explain later on when
treating of salmon fishing.

There remains but one more necessary which
may at the present time claim our attention, viz.,
wading garments. The height of fishing-waders
must of necessity be very much determined by
the depth of the stream to be waded. Where
it is necessary to wade far out, or into deep
water, they should be made to reach close up
under the armpits ; otherwise up to the waist,
or even thighs only, may be high enough. They
are hot things to wear at any time, and unless
made to reach to the upper thigh only, are
most miserable to walk in ; but they are neces-
sary evils, and I would urge my readers never

WADING GARMENTS 81

to run the risk of wading, especially in cold
spring water, without them. Many a keen fisher-
man has ere this had to pay the penalty of so
doing, in after-life, by becoming paralyzed. I
myself, at one time, scorned to use waders, until
a medical man informed me how great a risk I
incurred ; for, as he explained to me, the spinal
cord is affected by the continuous action of the
cold water on the surface nerves, and (if the
practice is persisted in) paralysis is induced.
Am I correct in believing that the late Francis
Francis was one of the many who succumbed to
the latter malady ? If so, it was doubtless
hastened, if not brought about, by carelessness
in wading, etc. Since I have known better —
thanks to my friend's advice — I have either
used waders or forborne to enter the water.
Waders may be very dangerous, especially if
the fisherman is unlucky enough to slip into a
pool and so get them filled, the chances being
very much in favour of his difficulties being
serious. They are also dangerous in another
respect. Being waterproof, they check the per-
spiration, and so it is very easy to contract a
chill, especially when driving home after fish-
ing. Where circumstances admit, it is a wise
plan to change one's clothes entirely before
starting on the homeward drive. A cottage is
generally at hand, and the necessary change can

6

82 ROD AND RIVER

easily be brought in the carriage. Where
this is not practicable, the waders had better
be kept on, and a thick overcoat added to the
ordinary clothing, no matter how warm the
weather may be. With ordinary thigh-waders
these precautions may be unnecessary, but when
they reach up to the waist or arm-pits, a
chill in the loins may be but too easily con-
tracted, and the above preventive should be
made use of. All waders should be worn over
thick, long woollen stockings, and their feet pro-
tected from being cut by the stones which wash
in over the brogues by means of coarse, heavy
worsted socks pulled over them. Brogues made
of mail canvas and leather, and well hob-nailed,
are by far better than those of india-rubber.
They can easily be kept soft by means of grease
or dubbing, and will last for years with ordinary
care.

Mr. Cording sells an excellent description of
wading-boot, which comes up to the thigh, and
is made of india-rubber lined with leather. These
boots save a great deal of trouble, and are useful
for snipe-shooting, walking in deep snow, etc.,
as well as for fishing, and wear for years, and
will stand any amount of knocking about. They
are also light. Their price is necessarily some-
what high (four guineas), but they are well
worth that sum. A pair I possess have been

WADING BOOTS 83

in constant wear for nearly four years, and bid
fair to last me nearly as long again. I almost
live in them during the fishing season. When
they are at all hard, a couple of minutes' soaking
in water renders them perfectly soft and pliant.
The legs never get stiff. Mr. Cording will also
furnish, if requested, material for quickly mending
the india-rubber should the latter get torn or cut ;
but I am forced to admit that though I have had
occasion to push my way through many a thick
bush and fence, I have never found the india-
rubber sustain any serious damage. I may as
well remark, for the reader's benefit, that the
Mr. Cording I refer to is Mr. J. C. Cording,
19, Piccadilly.

With waders and a light short mackintosh,
the latter well ventilated, one can defy a very
considerable amount of rain and bad weather,
and be utterly independent. A small piece of
twilled mackintosh, about a square yard, is a
very handy adjunct to one's fishing-gear, whether
to sit on or kneel upon when casting on wet
ground. It is easily carried in the fishing-bag,
and weighs but a trifle.

[84]

CHAPTER V.

Trout-hooks — Requirements of a Good Trout-hook — Shape of
Trout-hooks — Bends of Trout-hooks — Limerick and Kirby
Bends — Necessary Strength of Hooks — A Bad Batch of
Hooks — Lightness Essential — Pennell Hooks — Eyed
Hooks v. Hooks tied on Gut — Eyed Hooks recommended
by Wade— Advantages of Eyed Hooks — Disadvantages of
Eyed Hooks— Shape of Eye for Eyed Hooks — Mr. Hall's
Pattern v. Mr. C. Pennell's — How to tie on an Eyed Hook
—Prejudices against Use of Eyed Hooks — Sizes of Trout-
hooks.

IF it is necessary that the rod, line, and gut
should be good, equally so is it that hooks should
be as perfect, both in shape and temper, as it is
possible to make them. To many people a hook
is a hook, but whether it is a good or a bad one
they are unable to determine ; they use it, and
so long as it catches a fish every now and again,
they are perfectly satisfied. It will be as well,
perhaps, if I try to describe the requirements of a
good hook.

Firstly, it must be of a good shape ; secondly,
it must be strong ; thirdly, there must not be
one particle of superfluous metal in its construc-
tion. It may appear to the reader that I am

TROUT-HOOKS 85

entering too minutely into detail by thus arguing
on the merits and demerits of such an apparently
insignificant article as a fish-hook. It is, never-
theless, a by no means insignificant matter, for
what is the use of anything else in the way of
fishing-tackle being good and carefully selected, if
the hook is not equal to the occasion ? I com-
menced my remarks, so to speak, from one end
of the link between the angler and the fish — the
rod. I might just as reasonably have commenced
at the other end of it— the hook ; for from the
hand of the fisherman wielding the rod to the
hook in the mouth of the fish, rod, line, gut, and
hook form, as it were, one link ; and it is of the
greatest consequence that that link should be as
perfect as possible throughout its entire length ;
it is therefore by no means a matter too trifling
to overlook, as to whether a hook is good or
bad. When fish are small, it perhaps matters
but little ; where, however, the reverse is the
case, and they are big and strong, bad hooks tell
their own tale soon enough, and a sorry tale it
often is.

Now, the shape of a hook should be such that
the point will readily enter the mouth of a fish,
and by means of the barb, retain its hold when
once the latter has passed through the flesh.
Trout-hooks are invariably small, and the smaller
they are the greater the necessity for their being

86 ROD AND RIVER

good. As a rule, the largest, wariest fish are
only to be taken by means of the smallest flies
and the finest gut. What, therefore, would be a
substantial hold in a small fish, would be but
a very small one in a trout of two or three
pounds ; and the little hook must be so shaped
as to be capable of fixing itself firmly in the
tough mouth of a trout. Much here depends on
shape. It will be observed that trout-hooks have,
for the most part, a side-twist, i.e., the barb and
shank are not in the same plane. This side-twist
is given for two reasons : firstly, that the barb
may more readily hook the fish ; secondly, that a
larger, deeper grasp may be secured.

Hooks also vary very much in the shape of
the bend — what is termed the Kirby bend being
somewhat square, the Limerick bend being rather
of an oval shape ; and in the latter the side-twist
is slight, as compared to that of the former.
Both bends are good ; but personally I prefer
the Limerick, the Kirby being to my mind a
weaker form, less suitable for large fish, and
more apt to break or bend than the other. Both
bends vary more or less from the standard
shape. The point of the Limerick is very fre-
quently thrown too much towards the shank at
the barb, and the point is made to turn too much
outwards again. Perhaps the best form of hook
is one with the Limerick bend, the portion from

BEND OF TROUT-HOOKS 87

the bend itself up to the point being almost
straight, and the side-twist but very slight. If
the barb is not too wide in the cut, and yet wide
enough to act perfectly, a hook thus made is very
quick in its action, and at the same time does not
make an unduly large hole in entering, conse-
quently there is less chance of its working out
when a fish is being played. I consider that if a
hook is thus shaped there is no necessity for the
side-twist, which, after all, is and must be con-
ducive to weakness. When a hook breaks, it
invariably does so at the bend, its weakest part ;
it therefore stands to reason that the side-twist
must weaken the iron still further. Salmon-hooks
have no side-twist, or, if they have, it is well-nigh
imperceptible, and the strata on. them is corre-
spondingly as great as that on a trout-hook.
Therefore, why the side-twist at all ?

I have said hooks must be strong. Their
strength is dependent on the temper of the metal.
Steel which is overtempered is brittle, and that
which is insufficiently hardened will bend. Neither
of these will do. It is the combination of both
which is requisite, and without this a hook is
useless. At times whole batches of hooks are
worthless ; worse than useless, because not only
is sport spoiled by their breaking or opening when
a strain is put on them, but fish are lost, and go
away pricked and scared, and will probably refuse

88 ROD AND RIVER

to rise again at a fly for a considerable time
The tempering of metal is at all times a task
which requires much skill and care ; and in so
minute an article as a fish-hook, the skill and care
demanded are necessarily very considerable. We
will suppose that a fisherman purchases a dozen
or two flies. The first one he hooks a fish with
breaks or bends, and he loses the fish. Let him
be very sure that all the other hooks will serve
him the same trick, for all were doubtless tied
from the same packet, and the whole batch pur-
chased by the flymaker was bad. If a hook is
good, it will neither break nor bend, be it ever
so small, unless very extreme force is used. On
the other hand, if it is bad, it can be readily
bent or broken with the fingers. I therefore
recommend my readers to make experiment for
themselves when purchasing flies. They will
avoid very much disappointment, to say nothing
of expense, by following out my advice, which
is very simple. I may also here observe that
it is ever a good habit to examine the hook,
and also the gut-cast, each time a fish is landed.
To do so is no trouble ; not to do so is to
perhaps run the risk of losing a fish and a cast
also.

The metal in a hook should be no more
than is absolutely necessary. The hook is not
the lure. It is the hook and gut which rather

PENNELL HOOKS 89

tend to militate against the success of the lure.
If anyone doubts the statement, let him make
experiment for himself by trailing his fly from
a bridge or any such-like place, and where he
is not visible to the fish beneath. They will
very probably take no notice of it. Let him
then break off both the hook and gut, and
drop the fly over the bridge. The chances are
that it will be speedily taken by a fish, though
doubtless as speedily rejected. Fish can see in
the water a great deal better than we can out of
it, and rest assured that the hook itself is by no
means invisible to them, and the larger and
heavier the metal, the less chance there is of
catching them. Moreover, for dry fly-fishing,
where it is absolutely essential that the fly should
float well on the top of the water, a hook must
be either very light, or else the amount of
hackling on the fly must be excessive in order to
support it.

The best shaped hook with which I am ac-
quainted is what is termed the Cholmondeley
Pennell pattern. I consider that this pattern
of hook is difficult to improve upon, save in one
particular, to which I propose to refer a little
later on. The bend, point, barb, etc., are, to my
mind, just what they should be.

And now comes a question regarding which
there is a great difference of opinion — I mean* as

90 ROD AND RIVER

to whether eyed hooks or hooks tied on gut are
the better. Eyed hooks are, where a single fly
is used on the cast, very much in favour nowa-
days, and they have very much to recommend
their adoption. They may be said to be an
innovation of recent years ; yet in a very excel-
lent little work, entitled * Halcyon ; or, Rod-Fishing
in Clear Water/ by H. Wade, published over
thirty years ago, the author recommends that
eyed hooks should be used for salmon-flies. He,
perhaps, little thought, when he advocated their
adoption, that they would come into so general
use.

The advantages which may be claimed for
eyed hooks are as follows :

1. There is no gut to perish, and unless the

dressing is worn out, the flies, therefore,
last for an indefinite time.

2. They are not so readily flicked off.

3. Flies tied on them are very portable ; a

stock sufficient to last a season may be
carried in a small box which would easily
fit into a waistcoat-pocket.

4. There is no gut to tangle.

5. They are also, as a rule, better made.

Against these may be set the following dis-
advantages :

i. They are heavier, and require more hackling
to keep them afloat.

SHAPE OF EYE FOR EYED HOOKS 91

2. They do not fall quite as lightly on the
water as those tied on gut.

As regards the eye of the hook, it depends
very much as to whether it is turned up or down.
In Mr. Hall's pattern it is turned up ; in xVIr. C.
Pennell's it is turned down. I prefer to use
Mr. Hall's pattern ; but, at the same time, I
believe Mr. Pennell's is more correct, both in
theory and practice, the chief drawback to the
latter being that the eye is so small that it is,
with very small flies, difficult to thread the gut
through it, especially at dusk. In his salmon-
hooks, it is so small as to be absolutely useless ;
only single gut, and that fine of its kind, can be
passed through, and it is utterly impossible to
double the gut back in the ordinary way. For
trout-flies, however, if I could but thread them as
quickly as those hooks of Mr. Hall's pattern, I
should always use them in preference, for I find
that fish will rise better at flies dressed on them.
Good as my sight has been, I do not think that
at any time of my life I could have seen to
thread them in a failing light (the best time in
all the twenty-four hours for fishing) without great
difficulty.

All kinds of knots have been devised to facili-
tate the firm tying-on of eyed hooks, the best of
which is one shown me by a friend, Major
Turle. It is very simple, and is as follows :

92 ROD AND RIVER

1 . Pass the gut through the eye from its under

side.

2. Make a simple loop with the end so passed

through round the other part of the gut,
but leave the loop somewhat open.

3. Draw the gut gently until this loop slides

down towards the fly and has passed over
the head ; then pull it tight, and cut off
the spare end of gut.

Nothing can be simpler, and this knot has the
advantage of being less liable to break or fray,
and it never comes undone, though, if it is desired
to untie it, a pin passed under any portion of the
knot and lifted up will at once detach the fly.

A friend of mine, an excellent fisherman, is
very much opposed to the use of eyed hooks,
and will not use them, for he asserts that the old-
fashioned plan of tying the hooks on gut is more
killing. Certainly the ordinary hook is lighter,
and, as I say, falls more lightly than the eyed
hook. But, for all that, the advantages of the
latter are so great that I should be sorry to have
to return to the use of the former ; and I find
that when fish are rising, and it is possible to put
a fly of any kind over them, the eyed hooks
answer well enough.

Trout-hooks run in regular sizes. These are
ooo, oo, o, i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 — ooo being the smallest.
Anything larger than No. 6 is unnecessary.

SIZES OF TROUT-HOOKS 93

From o upwards they are made long and short in
the shank ; ooo is, to my mind, too small for use.
I have used them, and have killed big fish with
them ; but they are too tiny, and by reason of
their being so very minute, it is most difficult to
tie a fly really well and neatly on them ; oo and o
are quite small enough for all ordinary purposes,
and no fly, save the black gnat, requires the
smallest size. The size I prefer is o or i.
It is surprising how very much larger than it
really is a hook appears when the fly is tied on it,
especially the various duns, which have upright
wings and long tails. It would seem to be
almost impossible to kill a fish of any size on so
small a hook as even No. i ; yet that and o may
be reckoned as being the most killing sizes. A
hook need be well made and tempered, when it
has to sustain the severe strain to which it is so
often subjected.

[94]

CHAPTER VI.

The Right Fly and the Wrong— Wasted Time— Science and
Sport — Beauty of Water-flies — Artificial and Natural Flies
—Wings v. Bodies — Mr. Richardson's Flies — The Water-
flies — Ephemera 'and Trichoptera — Quotations from
'Homes without Hands '--The Ephemera — The Tri-
chopterse — Duration of the Larval Period — Transportation
of Mayfly — Duration of Life of Ephemerae — Ephemerae
casting their Skins — Quotation from Kirby and Spence.

THE mere possession of a stock of fishing-tackle,
be it ever so good, and the ability to use it,
is insufficient to make a fisherman. Something
further than this is requisite. A knowledge of
the habits of fish, and of the natural flies
which the collection of artificials in his book
are intended to represent, is essential, and with-
out this latter his fly-book is but a sealed one
to the would-be successful angler. The larger
his stock of flies the more helpless and be-
wildered he must be as to which to select from
it. A little knowledge is better than none. Let
us take, for instance, the case of a man who is
altogether unacquainted with the natural water-
flies. He has, perhaps, been accustomed to fish

THE RIGHT FLY AND THE WRONG 95

on a certain river, and to use the local patterns,
which are but too frequently the poorest mis-
representations of the natural flies. He has
pinned his faith to some two or three of these
patterns, having had more or less success with
them. He finds himself on a river with which
he has had no previous acquaintance, and which
differs very considerably in character from that to
which he has hitherto been accustomed. The
weather, water, everything, are all that could be
desired. Fish are rising ; and good fish, too.
He puts on one of his standard flies, but to no
purpose ; he tries another, and yet a third, with
the same result. Though deftly cast, they pass
over the fish unheeded. Still the latter keep
rising — a flop here, a suck there. It is maddening
to him ; he cannot make out what is the special
fly which is attracting so much attention, for the
wind is from him, and the fish are feeding under
the far bank. In despair, he determines to try
them with yet another imitation ; and just as he
has completed the operation of changing, he
espies, during a temporary lull in the wind, a
natural fly sailing down within reach of him.
He succeeds in slipping his landing-net under it,
and congratulates himself on having, as he thinks,
secured it ; but, alas ! there is nothing to be seen
save the drops of water as the latter hang on the
knots of the meshes. The tiny ephemeral was

96 ROD AND RIVER

too wary to be captured by such means, and has
given him the slip ; nor does he get another
similar chance, for the light wind has again risen.
If he could but catch one fish, even a small
one, it would be something ; but no, it is not
to be.

Much valuable time has been wasted ; the rises
are gradually becoming less frequent, and ere long
the surface of the water is unbroken, save where
a moor-hen or a water-rat comes out to feed.
There is probably no rise again during the day—
at all events, not for some hours ; and so, after
more fruitless exertion, he gives the whole thing
up as a bad job and a fraud — blames the fish, the
river, everything, and wends his way moodily
homewards. It may happen that he overtakes,
or is overtaken by, some brother - sportsman,
whose well-filled basket excites his admiration,
the latter feeling, possibly, and not unnaturally,
dashed with a suspicion of jealousy. ' What were
they taking ?' he asks. * I tried everything I could
think of, but could do nothing with them.' On
being shown the fly, and referring to his book, he
discovers that he has a goodly stock of that
identical pattern, which he had never even
thought of trying, as they looked too insignifi-
cant and unattractive, and so had passed them
by. He, however, resolves to make full use of
them on the next occasion. A few days later

SCIENCE AND SPORT 97

the opportunity may offer for his doing so, and
he again tries his luck, with but little better
results ; and he comes to the conclusion that his
acquaintance of the previous day was not truthful,
and had purposely misled him. Not so, however ;
that one particular fly with which he had all day
long flogged away so unremittingly had not been
on the water at all — another, totally different,
had captivated the fish to the exclusion of every
other — and it is not until he has humbly con-
descended to admit that he knows nothing about
fishing, and has taken the trouble to learn some-
thing regarding this very essential portion of the
art, that he is rewarded by success. Then, indeed,
a fresh and increased interest is opened to him,
and he begins to rise superior to the very second-
rate style of things which had formerly served to
satisfy him. Thenceforward his career as a real
fisherman may be reckoned ; the sport possesses
a threefold charm for him, and he is able to
realize, not only how little he knew before, but
how much there is for him yet to learn, and that
a lifetime spent by the river-side will not suffice,
even though his entire energies may be devoted
to the sport, to teach him all and everything
connected with fishing. It becomes more than
mere sport ; it is a science.

Those who have taken no interest in them
have but a slight conception how very beautiful

7

98 ROD AND RIVER

the water-flies are, even to the naked eye. In-
spection under the microscope reveals indescribable
beauty and wonders. Thus, seen alongside of
the most exquisitely tied artificial, the latter,
appears but a gross caricature. What material
or what skill could ever imitate so marvellous a
structure ? How could so coarse-looking a lump
of feathers, bound together by such cart-ropy-
looking stuff as even the very finest of silk
appears, ever serve to deceive so lynx-eyed a fish
as a trout ? It is surely little matter for surprise
that on rivers which have been much fished the
trout grow shy, and scorn the lures presented to
them in the shape of artificial flies, or that in the
crystal waters of our chalk streams they are so
capricious and dainty in their choice. The
wonder is rather that they are ever deceived.
On my own river, where the fish are exceptionally
shy, it is a matter of difficulty, and one which
requires the greatest care and caution, the use of
the finest tackle and the most carefully-dressed
flies, to capture them.

I had for a long time been exercised in my
mind as to which of the two following details
in artificial trout-flies is of the greater importance
— viz., the wings or the body of the fly. Now,
it is well-nigh impossible to imitate, even coarsely,
the exquisite gossamer-like transparency of the
wing of a natural fly. There is no material which

ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLIES 99

can be employed that is at all similar to the latter.
That which is used for the majority of the best-
dressed artificials is a pinch out of a starling's
wing - feather ; yet there is no more actual
resemblance between this and the natural wing
than there is between the coarsest sail-cloth and
the finest gauze. Nevertheless, fish do take
flies so dressed, and goodly baskets are obtained
by their use. The bodies are not so difficult to
deal with, and by the aid of strips of quill, natural
and dyed, can be very fairly imitated, so far as
their appearance to the naked eye is concerned.
Here, then, was my difficulty.

As I have said, the fish in my own river are
most fastidious and difficult to catch, and on
anything like a bright day it is hopeless to try for
them.

Some two or three seasons ago a friend gave
me some half-dozen small trout-flies, which he
said had been sent to him by the inventor for
him to try, stating that they were dressed with
the natural wings of water-flies, prepared in some
manner so as to render them strong enough to
stand the wear and tear of fishing. I did not
look at them very closely at the time, and, being
occupied in discussing other matters,' put them
into my book and forgot all about them. The
following season, when searching for a suit-
able fly, and being unable to see what I

ioo ROD AND RIVER

required, I came across them, and examined
them. Two were dark-coloured duns, two
yellowish duns, and two a kind of red-spinner.
The dressing of the bodies seemed to me to err
on the score of sparseness ; they were rather too
under-dressed to please me ; but the wings were
marvellous. I examined them by the aid of a
pocket - glass, and could see that they were
evidently what they were stated to be — viz.,
natural wings, coated over, apparently, with some
thin, transparent preparation. I determined to
try one of them. The fish were not rising at all
freely ; but every one I succeeded in casting over
I took, and so long as my little stock lasted, I
never failed to hook, and generally to land, those
I could reach. I gave one of the six to a
friend, and I lost another in a bush ; the remaining
four lasted me far longer than the ordinary
feather-winged artificials would have done, and,
strange to say, never failed to do their duty, even
though the bodies of the latter were more like
those of the natural insect. Hence I came to
the conclusion that the winging of artificial
trout - flies is of greater importance than the
body.

This method of preparing natural wings is the
invention of a Mr. Richardson, and flies so
dressed by him are to be obtained at most of the
principal tackle-shops throughout the country. I

MR. RICHARDSON'S FLIES 101

can but advise my readers to try them for them-
selves. They are rather more expensive than
the ordinary feather-winged artificials, but I con-
sider that they are well worth the price charged
for them.

Mr. Richardson also dresses salmon-flies on the
same principle ; but though I have never tried
them, I do not for an instant suppose that they
would be found to answer, for inasmuch as a
salmon-fly is not supposed to represent any fly,
and is merely a lure in which the opening and
closing of the fibres of the feathers forms the
chief attraction, the use of natural wings cannot
be of the least advantage. In the case of trout-
flies, however, it is altogether different ; and with
the natural wings so prepared, and the bodies
carefully dressed, I do not think that imitation
could be more exact, and such should, in skilful
hands, prove well-nigh infallible.

It is not my intention to treat of matters
entomological further than is absolutely necessary
to give the reader such information respecting
the water-flies taken by trout for food as may
be essential for him to possess and suffice to
interest him.

The water-flies are divided into two classes,
viz., the Ephemera and the Trichoptera — in
other words, ' those whose lives last but for a
day,' and ' those which are hairy-winged/ That

io2 ROD AND RIVER

the former actually live but for so short a period
as one day is not really the case, for as a matter
of fact they exist for some three or four days,
unless they are laid low by over-severe weather,
or fall a prey to bird or fish.

For a description of the two, I can surely do
no better than quote the words of the Rev. J. G.
Wood in his interesting work ' Homes without
Hands,' and I feel that I should otherwise utterly
fail to express myself as I could wish ; and though
I dislike quotations as being frequently weari-
some to the reader, no one could ever fail to be
charmed with his writings, nor could I quote
a better authority. It was my good fortune as
a boy to know him, and I well remember his
showing me the blocks which he was then pre-
paring for the illustrations of his well-known
work on Natural History.

As regards the Ephemera he writes :

' . . . The greater number of insects are wholly
or entirely burrowers at some period of their
existence. It frequently happens that the very
insects which we most admire, which are decorated
with the most brilliant colours, and which soar
on the most ethereal wings, have passed the
greater portion of their lives beneath the surface
of the earth.

1 Take, for example, the well-known mayfly,
or ephemera, so called because its existence was

THE EPHEMERA 103

once thought to be comprised within the limits
of a single day. How delicate are its gauzy
wings ; how wonderful are the iridescent tints
which play over their surface with a changeful
radiance, like that of the opal on the pigeon's
neck ; and how marvellous is the muscular power
which enables the new-born being to disport
itself in the air for a period which in comparison
with our own lives is equal to at . least forty
years! It never seems to weary. It wavers up
and down, up and down in the air, together with
myriads of its companions, and for the greater
portion of its terrestrial existence is an inhabitant
of the air ; yet its life has not altogether been
spent in amusing itself, for it has passed an
existence of some three years or more hidden
from human gaze.

1 To-day it is a bright denizen of the sunbeams,
exulting in its beauty, and dancing in very
rapture in the air ; yesterday it was a denizen of
the mud, a slimy, crawling, repulsive creature,
breathing through the medium of the water, and
feeding greedily upon any prey that might come
within its reach. Yesterday, had it been removed
from the water and laid in the sunbeams, it would
have died as with poison, and in an hour would
have been reduced to a dry and withered sem-
blance of its former self; to-day, were it to be
plunged beneath the waters, it would quickly

io4 ROD AND RIVER

perish, and be shortly eaten by its former com-
panions. For it is fitted for a higher position
and a purer atmosphere, so that the element
which but a few hours ago was its very life has
now become a present death, and the food in
which it so lately revelled can no longer be
received into that etherealized form ' (Homes
without Hands/ page 120).

On page 381 he refers to the Trichoptera as
follows :

' There is an order of insects which is espe-
cially dear to anglers — not so much to fly-fishers
as to those who like to sit and look at a float
for several hours. This order is scientifically
termed Trichoptera, or hair-winged insects, and
the various species of which it is composed are
classed together under the familiar title of caddis-
flies.

' These insects may always be known by the
peculiar leathery aspect of the body, and by the
coating of hair with which the wings are covered,
the long hairs being spread over the whole sur-
face, and standing boldly out like a fringe round
the edge. They all have long and slender
antennae, and in some genera, such as Mystacida,
these organs are nearly three times as long as
the head and body, reminding the observer of
the lovely Japan moths (Adelae), whose delicate
antennae wave and glitter in the sunbeams like

THE TRICHOPTERA 105

stray threads of spider's web. For the perfect
insect the angler cares comparatively little. Imi-
tations in hair, feather, and silk are useful to the
fly-fisher, and are known to anglers by the eccen-
tric nomenclature by which such imitations are
called. It is the larvae in which the angler
delights. . . . We will now trace the life of the
caddis-fly from the egg to the perfect insect.

' In the breeding season the female may be
discerned to carry about with her a double bundle
of little greenish eggs, probably in order to expose
them for a certain time to the warm sunbeams
before they are immersed in the water. This
curious bundle is a long oval in shape, and is
bent sharply in the middle, its extremities being
attached to the abdomen of the insect. When
her instinct tells her of the proper time, she
proceeds to the water and attaches the eggs to
the leaf of some aquatic plant, often crawling
down the stem for several inches. The caddis-
fly is quite at home on the water, and, unlike
the dragon-flies, which are quite helpless when
immersed, can run on the surface with consider-
able speed, and on occasion can swim below the
surface with scarcely less rapidity.

' They may often be observed in the act of
running on the water, and while they are thus
employed, they often fall victims to some hungry
fish, which is attracted by the circling ripples

106 ROD AND RIVER

occasioned by the movement of the limbs. Fly-
fishers who are acquainted with the habits of
fishes and insects take advantage of their know-
ledge, and by causing their imitation caddis-fly to
ripple over the surface, or even to sink beneath
it, like the veritable insect, delude the unsuspect-
ing fish into swallowing a hook instead of a fly.

* In process of time the eggs are hatched, and
the young larvae then proceed to construct houses
in which they can dwell. These houses are
formed of various materials, and are of various
shapes, and, indeed, not only does each species
have its own particular form of house, but there
is considerable variety even in the houses of a
single species. . . . The materials of which the
nest is made depend greatly on the locality in
which the insect is hatched, and in a rather large
series of caddis nests now before me there are
some very remarkable instances of the manner
in which the insect has been obliged to adapt
itself to circumstances. The most common style
of case is that which is composed of a number
of sticks and grass-stems laid longitudinally upon
each other, like the fasces of the Roman consuls.
Of these I have specimens of various sizes and
shapes, some being barely half an inch long,
while others measure four times that length, the
sticks being placed sometimes so irregularly that
the home of the architect is not easily seen. The

INSECT ARCHITECTURE 107

creatures are not at all particular about the
straightness of the sticks, but take them of any
degrees of curvature. . . . Another case is made
of the hollow stems of some plant, apparently
that of a hemlock, to which are attached a few
slips of bark from the plants. Next comes a
series of cases in which the caddis larva has
contrived to secure a great number of cylindrical
grass-stems, and arranged them transversely into
several sets, making one set cross the other so as
to leave a central space in which the little archi-
tect can live.

' One or two cases are made wholly of bark,
apparently the cuticle of the common reed, a
plant which is very common in the Cherwell,
whence the cases were taken. In all probability
these strips of cuticle have been dropped into the
river by the water-rats while feeding on the
reeds.

* Several cases are made entirely of leaves,
mostly taken from the whitethorn, which grows
in great quantities along the banks of the above-
mentioned river. Then there are cases which
are entirely composed of sticks and leaves, these
materials generally occupying opposite ends of
the case. There is another series of cases made
up of fine grass, apparently the debris of hay
which has been blown into the water during the
summer, and having the materials laid across each

io8 ROD AND RIVER

other like the needles of a stocking - knitter.
Most of these cases are balanced by a stone.

' Next come a number of cases which are com-
posed of small shells, those of the Planorbis being
the most common, and having among them a few
specimens of the Limnaea, or pond-snail, and
many separate valves and perfect shells of the
fresh-water mussel. The caddis larva is an in-
corrigible kidnapper, seizing on any shell that
may suit its purpose, without troubling itself
about the inhabitant. It is quite a common
occurrence to find four or five living specimens
of the Planorbis and Limnaea affixed to the case
of a caddis larva, and to see the inhabitants
adhering to the plants and endeavouring to pro-
ceed in one direction, while the caddis is trying
to walk in another, thus recalling the well-known
episode of the Tartar and his captor. In these
cases the cylindrical body is made of sand and
small fragments of shells bound together with a
waterproof cement, and the shells are attached
by their flat sides to the exterior.

' There are several cases which are made entirely
of sand cemented together, some being cylindrical,
and others tapering to a point, like an elephant's
tusk. There are also examples of mixed struc-
tures, where the caddis has combined shells with
the leaf and twig case, and in one of these in-
stances the little architect has bent back the

MODE OF BUILDING 109

valves of a small mussel, and fastened them back
to back on its house. Beside these, there are one
or two very eccentric forms, where the caddis has
chosen some objects which are not often seen in
such a position. The seed-vessels of the elm are
tolerably common ; but I have several specimens
where the caddis has taken the operculum of a
dead pond-snail, and fastened it to the case ; and
there is an example where the chrysalis of some
moth, apparently belonging to the genus Porthesia,
has been blown into the water from a tree over-
hanging the stream, and seized upon by a caddis
as a unique ornament for its house. These
latter examples were found in a stream in Wilt-
shire, and the tusk-like sand-cases were found in
a disused stone-quarry in the same county.

' Various experiments have been tried upon the
larva of the caddis, in order to see its mode of
building. A lady, Miss Smee, has been very
successful in this pursuit, and has forced the
caddis larvse to build their nests of the most
extraordinary substances, such as gold - dust,
crushed glass, and other substances. They
would not, however, use beads, or anything
where the surface was smooth and polished.

' In this remarkable sub-aquatic home the caddis
larva lives in tolerable security, for the head and
front of the body are clothed in horny mail, and
the soft white abdomen is protected by the case.

no ROD AND RIVER

The food of the caddis is generally of a vegetable
nature, though there are one or two species which
live partly, if not entirely, on animal food. When
the larva has lived for its full period, and is about
to change into the pupal condition, it closes the
aperture of its case with a very strong net, having
rather large meshes, and lies securely therein
until it is about to change into the winged state.
It then bites its way through the net with a pair
of strong mandibles, comes to the surface of the
water, breaks from its pupal envelope, and shortly
takes to flight. The larger species ascend up the
stems of aquatic plants before leaving the pupal
skin, but the smaller merely stand on the cast
skin, which floats raft-like on the water.

1 There are one or two species whose cases are
not movable, but are fixed to the spot whereon
they were made. In order, therefore, to com-
pensate for the immobility of the case, the larva
has a much larger range of movement. In the
ordinary species, the creature holds itself to the
extremity of the case by means of hooks at the
end of its body, which can grasp with some force,
as anyone knows who has pulled a caddis larva
out of its house. But when the case is fixed, the
abdominal claspers of the larva are attached to a
pair of long foot-stalks, so that the creature can
extend its body to some distance from the entrance
of the tube.'

DURATION OF LARVAL PERIOD in

I feel sure that I need not apologize to the
reader for the length of the above extracts, in-
asmuch as the subject, especially as treated by its
author, is one of such great interest.

In writing of the Ephemera, Mr. Wood states
that they remain in the larval state for at
least three years ; but on referring to his work
' Insects at Home/ I find that he assigns a
period of two years. I conclude that, as the
latter work was written some time after the
former, the shorter period may be taken to be
the more correct.

I have consulted all the leading works on ento-
mology, and have also, in the absence through
illness of Professor Westwood, made inquiries at
the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford— indeed, done
my utmost to try and ascertain if the period is
definitely known — but I can obtain no positive
information. Suffice it to say that two years may
be taken to be the average time. There was, some
few years ago, a considerable amount of discussion
on the subject. At that time attempts were being
made to transport the mayfly (of course in its
creeper stage) ^from rivers where it was plentiful
to those where it was unknown. Hence the
controversy. On reference to the Ashmolean
Museum, I was informed that the results of these
efforts proved successful, but that it was a matter
of some difficulty and trouble to acclimatize the

ii2 ROD AND RIVER

creepers so transported, and that it is necessary
for their well-being that the mud in which they
are found should be taken with them. Where
this had not been done the experiment had failed,
but where it had been attended to it had been
successful. The mud so taken had, by degrees,
been incorporated with that taken from the river
into which it was desired to introduce the creepers ;
and so, by gradually and increasingly adulterating
the former with the latter, the creepers had become
accustomed to it and fitted to take up their new
quarters.

Kirby and Spence state that the lives of the
Ephemera vary in the creeper state from one to
three years, the several varieties differing con-
siderably in this respect. De Geer states that he
experimented with the larvae of mayflies, in order
to test the duration of the period in which they
remained in that stage, and with the following
results : Some, which he kept in Brittany, re-
mained in the larval condition for between one
and two years ; while others in North Holland
required three years to hatch out.

In his work on the ' Classification of Insects/
Professor Westwood states that De Geer suc-
ceeded in keeping some Ephemera alive for eight
days, and that a Mr. Stephens contrived to do
so for over three weeks ; adding that, if they had
been left to live in a natural state, they would

EXTRAORDINARY METAMORPHOSIS 113

probably have died as quickly as do the rest of
their species. Yet another quotation, from Kirby
and Spence, which will, I feel sure, prove of
interest to the reader.

In vol. iii., p. 296, the writer says :
* Some species of the . . . Ephemera are dis-
tinguished by another peculiarity, unparalleled, as
far as is known, in the rest of the insect world.
After being released from the puparium, and
making use of their expanded wings for flight,
often to a considerable distance, they have yet to
undergo another metamorphosis. They fix them-
selves by their claws in a vertical position upon
some object, and withdraw every part of the body,
even the legs and wings, from a thin pellicle
which has enclosed them, as a glove does the
fingers ; and so exactly do the exuviae, which
remain attached to the spot where the Ephemera
disrobed itself, retain their former figure, that I
have more than once at first sight mistaken them
for the perfect insect. You can conceive without
difficulty how the body, and even legs, can be
withdrawn from their cases ; but you must be
puzzled to conjecture how the wings, which seem
as thin, as much expanded, and as rigid as those
of a fly, can admit of having any sheath stripped
from them — much less how • they can be with-
drawn, as they are, through a small opening at
the base of the sheath. The fact seems to be

8

ii4 ROD AND RIVER

that, though the outer covering is rigid, the wing
enclosed in it, notwithstanding it is sometimes
more than twenty-four hours before the change
ensues, is kept moist and pliable. In proportion,
therefore, as the insect disengages itself from the
anterior part of the skin, the interior, or real
wings, become contracted by a number of plaits
into a form nearly cylindrical, which readily admits
of their being pulled through the opening lately
mentioned ; and as soon as the insect is released
from its envelope, the plaits unfold, and the wing
returns to its former shape and dimensions.

' Thus one little animal, having bid adieu to its
shirt and drawers, becomes, but in a very harm-
less sense, a genuine descamisado and sansculotte.
It does not seem improbable that the pellicle we
have been speaking of is analogous to that which,
in addition to the outer skin, encloses the limbs of
Lepidoptera, etc., in the pupa state, but which they
cast at the same time with the puparium, and
leave adhering to it.'

And again, in a preceding paragraph, where the
process of the expansion of the wings of flies
when emerging from the p'^pa, and the time taken
to perform the operation by them, is referred to,
he says :

' In a few genera, however, as the gnat . . .
and the Ephemera, this process is so rapid and
instantaneous that the wings are scarcely dis-

READY FOR FLIGHT 115

engaged from the wing-cases before they are fully
expanded and fit for flying. These genera quit
the pupa at the surface of the water, from which,
after resting upon it for a few moments, they take
flight. But this would evidently be impracticable,
and immersion in the fluid, and consequent death,
would result, were not the general rule in their case
deviated from.'

[n6]

CHAPTER VII.

List of Flies for Trout-fishing— The Stone-fly— The Mayfly—
The Spent Gnat— The Virtues of the ' Wickham '—Varieties
of Artificial Mayflies — Mr. Green's Pattern — Drying the
Mayfly — The Blow-line — True Sport — Patterns of May-
flies— The Gray Drake and Spent Gnat— The March
Brown— The Blue Dun— The Olive Dun— Four Useful
Flies— Detached Bodies— The Yellow Dun— The Iron-
blue Dun — The Jenny Spinner — The July Dun — The
August Dun — The Little Pale-blue Dun — Spinners —
Dressings of Spinners — Local Names of Flies — Theakstone
on ' British Angling Flies.'

I PROPOSE to devote the present chapter to the
consideration of the artificial flies which I have
placed on the following list.

The various dressings are taken from the best
authors on the subject. I have selected only those
flies and those patterns which I have proved to
be really reliable, and which I deem to be indis-
pensable. The list is apparently a long one.
Such, however, is not really the case, if it be com-
pared with the lists usually given, and I have en-
deavoured to curtail it as much as possible. In
most instances the letters W. F. will be observed
against one of the dressings given for each fly ;

LIST OF TROUT-FLIES

117

these letters I have put to indicate that it is, of
the two or three different patterns there referred to,
the one which is most suitable for down-stream
work with a wet-fly.

The authors to which I refer are Francis
Francis, Ronalds, Halford, Theakstone, etc.
Halford's patterns, save where they are dressed
hackled, are more suitable for dry-liy work.

Where either author makes mention of any
points of interest regarding any particular fly, I
have added such observations, as also anything
which I have myself noticed from time to time,
which I think may be of service to or interest
the reader.

LIST OF TROUT-FLIES.

1. *The stone-fly.

2. *The mayfly.

3. *The gray drake.

4. *The spent gnat.

5. *The march-brown

(male and**female).

6. **The blue dun.

7. The blue quill.

8. ** The olive dun,

dark, **medium and
**light.

9. The yellow dun.

10. **The iron-blue dun.

1 1. The jenny spinner.

12. The July dun.

13. The August dun.

14. The little pale-blue

dun.

15. The great red

spinner.

1 6. **The red spinner.

17. *The brown spinner.

1 8. The claret spinner.

19. **The red quill.

20. **The alder.

21. Large silver sedge.

22. **Small silver sedge.

23. **Orange sedge.

n8 ROD AND RIVER

24. Dark sedge.

25. **Thegrannom(male

and **female).

26. **The needle-brown.

27. The silver horns.

28. The hawthorn fly.

29. The peacock fly.

30. **The gold - eyed

gauze-wing.

31. The black gnat.

32. The red ant.

33. The cowdung-fly.

34. Coch-y-bonddhu.

35. **The Wickham's

fancy.

36. The red tag.

37. The coachman.

38. The governor.

39. The orange bumble.

40. The claret bumble.

Nos. i, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 15 are, of course, only
indispensable on those rivers where they have
their several seasons. The other flies are to be
found more or less on all rivers. The angler
cannot well do with a less number than those
which I have marked *. Those marked * * are
specially necessary ; indeed, all which I have enu-
merated may well find a place in his stock-book.

I have given several different dressings of each
fly. Those given with the yellow dun are
numerous, the dressings in many instances being
variously styled.

All the dressings named are the best of those
quoted by the first authorities, and I have been
careful to exclude any which I am not well
assured by experience are unrivalled. The
reader can therefore make his selection without
fear of going wrong, since all are good and re-
liable.

THE STONE-FLY

119

THE STONE-FLY (?ERLA).

This fly is more frequently to be met with in
the Northern counties than elsewhere. To any-
one unacquainted with the peculiarities of both
flies, it is at first sight not unlike the mayfly ;
and, indeed, in some parts of Yorkshire it is so
miscalled. As, however, the mayfly and the
stone-fly do not make their appearance at the
same time, the latter being on the water in May,
the former rarely before June, it would be unlikely
for anyone who is well acquainted with the may-
fly to make the mistake.

When the stone-fly is well on the water, the
fish take it as greedily as they do the mayfly in
the stream where the latter abounds. I do not
think that it is otherwise than rare to find both
mayfly and stone-fly inhabiting the same river. I
do not desire to positively assert that such is
never the case ; but, judging from my own ex-
periences, I think that I am not wrong in
expressing such an opinion.

The artificial representation of the stone-fly
does not appear to find much favour amongst
fishermen, the latter, as a rule, preferring the use
of the natural fly, wading up stream and casting
with it into every likely spot. By pursuing this
method, and using fine tackle, a great number of
fish may be taken. It is, however, with the creeper

120 ROD AND RIVER

of this fly, during the month of April, that the
Northern fishermen make their heaviest baskets.
The creeper is fished with under water, being
sunk by means of a small split shot or two ; it is
one of the most deadly baits which can be em-
ployed to catch fish. To my way of thinking, all
such baits savour very much of the wriggling
worm, and I have little or no sympathy with such
a style of fishing. Nevertheless, I do not desire
to run down those who differ with me : ' Chacun a
son gout,' and there is no accounting for tastes ;
but, as we have seen, even a creeper is a thing of
life, and possesses a certain amount of intelli-
gence, though hideous to behold, and it must
experience but a sorry time of it when impaled on
a hook.

Like many other flies, the male of the stone-fly
is smaller and darker than the female. Fish
generally prefer the latter sex in the case of all
flies, by reason of the extra nutriment to be ob-
tained from the eggs with which they are laden.

The wings of this fly are four in number, and
are coarser and stronger than those of the mayfly.
The under wings are very much larger in propor-
tion than is the case with those of the latter fly,
which are singularly small as compared with the
over wings.

The motion of the stone-fly on the water is
peculiar, and markedly different to that of the

DRESSING OF STONE-FLY 121

mayfly. The latter flutters over the water ; the
stone-fly hops and runs about on its surface.

The tails of the stone-fly are two in number,
those of the mayfly three, and are longer and
more delicate.

I consider that the dressing which Ronalds, in
his work entitled * Ephemera/ gives of this fly is
the best, so I append it :

Body : Hare's ear mixed with yellow worsted,
ribbed with yellow silk, leaving most yellow at
the tail end of the body.

Wings : From a quill feather of the hen pheasant's
wing.

Legs : A hackle stained greenish-brown (I con-
clude he means by a hackle a pale dun hackle),
or of a natural dark grizzle.

Hook 4 or 5 (long).

THE MAYFLY (EPHEMERA).

This is by far the largest of the Ephemera. In
the extract which I have quoted from * Homes
without Hands,' I have said very nearly all there
is to say respecting this fly. As has been re-
marked, it, in common with the rest of the tribe,
casts its skin.

There is some difference between the male and
the female fly, the latter being preferred by the
fish. When first hatched, both male and female

122 ROD AND RIVER

are styled ' green drakes.' After the casting pro-
cess has taken place the female becomes the * gray,'
and the male the ' black,' drake. In this stage
they may be said to have attained to the perfect
state — the imago. In this state they breed, and,
having performed their duty, fall on the water and
die.

As I have observed, the mayfly is rarely on
the water before June. Towards the end of May,
here and there one or two stragglers may be seen ;
but it is not till the first week in June, save under
very exceptional conditions of weather, .that the
angler's carnival — for this it may be termed —
really commences.

At first the fisji do not appear to take to the
mayflies, though why this should be I have never
been able to understand. Certain it is, however,
that at this time there is better sport frequently to
be obtained with the alder, or some such fly, than
with the mayfly. In the course of a day or two,
when the ' rise ' is on, the fish race eagerly at the
fly, and go nearly mad, and, as may be supposed,
there is sport to be had.

There are generally two or three ' rises ' during
the day. (By the term ' rise ' is meant the
hatching out of a batch of flies.) The first of
these usually takes place about ten o'clock, the
second about two or three, and the third a few
hours later. These times are apt to vary, the

THE MAYFLY 123

weather, of course, having a marked influence.
If, as not infrequently happens, a cold, dull day
intervenes, there may be scarcely any rise at all
worth speaking of. Again, it may be observed,
the times of the rise grow somewhat later day by
day.

A perfect summer day will suffice to bring the
mayfly out in full force. Of course, a succession
of such days necessarily shortens the mayfly period,
for inasmuch as there must be a limit to the
number of flies waiting to be hatched out, the
more favourable the weather the more rapid the
process will be.

The fly rarely remains on the water longer
than a fortnight or three weeks. There are, of
course, exceptions to this, as to everything else,
and some three or four years ago, when I was
fishing in Hampshire, the fly lasted for a whole
month.

I would caution those of my readers who may
not have had experience of mayfly fishing not
to be too sanguine regarding their anticipations
of the sport they may obtain. In those districts
where the mayfly prevails, every fisherman looks
eagerly forward to its approach, and great are
the preparations made annually.

Too often, alas ! are their hopes frustrated by
reason of unsuitable weather. It is a time of
year when, despite the bright sunshine, easterly

i24 ROD AND RIVER

winds are frequently the order of the day, and
the artificial fails to do its duty. On the best
portions of the river the wind is often adverse,
and renders casting extremely difficult, and at
times well-nigh impossible. Fishing under such
circumstances is very trying to one's patience
and temper, more so than if the fish were not
rising at all. All the best fish in the river may
be out on the feed, despite the fact of the wind
being from the east, and yet to get the fly over
them is so difficult a matter. On such occasions,
too, the fish come short at the artificial fly, and
will not allow themselves to be fairly hooked,
but get off * pricked/ and in consequence are
rendered all the more shy for the future. At
such times the water appears over-transparent,
the finest and most carefully stained gut will
glitter, and no amount of wetting or use serves
to moisten it, for the instant it is off the
water it is dried by the grasping east wind.
Things go wrong altogether, an'd the results of
a hard day's work, trying to angler and rod
alike, are under these circumstances bitterly dis-
appointing. The worst of this kind of weather is
that it generally continues for several days, and
not unfrequently during the whole of the month.
Let the wind but shift to south or west, or a mild
drizzling day intervene, and many a goodly trout
will find its way into the basket of the fisherman.

THE SPENT GNAT 125

Perhaps the best sport of all is to be obtained
with the spent gnat, a term used to describe
the mayfly when it is exhausted after laying its
eggs, and floats dead or dying on the water.
After the fly has been some few days on the
water, the spent gnat may be observed towards
evening, and then a good imitation of it will
often prove most successful.

Mr. Wood states that the mayfly lives but a
few hours only. Now, if this is so, it surely
appears somewhat strange that, although there may
have been a heavy rise of fly for some few days,
the spent gnat does not appear, except very
occasionally, on the water during those days.
When, however, it is on, it is, in my opinion,
more killing than the fly in its former stages.

In the list of flies which I have given, I have
named ' the Wickham's fancy,' so called from
its inventor, Dr. Wickham, of Winchester. It
is perhaps one of the very best all-round flies
known to fishermen. It is a description of red
spinner, ribbed with a red hackle and gold twist,
over a flat gold body. When fish are to be
caught, it is rarely that the ' Wickham ' fails to
do its duty. I refer to it here because, as I
have before remarked, there are times during
the mayfly season, even when the rise is
heavy, when the fish are not to be taken with
the artificial mayfly. On such occasions, my

126 ROD AND RIVER

advice to the reader is to try the Wickham,
and he may rest assured that if it also fails
he will have to be content with but a poor day's
sport.

There are all sorts and descriptions of artificial
mayflies. A pattern which will do well on one
river may be found to fail elsewhere. It is
difficult to account for this being so ; still more
strange is it that it at times happens that on
different portions of the same river it is neces-
sary to use a different pattern. On a river, one
of the best of our English trout streams,
with which I am very well acquainted, formerly
renting a small fishing on it, either of two or
three different patterns will kill equally well,
except in a portion, some two miles above my
own fishing, and for a distance of perhaps another
two miles, where these patterns were utterly use-
less, and another, totally unlike them, was the one,
and only one, to be relied on.

For general use there is, perhaps, no better
pattern of mayfly than ' Hammond's champion/
so called after its inventor, the well-known gun
and fishing-tackle maker in Winchester.

For my own use I prefer one which I procured
from Mrs. Brocus, Rochester Row, Victoria Street.
When ordering it from her, I always describe
it as ' Mr. Green's pattern/ because it was given
to me by a friend of that name, a well-known

ARTIFICIAL MAYFLIES 127

Hampshire fisherman. It is somewhat small,
and therefore, not being overburdened with
feathers, is more quickly dried than the larger
patterns. Artificial mayflies with cork bodies
are also excellent on some streams. I think,
however, that I must give the preference to those
dressed with straw bodies. It is, however, for
the reader to decide for himself, for it is impossible,
for the reason I have given above, to lay down
any hard and fast rule on the subject. It must
depend on the river, and experience alone can
tell him which pattern best suits the stream for
which he requires it.

In mayfly-fishing it is the drying the fly which
is the trouble ; the wings are necessarily large,
and it takes a deal of whisking about to dry
them thoroughly, and this is not only very tiring
work to the fisherman, but very trying to a rod.
I would here impress upon the reader that it
is far better to go to the trouble of changing
a mayfly which has become too soaked to dry
quickly, than to strain his rod and probably his
arm also, unless he has two rods, and an attend-
ant to carry the one not in use, whom he can
trust to do the drying part of the work for him
whilst he is using the other rod. It is a great
mistake to attempt to use a mayfly before it is
properly dried ; to do so only increases trouble
in the long-run, for the wings must be upright,

128 ROD AND RIVER

and the fly must float well, otherwise it presents
the appearance of a flabby, tangled mass of
feathers to the fish, who, as may be sup-
posed, turn up their noses in derision at the
palpable imposture. Moreover, if the cast is
made when the wings are wet and hanging
round the hook, the fly will very probably be
ruined.

Fishing with the ' blow-line,' i.e., a light floss-
silk line, and the natural fly, is practised on some
rivers, and is especially in vogue on the lakes
of West Meath, in Ireland. I have never tried
it, but I am given to understand that excellent
sport may be thus obtained. Perhaps if I were
to go there I might be induced to take to it ;
but the artificial fly ever possesses the greater
charm for me, and seems to be so much more
sporting a method. It is not the number of
fish caught which affords the pleasure to the true
sportsman, so much as the way they are caught,
and the difficulties which have to be encountered
to circumvent them. This system of blow-line
fishing requires some little skill and practice, so
I am given to understand. That is, at all events,
one point in its favour, for the more the chances
are equalized the truer the sport, whether the
quarry be fox, fish, or game. Any fool can kill
a fox by foul means, if he is scoundrel enough
to try, but such would not be spcrt. Why, then,

THE BLOW-LINE SYSTEM 129

should a fish be treated less fairly ? Of all sport-
ing quarries, a fox, a snipe, and a trout hold
the place of honour in my estimation. All these
require no little science and skill to circumvent
honestly and fairly, and the man who can lay
himself out to encompass the destruction of any
one of them by illegitimate means cannot be
considered a true sportsman.

The following may be of use to those who
adopt the blow-line system. It was told me
many years ago, by a namesake, a very good
fisherman, and, as it has the merit of being
humane, I here mention it. If, instead of impaling
the mayfly, a tiny piece of bird-lime is placed on
the bend of the hook, and the latter, thus pre-
pared, between the wings of the fly, not only
is the cruelty of impalement avoided, but the fly
will last much longer, and be infinitely more
attractive by reason of its being thus kept
alive.

The following are dressings of the mayfly.
The dyes referred to by Mr. Hal ford are those
which he treats of in his book on artificial fly-
making, and which were prepared for him by
Messrs. Crawshaw. The numbers are those by
which he designates the several colours, of which
he gives a table from No. i to No. 9. I have
selected those which I consider the most suitable
for general use :

9

1 30 ROD AND RIVER

HALFORD.

Wings : Rouen drake (dyed in No. 9).

Head : Bronze peacock herl.

Throat-hackle : Gray partridge, dyed in strong

tea.

Ribbing- hackle : Pale ginger cock's hackle.
Body : Straw or maize, ribbed with crimson tying-

silk.
Tails : Brown mallard.

Hook 2, 3, or 4 (long).

HAMMOND'S CHAMPION.
Wings : Mallard, dyed a yellowish olive.
Throat : Gray partridge hackle, dyed as above.
Ribbing : Lightish-red hackle and fine gold-
wire.

Body : Lemon or buff chenille.
Tails : Very dark blue hackle.

FRANCIS FRANCIS.

Wings : Drake or teal, dyed in Judson's canary,
and afterwards in Judson's slate dyes.

Throat : Two turns of sandy-red hackle, and over
this three turns of bright speckled florican, or
a light speckled partridge-feather dipped in
onion dye.

Body : Straw, ribbed with burnt-sienna-coloured
silk.

Tails : Three whisks of brown hen or pheasant.

THE GRAY DRAKE AND SPENT GNAT 131
RONALDS.

Body : The middle part of pale straw-coloured
floss-silk, ribbed with silver twist ; the ex-
tremities of brown peacock's herl, tied with
light-brown silk thread.

Tails : Three rabbit's whiskers.

Wings and legs : Made buzz from a mottled
feather of the mallard, stained a pale greenish

olive. W. F.

Hook 5, 6, or 7 (long).

THE GRAY DRAKE.

RONALDS.

Body : The middle part of white floss-silk, ribbed
with silver twist ; the extremities of brown
peacock's herl, tied with brown silk.
Tails : Three rabbit's whiskers.
Wings and legs: Made buzz from a mottled feather
of the mallard, stained a faint purple. W. F.
Hook 5, 6, or 7 (long).

THE SPENT GNAT.

HALFORD.
Wings : Four blue ginger - pointed Andalusian

hackles.

Head : Bronze peacock herl.
Throat : Gray partridge.
Ribbing : Badger cock's hackle.

i32 ROD AND RIVER

Body : White floss-silk, ribbed with a strand of
peacock's herl, which is cinnamon-coloured at
the root, and dark at the point, the dark portion
being worked at the tail end.

Tails : Brown mallard.

Hook 2, 3, or 4 (long).

THE MARCH BROWN (EPHEMERA).

This fly is not to be found on all rivers, and I
have never seen it on those in Hampshire.
Where it is met with it affords great sport.

Here, again, there is a marked difference
between the male and female. The latter is the
larger and lighter in colour, especially as regards
the wings.

Like the mayfly, it rarely appears in the month
from which it takes its name, and is not usually
on the water before April, except in a very early
season. It is termed the 'cob-fly' in Wales.

There is another fly, which makes its appear-
ance in August, called the ' August dun/ and
which is very similar to the March brown — so
much so as to induce the belief that it is a
second, later edition of that fly. It also is an
excellent fly. I shall refer to it later on.

No fisherman should be without two or three
sizes of the March brown in his book, for it is
one of the most useful of all flies, and will often
kill fish when nothing else will, especially if fished

THE MARCH BROWN 133

wet, and at all times of the season. Why this
should be so I cannot say. In one river on which
I formerly fished, the only fly which fish could be
induced to take was a large March brown. After
days of fruitless efforts, I was advised by an old
hand on the river to try a pattern of fly he gave
me, which proved to be a large March brown. I
followed his advice, and with very considerable
success ; the fish were large and fairly plentiful.
I had previously tried them with every fly in my
book, save this one. Now, why they should have
manifested such a decided preference for this one
particular fly to the exclusion of any others, I
fail to understand. I most certainly never saw
any fly at all resembling a March brown on that
river at any time of the season.

For either river or lake fishing this fly is equally
useful. I have never seen a salmon-fly of this
description that I can remember, but I dare say
such a pattern would be found equally efficacious
for salmon as for trout. It is a very sporting,
' varmint '-looking fly, and I see no reason why,
if trout and sea-trout take it, as both do, their
grander relations should consider it beneath their
notice.

This fly casts its skin, and becomes the ' great
red spinner,' which in some districts is known
as the 'light mackerel.' It is a good evening
fly, and bears a high reputation amongst anglers.

134 ROD AND RIVER

Personally, I prefer this latter fly dressed rather
small than over-large. If tackle-makers would
but put a little less dressing in their trout-flies,
and a little more in their salmon-flies, I am of
opinion that fishermen generally would be the
gainers.

The dressing of the great red spinner will
be given elsewhere with that of the red spinners.
Those for the March brown are as follows :

MALE FLY (RONALDS).

Body : Fur off hare's face, ribbed with olive silk,

and tied with brown silk
Tails : Two strands of a partridge-feather.
Wings : Quill feather from the middle of a hen

pheasant's wing, which may be found of the

exact shade.
Legs : A brown mottled feather from the back of

a partridge.

Hook 2, 3, or 4 (long).

I conclude that the feather from which the tails
are to be taken is a brown partridge hackle.

FEMALE FLY.

Body : Pale olive-green silk, ribbed with fine gold

twist.
Legs: A honey dun hackle that is less bright

than a golden dun.

DRESSINGS OF MARCH BROWN r35

Wings : Upright — the same as for the male* fly ;
but the hackle will impart a lighter shade.

In Wales it is dressed hacklewise, with a brown
mottled partridge-feather, and ribbed with pale-
green silk.

The above dressings of this fly may be used
with success again in July.

MALE FLY (FRANCIS FRANCIS).

Body : Dark-brown fur from hare's ear or face,

ribbed with tawny yellow silk.
Legs : Hackle from a partridge's back.
Tails : Two strands of a partridge's back.
Wings : The dark, mottled, and blurred feathers

from a cock pheasant's wing.

FEMALE FLY.

Legs : From a partridge's breast-feather.
Tails : From a partridge's breast-feather.

A few strands of any olive-coloured fur may be
introduced amongst the hare's ear, and the wing
a shade lighter than that used for the male fly.
The rest of the fly the same as that for the
male.

I think that there should be a very marked
difference between the colour and size of these
two flies, and that the wing of the female fly
should be, in the latter case, taken from the

136 ROD AND RIVER

lightest quill feather in a partridge's wing. The
size of hook should be, for general use when the
fly is on the water, No. i for the male, and No. 2
for the female — anyhow, there should be the
difference of a size between the two.

I consider the dressings given by Francis
superior to those given by Ronalds, whether used
wet or dry.

THE BLUE DUN (EPHEMERA).

The ' blue dun,' * blue upright ' as it is called
in Devonshire, is one of our best and most im-
portant flies, and is to be met with on nearly
every river, and at every season throughout the
year. Ronalds, Theakstone, and other good
authorities, identify this fly with the olive dun.
I am well aware that the latter varies very con-
siderably in colour, from dark purple to palest
olive, according as the weather is cold and dark,
or the reverse.

Theakstone says that ' the " blue drake " ' (as he
terms this fly), ' which hatches in cold weather,
appears to cast off three protective skins. After
the first, she is of a lighter shade, and a smarter
fly ; second, she is orange ; and the third or last,
when in a state of nudity, or stripped to the (true)
skin, a lemon or straw colour.'

There is a very great difference of opinion
regarding this fly, many people nowadays in-

THE BLUE DUN 137

clining to the belief that the different coloured
duns are no more or less than one and the same
fly, the variety of colour being due to the influence
of the weather. Now, it is not for me to gainsay
the dictum of such authorities as have so stated
their opinions that this is the case ; but if it is so,
I fail to understand how it happens that so many
spinners, evidently of the dun tribe, and so vary-
ing in colour, are to be seen on the water at the
same time ; and if, as is generally admitted, the
blue dun changes to a red spinner, and is the
same fly as the olive dun, whence comes the ' olive
spinner'? The latter is a fly well known to all
Hampshire fishermen, nor is it peculiar to that
district, for I have seen it repeatedly elsewhere.
My own impression is that the blue dun, olive
dun, and yellow dun are three distinct flies ;
the first changing to the red, the second to the
olive, and the third to the pale-yellow spinners.
Again, if the blue dun or the olive dun are
the same fly, it is surely strange that the fly
known as the blue quill, a hot-weather edition
of the blue dun, should be on the water on the
same day as the olive dun. I may be wrong,
but the conclusion I have come to is, that while
all the olive duns are the same fly, varying in
shade according to weather, so, in like manner,
the blue dun and the quill gnat, the yellow
dun and all its paler shades, are severally the

138 ROD AND RIVER

same flies. I have no desire to state this as a
positive fact, because I have no right to be
positive regarding a subject which I have neither
proved nor am able to prove. I only express my
belief. Perhaps some one of my readers may be
able to solve the problem.

There are various dressings of the blue dun,
the wings in nearly every instance being taken
from the wing- feather of the starling, light or
dark-coloured, as may be desired. The body is
at times represented by fur from the hare's ear,
at others by a strip of quill taken from the wing-
feather of the starling, or a feather of similar
colour and texture. These two dressings are the
most common, and I think the best ; nor can
there be any better fly, for general use, than the
hare's ear, whether ribbed with gold tinsel or
without. Mr. Hal ford is loud in its praise, and
quotes a case where a friend of his, a noted fisher-
man, uses scarcely any other fly throughout the
season. I think I know to whom he refers,
and if so, he is certainly one of the best and
most successful of our Hampshire anglers. I
myself also owe this pattern of fly many a
debt of gratitude, and can vouch for its attrac-
tive powers, when other flies have proved
useless.

Ronalds calls this fly the ' cocktail ' ; he states
that it lives some three or four days in its first,

RONALDS' DRESSINGS 139

the pseudimago state, before changing to the red
spinner. He dresses it thus :

Body : Fur from hare's ear or face, spun very
thinly on fine yellow silk, and wound on
thickest at the shoulder. Some of the hare's
ear is picked out to form the legs.

Tail : Two fibres of a dun hackle.

Wings : From a quill feather of the starling's
wing, which may be slightly stained in onion
dye. If a sufficient quantity of the hare's ear
cannot be picked out for the legs, two or three
turns of a ginger dun hackle may be added,
and will help to keep the wings upright. Put
these on last, whipping them on the bare hook,

and finish at the tail.

Hook No. 2 (grayling).

Another dressing which he states to kill well
till June is thus made :

Body : Yellow silk waxed, with a very little blue
dun fur, from rat, mouse, mole, or rabbit, spun
upon the silk, so that the yellow shows through
the body, tapering from shoulder to tail.

Legs : Four or five turns of a honey dun hackle.

Wings : From a starling's wing-feather, put on
last on the bare hook, so as to stand up boldly.
(The silk to be waxed lightly.)

I am somewhat surprised that so good an
authority as Ronalds should advise, as in the

140 ROD AND RIVER

first of these two dressings, that the hackle should
be put on last. It is at best but a clumsy arrange-
ment, and utterly unworthy of one whose patterns
are so generally perfect.

FRANCIS FRANCIS.

Wings : Light or dark starling wing-feather, as
required.

Hackle : Blue dun.

Body : Two or three strands from the long droop-
ing feathers of the heron's breast, ribbed with
fine straw-coloured silk, for a light-coloured fly.
For a darker one, the strands to be taken from
the wing of the heron.

Tails : Blue dun.

He decries the use of silk for bodies of flies, as
being liable to vary in colour. He objects to the
use of hare's ear for the body as being too rough,
and prefers the use of a strip of quill to the above
dressing of heron's feathers, also suggesting that
the hackle would be improved by being stained
in slightly yellow dye.

HALFORD.

Wings : Light starling or snipe.

Body : Pale mole's fur, or fur from a water-rat,

spun on primrose silk.
Hackle and tails : Pale-blue dun.

Hook o, oo, or ooo.

THE OLIVE DUN 141

GOLD-RIBBED HARE S EAR.

Wings : Medium or pale starling.

Body and legs : The body is formed of dark fur
from a hare's face, ribbed with fine flat gold,
and the hare's fur picked out at the shoulder
to form the legs.

Tails : Red cock's beard hackle.

Hook o or oo.

BLUE QUILL.

Wings : Light starling.

Body : Peacock's quill (stripped).

Hackle and tails : Pale-blue dun.

Hook o, oo, or ooo.

A dressing of the Devonshire l blue upright.'
The three last dressings are, in my opinion, the

best. Either can be used wet or dry, as may be

desired.

THE OLIVE DUN (EPHEMERA).
There are several dressings of this fly, viz.,
dark, medium, and light. The bodies of the first
two are at times made with wool instead of quill,
either material being dyed, as are also the hackles.
When dressed with wool, they are frequently
ribbed, or tipped, with gold tinsel. The latter
will be found advantageous for grayling, these
fish having a decided predilection for a little

142 ROD AND RIVER

finery. Many people object to the use of wool
bodies for this fly. Flies so dressed certainly do
not look as smart, nor are they apparently as good
imitations as those made with quill. ' Experientia
docet ' ; I have myself found them kill the better
of the two.

If I were restricted to the use of four flies only,
I should make the following selection, viz., olive
dun, hare's ear, red spinner, and iron blue,
stipulating, of course, to be allowed two or three
shades of the first ; and unless any special rise,
such as the grannom or mayfly, were on the
water, I think I could safely back myself to
kill fish with these as well as with a larger
selection.

The pale olive is a very good fly in bright
weather, especially during the early part of the
day in June.

Mayflies, duns, and spinners are nowadays
frequently dressed with what are called detached
bodies, and very beautiful and life-like such imita-
tions are when well made — so much so that it
would seem impossible for a fish to refuse them.
Indeed, the fish rise well at them. I fear, how-
ever, that they are not otherwise as successful as
they might be, and my own experience is that
fish more often get pricked than hooked with
them. Nothing is more detrimental to a fishery
than to constantly prick fish, as it scares them

FRANCIS' DRESSINGS 143

and makes them shy. So assured am I of this,
that when fish are ' coming short/ as they often
do during east winds, ^etc., and I find that they
are consequently going away pricked, I prefer to
stop fishing rather than spoil future sport. Were
it not for the reason I have stated, I should most
certainly use detached bodies in preference to
those dressed in the ordinary way.

Francis links the olive dun with the blue
dun, and considers it merely a variety of the
former. He mentions two kinds of olive, the
large and the small, the body of the large olive
being yellower than that of the smaller. He
states that the quill of the eye of the peacock's
feather dyed and stripped gives the best imita-
tion, the wing of the larger fly having less of the
brown dye in it, or without it altogether, and the
legs lighter. The latter dressed on a 9 or 10
hook, the smaller on an n or 12.

He also gives another dressing, as follows :

Body : Dark olive silk, with a turn of gold tinsel
at the tail end, ribbed with yellow silk or fine
gold wire.

Hackle : Darkish-blue dun, stained olive.

Tails : Two strands of blue dun, stained olive.

Wings : Dark or light starling (as required).

Hook 10 or ii.

I would inform the reader that Francis measures
the sizes of his hooks inversely to Halford or

144 ROD AND RIVER

Ronalds. Thus a hook of 10 or n would repre-
sent an ordinary 2 or 3.

DARK OLIVE (HALFORD).

Wings : Dark or medium starling.
Body: Peacock quill dyed in Crawshaw's No. i.
Hackle and tails : Dyed in Crawshaw's No. 3.

Hook o, oo or ooo.

Halford recommends, as the best of all hackles
for dyeing, duns shaded or flecked with yellowish
or ginger points. These feathers are obtained
from the lighter-coloured Andalusian fowls.

MEDIUM OLIVE (HALFORD).

Wings : Light starling.

Body : Peacock's quill dyed in No. 8.

Hackle and tails : Dyed in No. 2.

Hook as above.

PALE-OLIVE QUILL (HALFORD).

Wings : Palest starling.

Body : Quill from young starling's wing, or pale
condor dyed slightly in No. 2.

Hook as above.

DETACHED OLIVE (HALFORD).

Wings : Light starling.

Body : A thin strip of indiarubber, worked over

an undyed doubled bristle.
Hackle and tails : Dyed in No. 2.

Hook, o or oo.

MR. HALFORD'S DRESSINGS 145

Mr. Hal ford states that he considers this fly to
be the best imitation of the natural olive extant.

OLIVE BADGER (HALFORD).

Hackle : Badger cock.

Body : Peacock's quill dyed in No. 2, with flat

gold tag.
Tails : Pale-cream colour.

This is the dressing of the olive spinner.

HACKLE OLIVE QUILL (lIALFORD).

Hackle : Pale silvery dun cock.
Body : Peacock quill dyed in No. 8.
Tails : White cock's head hackle dyed in No. 2.

Hook o or oo.

Should the reader be desirous of making his
own flies, he cannot do better than follow the
directions given in Mr. Halford's work, ' Floating
Flies, and How to Dress Them.' Indeed, he
would not be able to follow the dressings which I
have extracted from the latter without its assist-
ance. The patterns which I have taken there-
from are given rather as a guide to him when
purchasing.

THE YELLOW DUN (EPHEMERA).
The body of the yellow dun is generally repre-
sented by means of silk, but it must be borne in
mind that many of the materials used in the

10

146 ROD AND RIVER

manufacture of artificial flies present a very
different appearance when wet to that when dry.
There are so many different dressings of this fly
that it is a matter of difficulty to make selection.
The natural fly rarely comes on the water before
June, and then only in warm weather. It is a fly
of less importance to the angler than many others.
My own experience goes to prove that since it
is required only occasionally, it might be almost
dispensed with. Aldam's Indian yellow is,
however, an excellent grayling fly for use during
August and September. The dressings given
below are all shades of the yellcwT dun.

Ronalds states that the yellow dun lives for
some three days before casting its skin ; that it is
generally on the water between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.,
and that it is one of our be^t flies. He thus
dresses it :

Body : Yellow mohair mixed with a little pale-
blue mouse's fur, or yellow silk thread waxed,
and with the smallest quantity of blue rabbit's
fur spun upon it, and ribbed with yellow silk.

Wings : Upright, from the lightest part of a young
starling's quill feather.

Legs : A light-yellow dun hackle.

Hook 2 (graylings).

To dress it buzz, he uses a lighter dun hackle ;
in either case the body is made delicately with
primrose silk.

THE YELLOW DUN 147

The spinner is of rather a lighter and yellower-
brown than that of the blue dun. It is of about
the same size as the spinner of the latter, and
lives some nine days. It should be used on warm
evenings. The materials used to represent this
spinner are somewhat similar to those for the
red spinner, but rather lighter in shade.

He further states that a cock's hackle is to be
preferred for grayling, and that from a hen for trout,
when it is dressed buzz ; the body being ribbed
with unwaxed yellow silk, as for the yellow dun.

When the feathers of a dotterel are used, it is
called the ' dotterel dun,' and is a far-famed fly.

The buzz dressings will be found most suitable
for use with a wet fly.

Francis gives this dressing of the yellow dun :

Wings : Medium starling.

Body : Yellow silk.

Hackle : Medium honey dun.

He states that this pattern may be varied to the
palest colour by the use of silk, and dun hackles
from the pale-blue feathers of the sea-swallow or
rosy tern.

' WHITCHURCH ' (HALFORD).

Wings : Pale starling.

Body : Primrose floss silk.

Hackle and legs : Pale sandy ginger.

Hook o, oo or ooo.
(Messrs. Eaton and Deller's pattern.)

148 ROD AND RIVER

FLIGHT'S FANCY.
Wings : Patent starling.
Body : Very pale yellow floss silk, ribbed with

fine flat gold.
Hackle and tails : Pale buff Cochin cock's hackle,

or pale honey dun.

Hook o, oo or ooo .

ALDAM'S INDIAN YELLOW.
Wings : From the inside of a young goose or

pale coot's wing.
Body : Russia-leather-coloured floss silk, ribbed

with bright lemon-coloured tying-silk.
Hackle and tails : Pale buff-coloured Cochin cock.
Head : Three or four turns of orange tying-silk.

Hook o or oo.

An excellent grayling fly, invented by Mr.
Aldam.

LITTLE MARRYAT.

Wings : Palest starling.

Body : Fur from the flank of the Australian

opossum.
Hackle or tails : Pale buff Cochin cock.

Hook oo or ooo.

HARE'S EAR.

(A hare's-ear dressing of the yellow dun.)
Wings : Pale starling.
Body : Pale primrose silk.

THE I RON -BLUE DUN 149

Legs : The lightest fur from a hare's face, spun on

pale-yellow tying-silk, and worked as a hackle.
Tails : Four or five strands of a ginger cock's

beard-hackle.

Hook o, oo or ooo.

(Messrs. Ogden's original pattern.)

THE IRON-BLUE DUN (EPHEMERA).

This fly is by no means one of the least im-
portance ; on the contrary, I may remark that it
is perhaps the one fly which, when on the water,
the fish take to the exclusion of any other. At
first sight it is a somewhat sombre-looking little
insect, but a closer inspection of it will reveal a
beauty of form and colouring in nowise inferior
to its brethren. It is one of the most difficult
of all flies to imitate, and no material, whether
natural or dyed, seems capable of adequately
representing the exquisite blue-black of the gauzy
wings, that which most nearly approaches to it
being the tail feathers of the bottle-tit, and these
are almost too blue. The coot-feathers are too
opaque and lustreless, though often used for the
purpose. I have never seen what I consider a
really good imitation of this fly.

The iron-blue is a brave little creature, and
the cold, biting wind, from which others of its
relations so shrink, fails to deter it from putting
in an appearance ; it prefers to come forth when

ROD AND RIVER

the north or east wind prevails. On such occa-
sions they come sailing down the stream in merry
little groups, which are soon sadly thinned by
the trout, which hail their advent, and hasten
to the banquet while they may, for the rise does
not last long, and so, if the fisherman desires to
take advantage of it, he must make the best use
of his time.

Ronalds states that the iron-blue lives about
two days before it changes its skin, and that it
is on the water from the end of April to the
middle of June. He also asserts that the jenny
spinner — the spinner to which this fly changes-
lasts all through the summer. I fail to reconcile
the former statement with the latter, for if the
one is on the water, the other must be so.

My own experiences are that the iron-blue,
and consequently the jenny spinner, is on the
water more or less throughout the season.
What is termed the July dun is so very similar,
that it is supposed to be a later edition of the
iron-blue. The same artificial will do duty for
both flies.

Ronalds dresses it as follows :

Body : Blue mole's fur.
Head : Reddish-brown floss silk.
Tail : From a yellow dun hackle.
Wings: From the under-side of a cormorant's wing,
or a feather from the breast of a moorhen (the

VARIOUS DRESSINGS 151

tip only to be used), or the upper end of the
wing-feather of a tomtit when in full plumage.
If procurable, a feather from the wing of a
merlin hawk may be advantageously substi-
tuted.
Legs : A very small yellow dun hackle.

Hook o (short).

He says that it is difficult to find a hackle
feather of the proper tint to make this fly buzz.

Francis gives the following dressing :

Body : Dark slate. (I suppose he means mole's

fur.)
Wings : A dark-blue feather from the wing of

the cormorant, tail of tomtit, or breast of the

moorhen.
Hackle : A shade or two lighter than the body.

(This would be, I conclude, a medium-coloured

blue dun.)
Tail ; Same colour as the hackle.

Theakstone's pattern is follows :

Head, shoulders, and three last joints of the body :
Dark-brown silk.

For the middle of the body : Light blue-gray
silk.

Hackle : Water-rail or water-hen's small leady
breast-feather, with a few fibres of light blue-
gray fur from the fox- cub. W. F.

152 ROD AND RIVER

HALEORD.

Wings : Tomtit's tail.
Body : A strip of quill from the outside small

feather of a coot's wing.
Hackle and tails : Dark-blue Andaltisian.

Hook oo.

Halford gives two or three dressings of this
fly, the one I have selected being, in my
opinion, as good as any, and simple.

THE JENNY SPINNER (EPHEMERA).

This is the spinner of the iron blue. Of all
the transformations which this family undergo,
surely none is so complete as is the case with
this fly. The sombre crape-like garb is cast
aside, and thereout steps the most exquisite little
fairy bride which can be imagined, clad in a robe
of dazzling, purest white. Theakstone terms this
fly the ' pearl drake,' to my mind an infinitely more
appropriate name than that of jenny spinner or
spinning jenny. If it is difficult to imitate the
iron blue, it is ten times more so to frame any
artificial at all comparable with its imago. Nay,
it is a matter of downright impossibility to do
even the scantiest justice to the beauty of the
natural fly. Every material seems dull and
opaque beside the filmy, ethereal little insect.
The fish feed on it eagerly enough, but I have

THE JENNY SPINNER 153

never heard of anyone having any particular
success with any artificial imitation of this fly,
doubtless by reason of the latter being always
so inadequate.

Ronalds assigns it a life of some four or five
days, and thus imitates it :

Body : White floss silk.
Head and root of tail : Brown silk.
Tail : Light-dun hackle.

Wings and legs : Best imitated buzz, and with
the lightest dun hackle procurable. W. F.

This dressing is as good as any.

FRANCIS.
Body : A watery whitish floss silk, with a turn of

brown at the head and the tail.
Wings and legs : A pale silvery blue hackle.

W. F.

HALFORD.

Hackle : Badger cock.

Body : Detached, of white horsehair, worked on

an undyed bristle, with four or five turns of

crimson tying-silk at both ends.

Tails : Pale-cream colour.

Hook oo or ooo.

I do not like the use of the badger hackle for
this pattern. It fails to give the appearance of
lightness, so peculiar to the natural fly, and is, to
my mind, a trifle too yellow.

i54 ROD AND RIVER

THEAKSTONE.

Body : Fine coffee-brown silk for the brown, and

white for the pearl parts.
Wings and legs : A glassy silvery cock's hackle.

The jenny spinner is a fly I never use myself.
I have given it up as hopeless.

THE JULY DUN.

The dressing as for the iron blue, but a trifle
larger and lighter, will serve for this fly. It
changes to a dark claret - coloured spinner.
Ronalds gives the dressing of it as follows :

Body : Mole's fur and pale-yellow mohair, mixed

and spun upon yellow silk.

Tails : Two or three whisks of a dark-dun hackle.
Wings : Dark starling wing-feather stained in

strong onion dye, or from a wing- feather from

the merlin hawk.
Legs : A dark-dun hackle.

To make it buzz, use a lighter-coloured hackle.
This style of dressing will be found preferable for
wet-fly fishing.

THE AUGUST DUN.

I have already referred to this fly when writing
of the March brown. It is very similar to the
latter, the only differences being that it is, perhaps,
a trifle smaller, and the ribs somewhat yellower
in colour. In the spinner stage it is rather of

AUGUST DUN— LITTLE PALE-BLUE DUN 155

an orange red than red, probably caused by
warmer weather and brighter sun than when the
March brown is on the water, for I share the
views expressed by some writers, viz., that this
fly and the March brown are the same,

Ronalds gives a dressing of the fly, to which
Francis takes exception as being too stiff. As I
consider his amendment the better pattern, I give
the reader the benefit of it :

Body: Light-brown floss-silk ribbed with yellow

silk.

Legs : A red hackle stained brown.
Tails : From hackle stained brown.

THE LITTLE PALE-BLUE DUN (EPHEMERA).

This is at times termed the ' willow fly.' It
is a most exquisitely graceful little insect, and
most delicate in colour, and is a very good late
summer and autumn fly. I give Ronalds' dressing
of it as being the best, save that he forgets to
add the tails :

Body : Very pale-blue fur mixed with a very little

yellow mohair.

Wings : From the sea-swallow (wing-feather ?).
Legs : The palest-blue hackle procurable.
Tails : From palest-blue hackle procurable.

If dressed buzz, a hackle feather from the sea-
swallow only should be used, instead of wings and
legs as above.

156 ROD AND RIVER

The metamorphosis is too delicate to be success-
fully imitated.

Hook i (grayling).

It will be found most suitable for wet-fly
work dressed buzz.

SPINNERS.

As has been observed, the spinner is an insect
in its perfect state — i.e., the fly after it has cast
off its first covering, what may be described as its
4 great-coat.'

It was, as has been shown, when in the creeper
stage, a hideous, repulsive little creature. On
its quitting the ooze and slime of the river-bed
for its aerial existence, it rises from the water a
being of exquisite beauty and colour, which latter
are increased tenfold when it has divested itself
of its enveloping mantle.

As was explained when reference was made to
the mayfly, it is in the spinner stage that the
ephemerals breed. This duty having been com-
pleted, they fall helpless and dying into the
element which gave them birth.

The change of skin can very easily be wit-
nessed. Let any one of the Ephemera be placed
under a wineglass, care being taken to insert a
piece of paper under the edge of the latter to
prevent the little creature being stifled to death.
In a short time the operation will take place, and
the slough will be apparent. It will then be

SPINNERS 157

noticed that, in addition to the other marked
differences which exist between the now per-
fect insect and its appearance before the skin
was laid aside, the tails are considerably
lengthened, and the body and wings are very
transparent.

The motion of a spinner in the air is different
to the flight of the fly in its former state, when
it was somewhat slow and weakly. In its per-
fected condition it dances up and down, never
ceasing, never tiring, and seeming to revel in its
beauty and lightness, over-full of joy, and reckless
of its ' little day ' so soon to close, or of the
hungry trout which so eagerly await its down-
fall.

Experienced fishermen are well aware that
when any of the Ephemera have been out in
force during the day, their spinners are almost
sure to be on the water during the evening rise,
and a red or orange spinner rarely fails to do
its duty on such occasions. I think it is Francis
Francis who, in his book on angling, quotes a
case where he was utterly nonplussed as to what
fly the fish were so eagerly rising at one evening
when it was growing too dark to ascertain. The
water was literally boiling with rising fish, and
he had tried one artificial after another, but to no
purpose. Eventually it transpired that it was a
small red spinner. Needless to remark, he made

158 ROD AND RIVER

a note of it, and profited by the discovery on
future occasions.

It is not only during the evening that this fly
can be used to advantage, for it is most valuable
on warm, drizzling summer days, especially if
fished wet.

Although some of the spinners are termed
* red ' — as, for instance, those from the March
brown and the August dun — the colour may
be more correctly described as a ruddy chest-
nut.

Ask for a red spinner at a tackle-shop, and
the chances are that the pattern produced will be
dressed with red wool, ribbed with gold wire, and
winged with a starling's feather. When wet, this
dressing very fairly represents the red spinners of
the two flies above-named ; but, as a rule, the
bodies of such artificials are made far too full and
fat, whereas transparent slimness of body is one
of the most marked characteristics of the spinner.
For wet fly-fishing this dressing answers very
well ; but where it is necessary to use the fly dry,
a dyed quill or horsehair body is more suitable.
The wings of a spinner are also so gauzy and
ethereal in texture that it is most difficult to
imitate them. The starling wing-feather is far
too heavy and opaque, and altogether unworthy
of representing so exquisite a structure. Francis
Francis and others advise the adoption of the

DRESSINGS OF SPINNERS 159

points of dun hackles for use as wings, and
such are far more realistic. In Mr. Halford's
work, the wings of spinners are, in nearly every
instance, dispensed with, the fly being dressed
hacklewise ; and this appears to me to be by far
the best plan, and my own experiences go to
prove such to be the case.

Mr. Halford gives a dressing of the red spinner
which he has christened the ' detached badger/
the body being detached, and the wings repre-
sented by what is termed a ' badger hackle ' — i.e.,
a pale-yellow dun hackle, with a black stripe
running down its centre ; and this pattern, though
his own invention, he, with becoming modesty,
states to be the best imitation of the red spinner
yet produced. And a very excellent fly it is ;
I could only wish it were not detached. It
would, I think, as would all flies so made, be
better when, as is sometimes the case, semi-
detached.

DRESSINGS OF SPINNERS THE GREAT RED

SPINNER.

This is the imago, or perfected state, of the
March brown after it has cast its skin.

Ronalds seems to be a little uncertain about
this fly ; for he states that, although the March
brown is not seen on the water after the middle
of May, nevertheless the great red spinner still

160 ROD AND RIVER

continues to come into existence. Indeed, he
admits that he is not at all sure that it is not a
distinct, though similar, species of the genus
Bsetis.

I think it will suffice for our purpose if we
treat it as one and the same. It is more useful
as an evening fly.

Francis gives no special dressing of it. He,
however, advocates the use of hackle points for
the wings of all spinners, as being more delicate
and transparent. Such are, doubtless, more suit-
able than any wing-feathers from the starling,
etc., but I prefer to dress all spinners hacklewise
without wings. My experience is that they
not only kill better, but dry more quickly, last
longer, and float better than when they are
winged.

Ronalds thus dresses the red spinner :

Body : Pig's wool dyed red -brown, or orange and

brown floss-silk mixed ; spun on brown silk,

and ribbed with fine gold twist.
Tail : Two long whisks of bright amber -red

hackle.
Wings : From an under covert-feather of the

starling's wing.
Legs : A bright amber-red hackle.

Hook 2, 3, or 4 (long).

DERBYSHIRE ANGLERS' DRESSING 161
LIGHT MACKEREL.

Body : Thin, and of bright-brown silk, ribbed

with fine gold twist.

Tail : Two whisks of a red cock's hackle.
Wings : Upright, from a mottled gray feather of

the mallard, stained to match the colour of the

natural wings.
Legs : Red cock's hackle.

Hook 2 (grayling).

He (Ronalds) states that the Derbyshire anglers
thus dress it :

Wings : Upright, from the under-covert feather

of a young grouse.
Body : Russia-leather-coloured silk, ribbed with

the finest yellow silk.
Tail : Two dun fibres.

After a frosty morning they use the following
pattern, which they call the ' frost fly ' :

Wings : Starling feather, onion-dyed.

Body : Claret silk.

Legs : A dead furnace hackle.

Francis thus dresses the ordinary red spinner :

Body : Red-brown quill, ringed with fine gold

wire.

Legs : Red hackle.
Tail : Three fibres of red hackle.
Wings : Golden-tinged blue dun hackle points.

ii

162 ROD AND RIVER

This dressing will suffice for the imago of the
blue dun and red spinners generally. The hook
would be an ordinary o or i, or even oo ; but he
states no size.

HALFORD'S PATTERNS OF RED SPINNERS.

Wings : Honey dun cock hackle points.

Body : Peacock or adjutant quill dyed in No. 9,

and ribbed with fine gold wire.
Hackle : Black-butted red game-cock.
Tails : From a pale cream - coloured Dorking

cock's hackle.

Hook o, oo, or ooo.

HACKLE RED SPINNER.

Hackle : Honey dun cock over three or four turns

of black ostrich at shoulder.
Body : Peacock or adjutant quill dyed in No. 9,

and ribbed with fine gold wire.
Tails : Pale cream-colour. W. F.

Hook o or oo.

N.B. — A first-rate pattern.

BROWN BADGER.

Hackle : Badger cock.

Body : Peacock-quill dyed in No. 9.

Tails : Pale cream-colour.

Hook o or oo.

VARIOUS DRESSINGS 163

DETACHED BADGER.

Hackle : Badger cock.

Body : White horsehair dyed in No. 9, worked

over a doubled bristle similarly dyed, and

ribbed with crimson tying-silk.
Tails : Pale cream-colour.

Hook o or oo.

BROWN SPINNER.

Ronalds gives no dressing of this fly. Francis
dresses it similarly to the red spinner, but
with a lighter and browner silk for the body, and
ribbed with fine gold wire, the hackle being of a
lighter red, and the wing of a lighter hue. He
states that it is a useful fly after the yellow dun
has been on the water during the day.

CLARET SPINNER (HALFORD).

Wings : Pale starling.

Body : Claret floss -silk, ribbed with fine gold

wire.

Hackle : Red game-cock.
Tails : Pale cream-colour.

Hook o, oo, or ooo.

Halford states that it is useful during the early
mornings in hot weather.

164 ROD AND RIVER

THE RED QUILL.

One of the best of all good flies. It is dressed
thus :

Wings : Light or medium starling.

Hackle: Red.

Body : A stripped quill of peacock herl, or the

quill of a starling wing-feather.
Tails : From a red hackle.

A most useful pattern of the red spinner class.

Different districts have different names for the
flies used therein. .Thus, in Devonshire, the
blue dun is termed the ' blue upright,' by reason
of its carrying its wings erect, though this peculi-
arity is by no means limited to this fly, for all the
Ephemera carry their wings in a similar manner.
Ronalds terms it the * cock-tail,' though why I
do not know, for all the Ephemera cock their tails
much in the same manner. Theakstone calls it
the ' blue bloa/ a Yorkshire term for it ; what the
word ' bloa ' signifies I am at a loss to imagine.
When the body is made of hare's ear, it is termed
' hare lug/ lug being Scotch for ear, or ' hare's
flax/ flax meaning fleck or fur. In like manner
the olive dun is termed the ' olive bloa.' In
Hampshire the blue dun is styled the ' blue
quill/ and the olive dun the ' olive quill/ by
reason of quill being used in the manufacture of

THE RED QUILL 165

the artificials. In Cumberland and some of the
northern counties, the olive dun is termed the
4 light snipe ' or the ' dark snipe,' according as the
fly is dressed light or dark, the feathers for the
wings being taken from the wing of the full snipe,
for the former from the inside, for the latter from
the outside of the wing. Again, the iron-blue
is called the little iron - blue at times, in
order, I suppose, to distinguish it from the
July dun.

It is to be regretted that the nomenclature
adopted by Theakstone is so original, for it
renders his charming and otherwise valuable
work well-nigh useless to fishermen, despite the
efforts of the editor to render it intelligible to all.
The names which he adopts are neither entomo-
logical nor piscatorial. It is, nevertheless, a
work possessing deep interest and much valuable
information. It cannot fail to strike those who
peruse it how earnest he must have been in his
investigations, how true a sportsman to be so
much in earnest, and how engrossing sport, when
coupled ever so modestly with science, can be ;
without the aid of the latter, how wanting in real
interest.

The present chapter is already somewhat over-
lengthy, so I will here close it, and defer making
mention of the other flies on our list until the
commencement of a fresh one.

166

CHAPTER VIII.

The Alder Fly— Sedge Flies— The Grannom— The Needle
Brown— The Silver Horns — The Hawthorn Fly— The
Peacock Fly— The Gold-eyed Gauze-wing— The Black
Gnat— The Red Ant— The Cowdung Fly— The Coch-y-
bonddhu— Fancy Flies— The ' Wickham's Fancy '—The
Red Tag— The Coachman— The Governor— The Orange
Bumble— The Claret Bumble.

THE ALDER FLY.

WITH the close of the preceding chapter we bid
adieu to the interesting Ephemera. Those flies
which remain to be referred to belong, for the
greater part, to the trichopterous or hairy-winged
class ; some few of them are neuropterous, or
nerve-winged, but they belong to the same genus.
Amongst these latter may be reckoned the family
of Perla. I do not desire to weary the reader, or
to confuse him with a laboured essay on ento-
mology. I should probably bore him, and get
into a veritable quagmire of long names, and find
myself wandering into regions which I had better
keep out of altogether. Suffice it to say that the
alder fly is one of the Perlidae. It is not a
beautiful fly, it is not even good* looking ; but if

THE ALDER FLY 167

' handsome is as handsome does,' then its worth
is great, and its want of grace and colour may be
ignored, for at times a good artificial imitation
will work wonders, even though the mayflies,
siren - like, may do their utmost to beguile
the trout from the consideration of more homely
qualities.

It is, perhaps, rather during the evening that
the alder possesses greater attractions for the fish
than in the brighter hours of the day, though I
have not infrequently done well with it in brilliant
sunshine and on the hottest days. Perhaps, like
the faded beauty, * in the dusk, with the light
behind her/ the commonplace appearance of the
alder is more readily overlooked in consequence
of the valuable addition she forms to the supper
menu of the trout.

The alder varies very considerably in size ;
Theakstone gives from half to five-eighths of an
inch as the average length. I have seen a
few specimens, generally in the early part of
the season, of double that length. It gene-
rally makes its first appearance on the water
in April, and continues throughout May and
June.

The best dressings of this fly with which I am
acquainted are as follows :
Wings : From the centre tail feather of a hen

pheasant.

1 68 ROD AND RIVER

Hackle : A rusty black or grizzled blue dun.
Body : Bronze peacock herl.
Or-

Wings : Small dark bustard.

Hackle : As before.

Body : A strand of bronzed turkey-feather.

The hook used should be 2, 3, or 4 (long).

This fly is sometimes called the ' orl fly ' — why,
I don't know ; I have never been able to discover
the origin of the word. Theakstone calls it the
* light dun.' Ronalds advises the use of the
natural fly in preference to the artificial. Such
a plan may conduce to the filling of the basket.
Let those who like adopt it !

THE SEDGE FLIES (TRICHOPTERA).

The reader may have observed, if he is not
already acquainted with the sedge fly, a some-
what foxy-looking, four-winged insect, which flaps
its way in laborious fashion over the surface of
the water in the dusk of the summer evenings ;
from time to time it settles on the reeds or rushes
which fringe the banks of the stream. This is
the sedge fly. It is one of those flies which
make their habitations of pieces of stick, etc., and
of which Mr. Wood gives so interesting an
account in the quotation I have given from his

THE SAND FLY 169

work, ' Homes without Hands.' There are
several varieties of this fly — first cousins to it—
but in Hampshire they are all termed ' sedges,'
being distinguished from each other by their
dressings, colour, etc.

The largest of these is the ' big cinnamon.' It
is somewhat of a 'poacher,' and I believe there
are rivers on which its use is forbidden. It is
generally used when quite dusk. It is thus
dressed :

Wings : Red feather from the landrail.
Body : Foxy-coloured hare's fur or wool.

Hackle : Of same colour.

Hook 3, 4, or 5.

SAND FLY.

This is another of the same tribe, but consider-
ably smaller than the cinnamon.

Wings : From the red feathers of the landrail.
Body : Copper-coloured fur or wool.
Legs : Hackle of same colour as the body, rather
lighter perhaps.

SILVER SEDGE (LARGE AND SMALL).
This fly is generally made in two sizes, viz.,
the large and the small. It takes its name from
the silver tinsel with which it is ribbed. The
smaller pattern is excellent for both trout and
grayling during the day as well as the evening,

170 ROD AND RIVER

and more or less throughout the season from May
onwards.

Wings : Landrail as before.
Body : Pale buff-coloured silk or wool.
Hackle : Red from head to tail, and ribbed with
fine silver wire.

For the smaller pattern use a o or i hook. For
the larger, a 2 or 3. The larger fly is more
adapted for evening use.

THE ORANGE SEDGE.

This is an equally good killer during the
evening.

Wings : As above.

Body : Orange floss silk or wool.

Hackle : Red hackle from head to tail, ribbed

with fine gold wire.

Hook i, 2, or 3.

THE DARK SEDGE.
Also an evening fly.

Wings : Landrail as before.

Body : Dark hare's ear, or dark sage - green

wool.
Hackle : Blood-red from head to tail, and ribbed

with fine gold wire.

All the above patterns are good and reliable.
The large and small silver sedges are at times

THE GRANNOM 171

dressed with a light or medium starling's feather
for the wings, but I think these are ever inferior
to the landrail feathers.

In either case the wings should be doubled,
i.e., each wing should be doubled before being
tied on, as the flies represented are four-winged.
The artificials are generally made with the wings
upright ; this should not be. The natural fly
never carries its wings upright ; neither should
they be dressed too close, but rather midway
between the two — at an angle of 45°. They will
thus, when wet, lie quite closely enough, and
without clogging round the hook.

THE GRANNOM (TRICHOPTERA).

On those rivers where it is to be found this is
a very special fly, and has a season all its own,
and its arrival is little less looked forward to by
the angler than that of the mayfly ; indeed, it not
infrequently happens that there is better sport
obtained during the grannom season than in the
mayfly. Unlike the latter, however, it cannot be
depended upon. One year it appears in countless
myriads ; the next there is scarcely a fly of the
species to be seen. Some years ago, when fishing
on the Test, the rise of grannom on one portion
at least of that river was a most extraordinary
sight. I was fishing on that part of the river
which runs through the Broadlands estate, on

172 ROD AND RIVER

what is called the Shrubbery water. The season
was unusually forward, and there had been a suc-
cession of bright, hot days. At first the fly had
been on in fair force, and the fish had risen well
at it. On one afternoon it increased to such an
extent as to completely cover the surface of the
water, broad though the river is at that particular
stretch. I can only compare it to a thick mist
extending across the whole stream, and up and
down it as far as I could see. Strange to say,
the fish ceased to rise, nor did they again do so
for several days. I conclude they were glutted
with the fly. Since that time, now some six
or seven years ago, I have never witnessed a
similar occurrence, or anything at all approaching
it, save with what is known as the ' angler's curse,'
the smallest of the black gnats. About eleven
years ago, during a visit to Loch Leven, the boat-
men drew my attention to what they called the
' smoke ' above the trees by Kinross House. On
my expressing my surprise and wonder as to
what it could be, the avenue being too far from
the house to warrant the supposition that it could
be smoke from the chimneys, they explained to
me that it was a dense cloud of flies of the midge
tribe. The column, which had precisely the ap-
pearance of smoke, must have been a quarter of
a mile in length.

Like the March brown, the female grannom

THE MALE AND FEMALE 173

is very much larger, and lighter in colour, than
the male fly. Both male and female are very
similar to the male and female March brown
respectively. Indeed, an artificial March brown,
divested of its tails, and with the addition of a
small tag of pea-green silk, makes an excellent
substitute for the grannom. This green tag
serves to represent the funny little bunch of green
eggs with which the female is provided. Hence
the predilection of the fish for the female fly
Others of the Trichoptera also thus carry their
eggs, and the latter are generally green or
yellowish green in colour. The needle brown
is an example of this.

The grannom usually appears on the water
in April, and remains for about ten days or a
fortnight. Some authors mention having seen it
in July and August. Whether these are the true
grannom or not, I cannot, of course, pretend to
say. The authority is too good to be questioned.
This fly is also called the ' greentail.'

The grannom may be thus dressed :

MALE FLY.

Wings : From a darkish partridge wing-feather.
Body : A strand of heron's wing-feather dyed

brown, or hare's ear and mole's fur mixed.
Hackle : A grizzled blue dun.

Hook o or i.

174 ROD AND RIVER

FEMALE FLY.

Wings : From a hen pheasant's wing or from a
light feather from the wing of a partridge.

Body and hackle : As above, perhaps a shade
lighter.

Tag : A small piece of pale pea-green floss silk.

THE NEEDLE BROWN.

This is sometimes called the * Spanish needle.'
It derives its name from its attenuated body,
which is a mere strip of dark brown. When
flying, it presents a very imposing appearance ;
but when it settles, and its wings are folded, it
becomes a very difficult matter to see it at all.
It is a very valuable fly to the fisherman, especially
for grayling. Strange to say, it is by no means
in as general use as it ought to be. I know no
fly which is more worthy of a place in the angler's
collection ; but it is a very difficult fly to imitate,
or rather to procure a good imitation of. One
author only gives the proper dressing — at least,
what I consider a good one — and that is Francis
Francis. Dressed as he prescribes, it is one of
our very best flies. His recipe is as follows :

Body : A fine shred from the yellowish quill of a

thrush's wing.
Legs : A grizzled blue dun cock's hackle.

THE SILVER HORNS 175

Under wings : A starling's feather, used sparingly.
Over wings : Two fine slips of a hen blackbird's
wing.

I cannot too strongly urge the reader to adopt
this fly, dressed thus. The hook used should be
small, either oo or o, but never larger.

The needle brown makes its appearance very
early in the season, and then apparently dis-
appears for a time. It is most useful, especially
for grayling. Ronalds omits this fly altogether.
Halford gives a dressing of it, but I do not
think it is to be compared with that which I
have quoted.

THE SILVER HORNS (TRICHOPTERA).

There are two flies thus named, the one black,
the other brown. Although several writers
mention the former, but very few take any notice
of the latter ; and where they do so, they do not
appear to hold it in very great esteem. Now,
as far as my own experiences extend, I have
never been able to do anything with the black
variety ; but I have found the brown a most
excellent fly, especially as an afternoon and
evening fly in the summer. Though it is to be
frequently seen flitting about over the water in
groups, it very rarely settles thereon until quite
late in the evening. Now and again I have seen

176 ROD AND RIVER

a fish jump out and make a dash at one of a
batch, when they have hovered within its reach.

The name ' silver horns ' is derived from the
two long horns peculiar to this fly. In the black
fly they are black ringed with white ; in the
brown, brown ringed with pale gray. Theak-
stone, who terms the black the * dark-pied dun,'
gives the following dressing :

Wings : From a blackbird's wing-feather, with a

reddish tinge on the under side.
Body : Coppery silk, tinged with water-rat's fur.
Hackle : A hen's hackle (he does not state the

colour), or hare's ear for legs.

My own opinion is that this pattern is infinitely
more like the brown silver horns than the black.

As a rule, the black fly, and all such, are made
of materials far too dead black in colour (if black
can be termed colour). There is nothing in nature
which is absolutely black. Some of the midges
are as nearly so as they can be ; but when seen
under a magnifying-glass they are by no means
the lack-lustreless creatures which they are repre-
sented to be. There is another fly, the * hawthorn,'
which is nearly always dressed with ostrich-feather
dyed black. Now, whenever feathers are dyed,
and they must be so at times, they still retain a
certain amount of lustre. Black dye, however,
seems to drive out every particle of the latter,

THE BROWN SILVER HORNS 177

and, consequently, feathers so treated are not as
suitable for the manufacture of artificial flies as
those which are natural.

I cannot advise the reader to cumber his fly-
book or waste his money by adding the black
silver horns to his stock. The brown silver horns
is thus dressed by Theakstone, who terms it the
1 little brown dun.' The reader may well take
advantage of it :

Hackle : A slightly freckled grouse hackle.

Legs : A few fibres of red-brown fur, or mohair,

at the breast.

Body : A deep coppery silk, well waxed. W. F.

Hook i or 2.

I have found this pattern very killing on the
Northern streams. There is also another which
answers equally well :

Wings : Darkish grouse-feather.
Hackle : A rusty dark-blue dun.
Body : Dark-brown hare's ear, spun on brown

silk.

Hook as before.

Francis mentions this fly, but Ronalds appa-
rently ignores it.

THE HAWTHORN FLY.

This fly is bred on the land. I can hardly say
that it is indispensable to the fisherman, yet it at

12

i78 ROD AND RIVER

times proves so good a killer that I have placed
it on the list. Nearly all authorities make men-
tion of it. Theakstone gives the following ex-
cellent recipe for its dressing :

Head, shoulders, body : Black silk, with black

seal's fur or mohair wrought in.
Wings : From a light neutral feather of either a

snipe's or starling's wing.
Legs : Black hen's hackle.

The hook should be o or i.

The fly comes out in April, if the weather is
not too cold and stormy, and remains during May.
It may be used with considerable effect under
the hawthorn bushes, which may overhang the
stream, whence it drops on to the water. Fine
tackle and delicate casting are necessary to ensure
success. It should be used dry.

THE PEACOCK FLY (COLEOPTERA).

At times this fly is known as the 'little chap.'
It is a very excellent little fly, and will serve its
turn, especially in fine, clear water or in sultry
weather. The dressing given by Ronalds is the
best with which I am acquainted, viz. :

Body : Ruddy-brown peacock's herl, dressed with
mulberry-coloured silk.

Wings : The darkest part of a starling's wing-
feather.

THE PEACOCK FLY 179

Legs : A hackle stained a dark purple, appearing
black when looked down upon, but when held
up to the light having a most beautiful dark
tortoiseshell hue.

Hook i or 2 (short).

Dressed buzz, it is as follows :

Body : The reddest strand of a peacock's feather.
Legs and wings : A lightish dun hackle, tied with
mulberry-coloured silk.

Hook as before.

Of these two patterns, the former is, to my
mind, the better.

Halford gives a dressing, thus :

Hackle : Pale-blue dun cock.

Body : Copper-coloured peacock's herl.

Hook o or oo.

However, I infinitely prefer Ronalds' first
recipe, which exactly answers to a fly called in
Cumberland the 4 broken points ' — a strange ap-
pellation, and one which is, I feel sure, a corrup-
tion of some other name. Nevertheless, by
whichever name it may be called, it bears a -very
high repute, and in the early part of the season,
until the end of May, it is regarded as a sheet-
anchor by the Northern anglers. I can personally
speak to its utility. There is a story told by the
Cumberland people of an old professional fisher-
man who regarded this fly with such extreme

i8o ROD AND RIVER

veneration that when he was dying he requested
that the ' flee/ as he termed it, might be laid on
his lips when he was dead, and I believe his wish
was complied with.

THE GOLD-EYED GAUZE-WING (PERLA).

A delicate, beautiful little fly. It is stated to
be on the water in June. Nevertheless, I have
seen it, or a fly exactly resembling it, as late as
September, and have found it more killing then
than in the earlier part of the year. I consider it
to be one of the very best of our flies, I have
met with it on several rivers, and have found it
equally useful on all — on our Southern chalk-
streams, as well as those in the North.

I prefer the dressing given by Ronalds, which
is thus :

Body : Very pale yellowish-green floss silk, tied

with silk of the same colour.
Wings and legs : The palest blue dun hackle

which can be procured. W. F.

Hook o or i.

It is more especially useful for afternoon and
early evening fishing.

THE BLACK GNAT (TRICHOPTERA).
This fly is a positive nuisance to the fisherman.
He cannot afford to ignore it, neither can he hope
to secure much sport with it. At times, all too

THE BLACK GNAT 181

frequently, alas ! the fish take it, and will look at
nothing else ; but it is so small that the best
imitation falls short of the natural fly. Moreover,
when it is necessary to use a hook so minute
as ooo, it is impossible to rely on hooking a fish
of any size, even should the tiny barb .penetrate
the skin. I think it is preferable to use a somewhat
larger hook, oo or even o, and trust to the chance
of inducing a fish to take it.

Occasionally one hears of a fairly good basket
being taken with this fly, and once, when fishing
on a small private lake in the North of England, I
succeeded in taking some seven or eight fairly
good fish with it. The only patterns which I
had with me were dressed on No. i hooks. Last
autumn (1891) I took three fairly good trout with
it one morning on my own river ; but I never
succeeded in repeating the performance, though
the natural fly was on in numbers, and the fish
were taking it freely.

The following are the best dressings of this fly
with which I am acquainted :

i.

Wings : Pale starling wing-feather.
Hackle : A small black feather from the neck of

a starling.

Body : Black tying-silk waxed, or a strip of black quill.
Tag : One turn of fine flat silver tinsel.

Hook oo.

182 ROD AND RIVER

2.

Hackle : A starling's neck-feather, slightly larger

than for No. i.
Body : As for No. i.

A palish grizzled dun hackle may be used,
instead of the dark neck-feather from the starling,

for the hackle, for variety.

Hook as before.

I think I prefer the first of the two patterns.
The wings are a difficulty, I admit ; but I know
no better substitute. Some people advocate the
use of the prepared pike-scales for them, and I
believe they are found to answer as well as any-
thing. I should think Mr. Richardson's system
of using the natural wings should prove equal to
the occasion. It is my intention to try them for
this fly. I should advise the reader to do like-
wise.

The black gnat is constantly on the water
during the entire season, and invariably when
its presence is least welcome. It has been rightly
styled ' the angler's curse,' for such it indeed is.

THE RED ANT.

Although the black ant is of but little use to
the fisherman, this fly is one of the most im-
portant and useful which he can possess, whether
for trout or grayling. Theakstone places it in his

THE RED ANT 183

list of flies for June. It is, however, rather during
July and August that it will be found of the
greatest service. It is, in my opinion, a fly which
no angler should be without. I have found the
following the best mode of imitating it :

Wings : Rather pale starling.

Legs : A red hackle.

Body : A strand of bronze peacock herl, stripped
for three parts of its length, the unstripped
portion being wound round the hook at the
bend, so as to form the lower portion of the
body, and the stripped hare-quill representing

the remainder.

Hook o or i.

THE COWDUNG FLY.

As may be inferred from its name, this is also
a land-bred fly. Some writers term it the ' lion
fly^' a more euphonious title, doubtless, but one
very apt to mislead, since it is more generally
known by its former, if more vulgar, name.

It is by no means a bad fly to use on windy
days, and the angler will do well not to ignore it.

It may be imitated with the following dressing,

Wings : From a landrail feather.
Body : Orange-coloured wool or mohair. A dirty-
coloured orange is preferable.

Legs : A ginger hackle.

Hook i or 2.

184 ROD AND RIVER

The above pattern will also be found useful
in serving to represent some of the smaller sedge
flies.

THE COCH-Y-BONDDHU.

A Welshman with a crack-jaw name, also
known as the Marlow buzz, shorn fly, hazel fly,
bracken clock, Welshman's button, etc.

Ronalds states that this fly is on the water
from the beginning to the middle of June only.
All the same, it is a fly very generally used, and
most universally believed in as being of inestimable
value, from the beginning to the end of the season,
at all times of. the day and on all rivers. It
certainly forms one of the standard patterns in
every local list. As far as my own experiences
extend, I do not share the general opinion regard-
ing the super-excellent qualities of this fly; indeed,
I may go further, and say that I consider it to be
very much overrated. I wonder how many of
my readers can say that they have ever seen this
fly on the water at any time. That it is to be
so found I most firmly believe, and every writer
on matters piscatorial makes mention of it ; perhaps
I do it scant justice. It will,- I am well aware,
kill fish. I have killed scores of fish, of sorts,
with it ; but this has been more frequently in
those districts where the latter run small, and are
ready to take anything when they are on the
feed. It is a land-bred insect, one of the beetle

THE COCH-Y-BONDDHU 185

tribe. The following are three different modes of
dressing it :

RONALDS.

Body : Black ostrich herl, twisted with peacock

herl, and tied with red silk.
Wings and legs : Made buzz, with a dark furnace

cock's hackle.

FRANCIS.
Body : Dark copper-coloured peacock's herl, mixed

equally with black ostrich.
Hackle : A dark-red hackle, with a black stripe

up the centre.

HALFORD.

Body : Two or three strands of copper-coloured

peacock's herl twisted together.
Hackle : Coch-y-bonddhu.

The body may, for a change, be ribbed with
flat gold.

Hooks o, i, or 2.

The fly takes its name from the colour of the
hackle which is used in dressing the artificial
representation.

FANCY FLIES.

THE WICKHAM'S FANCY.

I have already referred to the excellent qualities
of this fly, so repetition is needless. It is thus
dressed :

HALFORD.

Wings : Medium or light starling.

1 86 ROD AND RIVER

Body : Flat gold, ribbed with fine gold wire.
Hackle: Bright-red bantam cock from shoulder

to tail.

Tail : From same coloured feather as hackle.

Hook o, oo, or ooo.

ooo is too small, in my opinion. Moreover,
this fly may, with advantage, be dressed on a i,
2, 3, or 4 hook for use in rough water. It is a
good fly on any sized hook, anywhere and every-
where.

THE RED TAG.

This is very much like a coch-y-bonddhu, but
with the additional attraction of a small red tag of
wool, silk, or feathers. It is by no means a bad
grayling fly, and I have heard of good baskets of
trout having been taken with it. At one time it
was the 'rage.' Halford gives the usual dressing
of it :

Body : Two or three strands of copper-coloured

peacock herl twisted together.
Hackle : Blood-red game cock.
Tag : Red ibis or scarlet wool.

THE COACHMAN.

So called by reason of its white wing, and also,
it is stated, from having been invented by an old
well-known whip. It is a very useful fly, more
especially for evening and night fishing, though

THE COACHMAN—THE GOVERNOR 187

it will at times kill in hot weather during the

daytime.

Wings : White pigeon's feather.

Hackle: Red.

Body : Bronze peacock herl.

Hook i to 3, or even larger.

THE GOVERNOR.

I have had no personal experience of this fly
that I can remember, but it bears a high reputa-
tion. Francis states that it is an excellent fly,
especially in the Metropolitan district, and he
usually kept it in three sizes — what he calls 7, 10,
or n, No. 7 being suitable for every fishing. He
gives the following dressing :

Body : Peacock's herl, dressed and finished off at
tail with two or three turns of bright orange-
yellow floss silk. Gold twist may be added as
a ribbing.

Wing : From a hen pheasant's wing.

The wing may also be made like that of the

gray drake. It is then called the ' mackerel

governor,' and is an excellent evening fly.
Halford dresses it thus :

Wings : Woodcock.

Hackle : Ginger cock,

Tag : Primrose floss silk.

Body : Copper-coloured peacock herl.

Hook o to 3.

i88 ROD AND RIVER

I should say that in the dressing given by
F. Francis the hooks would be the ordinary-
sized Nos. i, 3, and 4.

THE ORANGE BUMBLE.

The bumbles hail from Derbyshire, where they
are much in request, especially for grayling. I
have used them myself on the Derbyshire rivers,
and found them excellent there, but, strange to
say, have not been as successful with them on
other streams. Of late years they have come
into use in Hampshire, and appear, from what
Mr. Halford states, to have answered so well
that the orange variety has earned for itself the
title of 'the priceless bumble.' Bumbles are of
all shades ; what they are intended to represent I
cannot imagine. Mr. Halford gives two dressings,
which I here append :

Body : Orange floss silk, ribbed with a strand of

peacock sword-feather, and fine flat gold.
Hackle : Honey dun cock.

Hook o or oo (long).

THE CLARET BUMBLE.

Body : Claret floss silk, ribbed with a strand of

peacock's sword-feather.
Hackle : Medium blue dun cock.

Hook as before.

THE CLARET BUMBLE 189

This completes the list of trout-flies. I have
endeavoured to curtail it as much as possible. I
could, of course, have reduced it to some five or
six varieties, but this would have been considered
very incomplete by the majority of people. More-
over, I am of opinion that fishermen like to possess
a certain stock of flies, judging from the enormous
collections which some men contrive to accumu-
late. For my own part, I find a very slender stock
amply sufficient ; but then, being able to tie my
own flies, I can always replenish it when it is
exhausted. It is not so necessary to have a large
variety as a good stock of the best patterns. I
would advise the reader to learn to make his own
flies, even though he may prefer to purchase what
he requires. I am well aware that a chapter or
two on the art of artificial fly-making would form
a useful addition to the present work, but I have
decided not to refer to it, for the reasons assigned
in the next chapter.

[ T9° ]

CHAPTER IX.

Mr. Halford's Work, ' Floating Flies, and how to Dress them '—
The Experience of an Amateur Fly-tyer — Mr. George
Currell — Pleasure to be derived from the Ability to tie one's
own Flies — Advice to Beginners — Fly-tying Vices — Mr.
Holland's Pattern of Vice — A Vice and its Vices — Good
and Bad Silk — Waxing Silk — Varnishing — Recipe for
Varnish— Good Materials Necessary— Order and Disorder
— Scissors — Tweezers — Utility of Wooden Trays — Fly-
tying by Lamplight — Eyeglass for Fly-tying — The Use of a
Trout-rod — Casting with a Trout-rod — Different Styles of
Casting — How to cast — Overhead and Steeple Casting—
Casting Horizontally — Switching — Casting in Windy
Weather — Casting Dead against Wind — Casting with a
•Cross-wind — Utility of changing Mode of Casting — Use of
Slack Line— Striking : the Right and the Wrong Way-
Reasons for not striking from the Reel — The Timbridge
Trout.

ARTIFICIAL FLY-MAKING.

AT the close of the previous chapter I stated that
I had reasons for not entering into the subject of
the manufacture of artificial trout-flies. It had
originally been my intention to do so when I
commenced the present work. On further reflec-
tion I determined to abstain from so doing. Not
by reason of wishing to avoid the trouble, for the

ARTIFICIAL FLY-MAKING 191

task would have been indeed a labour of love to me,
and, to tell the truth, it was a portion of the work
to which I had looked forward with pleasurable
anticipation. When, however, I remembered
how much I owe to the instruction which Mr.
Halford has given in his book on * Artificial Fly-
making,' I felt that I should not be acting honour-
ably, either to him or the reader, were I to carry
out my first intention. The information which
he gives is the very best of its kind ; therefore to
crib from his book in the wholesale manner
which would have been necessary would have
been, in my opinion, dishonourable; to give 'that
which I did not consider to be equally good
would have been to defraud the reader. I
therefore decided to refrain from dealing as
exhaustively with the subject as I had proposed,
and I think that the reader will endorse my
views.

I regret that I have not the honour of any
acquaintance with Mr. Halford, but I have
studied and profited by his book. I had tied
flies from my boyhood ; very dreadful productions
most of them were, too. If I killed a fish
with them my joy was infinite. As years went
on I made some considerable progress in the art,
but there was still a very manifest want of neat-
ness and finish about them. The work, though
engrossing enough, was not a little laborious, and

192 ROD AND RIVER

I experienced very many difficulties which I was
never able to overcome successfully.

Happening to be in Winchester for a few days
on business, I repaired to Mr. George Currell,
the well-known tackle-maker and fisherman, and
got him to give me a few lessons in the art. At
that time Mr. Halford's book had just made its
appearance, and Mr. Currell showed me a copy of
it in his possession. I at once ordered one for
myself, and set to work to follow out the direc-
tions there given. With the assistance of Mr. Cur-
rell's able tuition, combined with the instructions
so clearly laid down in Mr. Halford's work, I was
very soon enabled to tie flies for myself as well as
I could purchase them. Since that time I have
but very rarely found it necessary to purchase
any flies, unless they have been too minute for
me to make myself.

I can hardly describe how much pleasure the
ability to make my own flies really well has
afforded me. It has added yet another charm
to a sport which has ever had a peculiar fascina-
tion for me. To imitate a natural fly, cast it
deftly over a rising trout, and bring the latter to
bank, is surely far more pleasurable than to catch
the same fish with a bought fly. The man who
can tie his own flies may be utterly independent of
the tackle-makers in this respect. If his stock is
low, or he runs short of any particular pattern,

PLEASANT OCCUPATION FOR A WET DAY 193

half an hour's work will suffice to replenish his
book.

It is fascinating, pretty work, and forms a
pleasant occupation for a wet day. Many a time
I have had cause to be thankful that I could so
employ my leisure hours when hopeless weather
has kept me indoors in some shooting or fishing
quarters. While my companions have been bored
to death, and have read and smoked until they
could do so no longer, I have found the day,
so wearying to them, seem all too short for me,
and have been able not only to amuse myself
profitably, but often to do a good turn to others
by replenishing their dwindling stock of arti-
ficials.

My advice to everyone who is anxious to learn
to make his own flies is, first to procure Mr.
Halford's work on the subject — it is somewhat
expensive, but it is indeed well worth its price,
and it will be money well spent — to read it care-
fully, and also at the very first opportunity to go
to some good professional fly-tyer, and obtain a
few lessons from him. There is no royal road to
anything, tying flies especially ; but this will be
found the shortest and broadest, and will save
the amateur many hours and weeks of wasted
labour, and many a heart-breaking disappoint-
ment.

There are some few observations which I wish

13

i94 ROD AND RIVER

to make in regard to the tying of trout-flies, and
which I think may prove of service to the reader,
and they are these :

I would suggest his ignoring the use of a vice
if he can possibly contrive to do without it. Mr.
Halford gives illustrated directions for its use ;
my own experiences have taught me that it is
more difficult to use a vice than to dispense with
it. The pattern of vice given in Mr. Halford's
book is doubtless excellent. I have one, most
beautifully made, by Messrs. Holtzapfel, of Cock-
spur Street. Now, in the illustrations given by
Mr. Halford, the hooks and materials are pur-
posely magnified in order to render the several
operations more intelligible. When, however,
the tiny hook is placed in the vice, I find that
there is insufficient room, by reason of the width
of the head of the latter, to manipulate the
materials.

Last summer, when purchasing some tackle
from Mr. Holland, of Salisbury, I chanced to see
a pattern of vice which he had been using. He
very kindly explained its action to me, for it was
altogether unlike anything which I had ever seen
before. The jaws, which are very fine, are made
to close by means of a sliding ring ; and, while
they hold the hook as firmly as the ordinary
screw principle, they do not get in the way of the
fingers. Mr. Holland told me how he became

A VICE AND ITS VICES 195

possessed of it, but I forget, nor is it a matter
of much importance ; but it is by far the best
description of vice which I have ever seen for the
purpose for which it is intended.

If the amateur is dependent upon the assistance
to be derived from a vice, he is considerably
handicapped, unless he carries one about with
him, if he wishes to tie up a fly by the river-side ;
nor is such a vice of any use unless it is fixed
firmly to a table. To add a table to one's stock
of fishing impedimenta would be inconvenient, so
I counsel his learning to use his fingers. I say
* learning to use his fingers,' because there is a
right way and a wrong, even in so apparently
simple a matter as holding a hook. It makes all
the difference, though, how it is held, and the
difficulties of dressing a fly thereon can be very
materially increased or lessened, according as to
whether it is placed in the one exact spot between
the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, and so
held in the best way to work on it, or bungled
into the more fleshy part. The aid of a profes-
sional tutor in such little matters is of great
value.

Nothing but the best and finest silk should
be used for tying. It is not an easy matter to
procure good silk. That known as gossamer,
made by Messrs. Pearsall, is very good, as I
have before remarked ; but I have now and

196 ROD AND RIVER

again been able to obtain silk equally fine and
even stronger than this. It is most irritating for
the silk to break, as bad silk always elects to do,
just at the most critical moment. Such a con-
tretemps causes endless trouble, and is calculated
to drive a beginner clean out of his wits. When-
ever I see a specimen of extra good, fine tying
silk, I purchase it. If such silk is not carefully
preserved it soon becomes rotten ; it requires to
be kept perfectly dry.

It is a great mistake to suppose, as beginners
are very prone to do, that fine silk is not strong.
On the contrary, a fly tied with fine silk will not
only be neater, but will, by reason of the materials
being thereby capable of being laid more closely
together, be firmer, and last longer, than if tied
with coarser silk, which, from its very thickness
intervening between the feathers, etc., induces a
tendency in the wings to wobble about, and lie
sideways instead of upright ; when this is the
case the whole work falls to pieces.

Some practice and tuition are also requisite to
learn how to wax fine tying silk without breaking
it, and making the fingers sticky and to the
last degree unsuitable for handling the delicate
materials which have to be used. It is an utterly
hopeless task to attempt to tie a fly with waxy
fingers. Floss silk must be kept spotlessly clean,
and is easily soiled. The feathers adhere to the

RECIPE FOR VARNISH 197

smallest particle of wax, and it is not a little dis-
concerting to find half of a wing sticking to a
finger when infinite pains and trouble have been
taken to put it into its right position.

When varnishing the head of a fly, or, indeed,
any fishing tackle, care should be taken not to
load it on too thickly. Good varnish dries very
rapidly, and it is better to use two applications of
it than one heavy lump.

Powdered shellac dissolved in spirits of wine
makes an excellent varnish for all tackle. It is
not, however, suitable for rods.

I would also urge the beginner never to attempt
to tie flies with bad or unsuitable materials. He
will probably be anxious to make a collection for
himself, and he will perhaps be successful so far
as quantity is concerned ; but the chances are
that he will get together an amount of rubbish
which will never be of the smallest use to him,
and which will, by reason of its bulk and inutility,
only serve to impede him in his endeavours to
find what he requires, and to attract moths
and all such abominations. He will find it the
best plan, certainly at first, to purchase what he
requires from some good tackle-maker, and to
learn from the latter how best to keep these
requisites in order ; and having so learned, to
firmly resolve never to allow them to get into
disorder. If fishing tackle is allowed to get into

198 ROD AND RIVER

a jumble, it will be sure to have its revenge.
The fitting opportunity for putting it straight
never comes, and so things go on from bad to
worse. Good materials are spoiled, and the next
batch of flies, and perhaps every succeeding one
which may be required, have to be purchased.

The necessary feathers, silks, tinsels, etc., for
the manufacture of trout -flies are not very
numerous, and occupy but little space if properly
kept ; nor are they expensive. One thing is very
certain, which is, that although a skilful hand may
succeed in making a tolerable job out of indifferent
materials, a beginner never can.

Two more requisites remain to be noticed, viz.,
scissors and tweezers. The first-named must be
good, and as fine-pointed as possible. Those re-
commended by Mr. Halford, and termed oculist's
scissors, are the best, and, being curved, are very
suitable for fly-dressing.

As regards tweezers, I have found it a difficult
matter to procure them light and yet strong
enough to hold the point of a fine hackle when
being wound on the hook. They generally allow
it to slip at the last moment, and this is a serious
matter, as the hackle is thereby by no means
improved, and is not unfrequently ruined. Such
a disaster may necessitate the demolition of the
entire fly. I have ever so many pairs in my
possession, but only one of them is of any use ;

UTILITY OF WOODEN TRAYS 199

and, if I remember rightly, I gave less for that
pair than the rest.

I find the use of two or three shallow wooden
trays, with a few divisions and tops to fit on
them, most useful. If I am interrupted in my
work when fly-tying, it is an easy matter to put
on the lids, and to slip the boxes away in a
drawer, where they are safe ; the materials also
are less liable to be wafted about the room by
reason of a door or window being suddenly
opened.

Let me beg the reader never to tie trout-flies
by lamplight, if he can avoid doing so. He will,
as I have done, most certainly regret it. It is
work which is most trying to the sight, and with
the strongest eyes and the clearest lamplight the
result is rarely as satisfactory as might be desired.
When working by daylight, he should always
endeavour to do so in a good light, facing the
window, and with a large sheet of white paper, or
a board painted white, laid on the table in front
of him. By this means, not only can the colours
of the different materials be more readily dis-
tinguished, but the strain on the eye will be very
much lessened. A glass, similar to those used by
watchmakers, will be found most useful when
dressing the smaller patterns. I should advise
the use of one in which the eyepiece is made of
cork in preference to those made of horn or metal,

200 ROD AND RIVER

as being not only much lighter but more com-
fortable. A few holes burned in the cork will
serve to keep the glass from becoming dimmed
by the warmth of the eye, and so necessitating its
being constantly wiped.

THE USE OF A TROUT-ROD.

In the foregoing pages I have discussed the
following subjects, viz., Trout, their habits, their
habitations, and the tackle required to catch them.
It now remains for me to instruct the reader, to
the best of my ability, how to use the latter to the
greatest advantage, and under the various condi-
tions which are constantly presenting themselves
to the fisherman.

The fish are in the river, and the angler, rod in
hand, is by the river-side, it being his aim and
object to transfer these fish, or as many as he
can, from the river to the bank by means of the
artificial fly at the end of his line. How to do so
remains for me to endeavour to explain. The fly
has to be presented to the fish in such a manner
that the latter may be induced to take, or rather
to mistake, it for one of the natural flies which
they may be feeding upon, the rod being the
means by which this has to be effected. Success
or failure of course very much depends as to how
it is used.

I would first of all impress on the reader that,

CASTING WITH A TROUT-ROD 201

a rod having been constructed specially to do
the work, it should be allowed to do it — that is
to say, the fisherman should, without putting
undue strain on his rod, extract from it all that is
necessary, and with as little muscular exertion
from himself as is possible. Brute force is alto-
gether out of place at the end of a trout-rod.
Brute force never made a coachman, nor will it
make a fisherman, and the man who can handle
and make his whip neatly should not fail with a
fly-rod, and I may reverse the argument.

Now, there are four different ways of casting
with a trout-rod, viz. .

1. Overhead, the rod being used nearly verti-
cally.

2. Waving the rod horizontally on the right
side, the knuckles of the right hand being held
downwards.

3. Waving the rod horizontally on the left
side, back-handed, as it were, the knuckles of the
hand being held upwards.

4. Switching.

In all these four different styles of casting, the
point of the rod is never to be brought directly
backwards and forwards in exactly the same
plane, but it must be made to describe a slightly
circular movement, for if this is not carried out,
the fly will be cracked off to a certainty. The
return cast from behind must also be timed so as

202 ROD AND RIVER

to be made, not, as is so often recommended,
when the line is fully extended behind, but just
before it reaches its fullest extension. This the
fisherman must learn by practice to know for
himself; theory is useless, and nothing but prac-
tice will teach him. He must learn to feel, as it
were, with his rod. As every horse has a dif-
ferent mouth, so every rod has its own peculiar
swing, and the fisherman must learn to act in
perfect sympathy with this swing. The motive
power and the direction must be furnished by the
muscles of his arm, of which the rod is, after all,
but an artificial continuation ; and if the requisite
amount of force and the proper direction are
imparted to the rod, the latter will most surely,
if it is a fairly good one, do its share of the
work.

Nearly all casting should be performed by the
forearm and wrist alone ; I may say all, save
where it is necessary to lengthen the rod by
bringing the entire arm into play. One fre-
quently sees men who are bunglers at the art
not only swinging their arm frantically to and
fro, but their entire bodies. This style of thing
is neither necessary nor conducive to neat casting,
and is, moreover, clumsy and grotesque. The
man who can use his rod gracefully will generally
prove to be able to use it to good purpose,
whether it be a salmon or a trout rod, the

OVERHEAD AND STEEPLE CASTING 203

simple, unaffected ease of his attitude when
casting being evidence that the rod is being
fully and properly used.

It is necessary for everyone who desires to
become a fisherman to learn to cast in each one
of the four ways which I have mentioned. At
one time, the banks being free from obstruc-
tion, such as the boughs of trees, etc., it may
be not only possible, but advisable, to cast over-
head, especially when a long distance has to be
covered, and the line has to be ' steepled ' out, as
it is termed. This * steeple casting ' is effected
by retaining a sufficient quantity of slack line run
off the reel at one's feet, and this, as the rod is
waved to and fro in the process of drying the fly,
or getting out the required length of line, is
allowed to follow out through the third and fourth
fingers of the right hand, the left hand feeding
them with the line until nearly all the slack is
expended, when the final forward cast draws out
the remainder. A long line being out, when it is
desired to cast afresh, it must not be lifted bodily
off the water, for if such is attempted, and any
portion of it is in slack water, a broken rod will
most certainly be the result. The operation
should rather be reversed by the left hand
drawing the line back through the fingers of
the right hand until a convenient length has
been left, which can be lifted quietly and cleanly

204 ROD AND RIVER

off the water, and without risk of detriment to the
rod or fear of scaring the fish. The above plan
will be found useful in all cases where a long line
has to be used.

When boughs or other obstructions intervene,
it will be necessary to cast horizontally, either to
the right or left side, as the case may be. Now,
in thus casting, it is, as will very readily be
understood, more difficult to place the fly on the
exact spot which may be required, because the
tendency will be for it to describe an arc, and
thus fall too much to the right or left ; and this
tendency will be found to be greater when the
cast is made on the right side than when it is
made back-handed. All the same, this style of
casting is, when neatly done, very effective, for
not only is it thereby possible to prevent the
shadow of the rod scaring the fish, and the fly
being used in situations which would be impos-
sible by the overhead style; but, as Mr. Halford
states — and I have repeatedly proved the truth of
the assertion when fishing with a dry fly — the
latter is more likely to fall in its proper position,
with its wings upright, on the water, than when
casting overhead.

Where the position is cramped, and neither of
the above methods can be adopted, the switch,
or spey cast, as it is termed, must be resorted to,
especially where there are high rocks or trees,

SWITCHING 205

etc., behind the fisherman. This is by no means
an easy cast to describe, still less to learn to do
well. However, I will do my best to explain it.
It is most difficult to use it when fishing up-
stream, for it is a necessity, in order to get any
length of line out, that it should be made directly
down-stream, and in a fairly rapid flow of water.
It is thus performed :

The fisherman must face as directly down-
stream as possible. A line a little longer than his
rod being straight out on the water in front of
him, the rod must be raised until the fly is
brought as close up to his feet as he can con-
veniently manage ; the instant it has reached
this spot, the point of the rod must be brought
sharply down with a firm, stiff wrist in a direc-
tion pointing to where it is desired to place the
fly. The latter, if the cast is properly made,
will leave the water, and, describing an arc in
front of the fisherman, will shoot out to the full
length of the line. If the system which I have
referred to, of keeping slack line out at one's feet,
is adopted, the length of cast will be materially
increased ; but great care is necessary to see that
the line is perfectly clear of the very slightest
obstruction, inasmuch as a single blade of grass,
or a slender piece of stick, will suffice to check its
running.

By means of this cast many a river can be

206 ROD AND RIVER

fished which would otherwise be impossible.
One thing is needful, and that is that the line
must never be permitted to slacken or dwell
from the time the rod begins to move upward
until the downward cut is made ; hence the neces-
sity for the cast being made down a stream which
has a fairly rapid flow of water.

It is possible, though, as I have remarked,
most difficult, to switch up-stream ; an old prac-
tised hand may be able to do so, and it is, more-
over, possible to switch in the air — ' dry switch,' as
it is termed — without the fly touching the water
till cast on it ; but it requires a pretty strong wind
to do it neatly, and if this prevails, it is often a
most useful style of cast.

Contrary wind is one of the chief difficulties
with which the fisherman has to contend. A day
on which there is absolutely no wind, especially
if the sun is shining brightly, is rarely what may
be termed * fisherman's weather/ If it is dull,
the chances are that there is thunder in the air ;
if bright, the fish either sulk, or are far too cute
to be captured, being able to discern the gut,
which on such occasions must to them appear as
thick as a cart-rope. If, however, the surface of
the water is ruffled by a breeze, it serves as a
veil, and the very fact of the natural flies being
blown hither and thither makes the fish more
active and eager to capture them. I think it is

CASTING IN WINDY WEATHER 207

Francis Francis who states that, in his opinion,
the best wind for fishing is ' no wind.' Certainly
the very worst are north and east. A wind blow-
ing from any other quarter save these two will
not necessarily mar sport — on the contrary, may
conduce to it, always provided the fisherman can
get his line out.

At times a contrary wind can be most trying
and vexatious to the temper, and nothing will go
right. If it is necessary to change a fly, a puff of
wind probably whips it away out of one's fingers,
possibly others out of the book or box going too,
and the chances are a hundred to one against
finding them again. Matches won't light, and
smoking is a farce. Nevertheless, in the back-
waters of the bends, and always in the most inac-
cessible places, the fish are feeding, and a quick
eye will readily detect the slight bubble made by
the rise, even in the roughest, most wind-tossed
waters. Under such circumstances, if it is
desired to catch fish, the fly must be got over
them somehow or other. How to do it remains
to be shown.

First of all a weak rod and a light line are use-
less for such work ; the latter must be heavy, and
the former stiff enough to carry it. Too long or
too fine a gut-cast is also useless, and not only
cannot be forced out against the wind, but coils in
hopeless knots and tangles all over the place,

208 ROD AND RIVER

landing the fly anywhere but where it ought
to go.

When the wind is straight in one's teeth,
strange as it may appear, a longer and straighter
line can be cast than when it is blowing obliquely.
This is, I think, the only case in fly-fishing for
trout when a certain amount of physical strength
is necessary. Most writers on the subject recom-
mend the use of a short line under such circum-
stances ; my own advice to the reader, if he pos-
sesses a strong wrist, is to use rather a long line.
The length will increase the weight, and so aid
rather than retard the cast. Stand boldly up to
the wind, grip the rod firmly with the wrist
stiffened as much as possible, and let the for-
ward cast be a sharp, flogging downward cut,
the rod point being brought wellnigh on to the
water. There must be no half-measures if this
cast is to be successful. The rod must be
brought down at almost full strength, the down-
ward cut stopping just clear of the water. If the
line is heavy enough, and the gut properly pro-
portioned, the fly can thus be forced out in the
teeth of half a gale. The line itself may bag
slightly, but the gut will be straight ; and if that is
so, and it is well in advance of the line, it matters
little. As a rule, the line will go out straight
enough. Whether fishing for salmon or trout, I
would far sooner cast straight against a light wind
than directly with a strong one.

CHANGING MODE OF CASTING 209

When the wind is blowing across, it will be
found ever the better plan to cast into it. The
lower the cast is made, the better. The line
should be cut up into and, as it were, under the
wind ; the fly will fall much more lightly thus
cast, and by keeping the rod low the full force
of the wind is not felt, by reason of the protection
afforded by the banks.

The following is, perhaps, worth knowing. It
often happens that a rising fish will not take a fly,
though time after time the latter has been cast
apparently truly over it. The artificial may be
the best of its kind, and the fish may be sucking
down the natural flies one after the other, yet, so
surely as the furred and feathered imitation pre-
sents itself, it is allowed to pass by unheeded.
Now, it may be that the cast has hitherto been
made overhead, or from the right side ; let the
fisherman but reverse the operation, and cast from
the left side — make the cast back-handed — and
he will probably catch that fish. If I were asked
why or how this should be so, I can only reply, ' I
don't know, unless it be that, whereas in the
former style of casting the foot-links of the gut
bagged over the fish, and so in a measure covered
the fly, being drawn askew by some unseen pecu-
liarity in the current, in the back-handed cast
this tendency was rectified, and the fly floated
truly and naturally. Anyhow, it is a plan worth

210 ROD AND RIVER

the trying, and I have so repeatedly found it
answer that I venture to give the reader the
benefit of my experience.

One word more before I change the subject. I
have made mention of the utility of keeping a
certain, amount of slack line out when casting, not
only because a longer line can thus be got out,
but also because, at the final forward cast, when
the last of the slack is drawn out, the fly in its
forward motion, not being as suddenly checked
as would be the case if the line were cast straight
from the reel without any slack being left, will
fall on the water more lightly and naturally. And
there is still another advantage to be gained by
thus retaining a certain quantity of slack. It is
not^ possible to always accurately gauge the dis-
tance, still less to make absolutely sure of the fly
being placed on the exact spot required, for, just
as it is over the fish, a sudden gust of wind may
blow the cast away to right or left, as the case
may be, and the chances are that a twitch of the
rod may tend either to splash the gut on the
water, and scare an all too wary fish, or to firmly
lodge the casting-line in a neighbouring bush or
bough (and it is always in the neighbourhood of
boughs and bushes that the largest and most
cunning old sinners elect to take up their abode).
Now, if, instead of thus twitching the rod and
running these great risks, a little slack is retained

HOW TO STRIKE TROUT 211

in the left hand — lightly held, so as not to check
the fly — when such danger seems imminent, a
quick pull at the line will at once shorten it, and
avert the catastrophe.

It may be argued that this plan of using the
slack line must interfere with striking a fish. I
can only assure the reader that such is not the
case, for the right hand closes instinctively on the
line in the act of turning the wrist to make what
is called, or rather miscalled, striking.

There has been an infinite amount of twaddle
and nonsense talked and written about striking
trout, striking from the reel, etc. If a man is
so coarse-fisted, or so afflicted with nerves, that
he cannot learn to strike without fear of smashing
his tackle with a large fish, or of hoisting a small
one up into the Milky Way, he had better abjure
fishing altogether. It is the word strike which
does all the mischief, and causes beginners to give
a vigorous upward snatch of the rod, when all the
time they should be doing exactly the reverse.
When the right hand is holding the rod, the fly
being on the water, the back of the hand is
towards the right front. When the motion of
striking is properly performed, the back of the
hand is turned sharply downwards. That is all ;
it is effected by the movement of the wrist alone.
This motion, so far from causing the top of the
rod to be thrown up, on the contrary moves it

212 ROD AND RIVER

downwards. If a fish is thus struck there need
be no fear of breaking even the lightest tackle.
In striking from the reel there is every chance of
losing a fish, though the probability of a smash, in
the hands of a duffer, may be lessened ; for when a
fish is struck from the reel, for a second the line
is slackened, and many a fish, if at all light-hooked,
will take advantage of this opportunity, short
though it may be, to run in towards the fisherman
and get off. Who that knows the Kimbridge
trout has not experienced what a fish can do in
the way of giving one the slip ?

The foregoing remarks apply only to trout and
grayling, and not to salmon fishing.

CHAPTER X.

Where to cast — Keeping out of Sight — Advantages and Dis-
advantages of Wading — Streams apparently Barren — Likely
Spots — A Quiet Way of doing Things — Much ado about
Nothing — Where to find Fish — Banks should not be shaken
—Fishing directly Down-stream unadvisable — How to
cast Down-stream — 'Every Fish has its Angle' — Wet-fly
and Dry-fly— The Virtue of Humility— Why a Dry-fly
fails on certain Streams — Hackles v. Wings for Wet-fly
Fishing — The Use of the Dry-fly — An Unbeliever — A
Convert — How to fish with a Dry-fly — Tailing Fish — A
Day of Woe— The ' Coppersmith ' and the ' Tinsmith '-
Casting with a Dry-fly — ' Streams within Streams ' —
Wandering Fish — Vacant Shoes — A Slice of Luck —
Long Lines and Short— A Change of Tactics — An Alterna-
tive—Playing a Fish— ' Notice to Quit '—A ' Sell '—Testing
a Fish—' Give and Take '—The Value of Good Hands-
Fish jumping when hooked — School-board Education —
Landing a Fish — * Double-hooked ' — Foul-hooked.

IF my remarks on the subject of how to cast a
trout-line have been of any service to the reader,
it may perhaps further aid him if I offer a few
suggestions as to where he should cast it.

If fish are rising there is not much to be said on
the subject, for it rests with the fisherman to
make his selection. There are, however, many
rivers in which the fish do not rise freely, and yet

214 ROD AND RIVER

are to be caught with a fly. In such cases, since
they do not show themselves, the water must
be searched for them. I can give the reader no
better advice under such circumstances than to
steadily fish every likely place, but always to
observe the golden rule, viz., ' To keep out of
sight,' and, I may add, to be equally careful
to prevent the shadow of his rod passing over
the water in front of him. He may kneel, sit,
lie down flat, stand on his head, perform any
acrobatic feat he chooses, in order to avoid
his body being seen by the fish, but, do what
he may, his efforts will prove useless if he is
to ruin everything by allowing the shadow of his
rod to fall on the water before him ; and he
must also bear in mind that there are many occa-
sions where, even though the sun may not be
behind him, nevertheless, he is plainly visible to
every fish in the river. And there are times
when he is actually more so when standing away
from the bank than if he were close to the water's
edge.

All these things have to be learned and studied,
and if the fisherman knows the river, he will be
able to avoid thus placing himself in such posi-
tions as would tend to neutralize his chances of
sport. As a rule, the nearer he is to the level of
the water, the closer he will be able to approach
the fish. This is one of the advantages to be

STREAMS APPARENTLY BARREN 215

secured by wading. It is necessary to wade in
some rivers, but where the water is not broken by
rocks, etc., I think the practice of wading is by no
means conducive to the interests of the stream,
and should, therefore, be avoided as much as
possible. Standing in the water close under the
near bank is not so objectionable, and very
frequently enables the fisherman to use his rod to
better advantage than would be the case if he
were fishing from the bank. He must, of course,
be guided by circumstances, and use his own
discretion ; but I would urge upon him never to
disturb a stream unnecessarily, not only for his
own sake, but also for that of others. A duffer
will do more harm to a good river in a week
than ten good fishermen in as many years.

I would impress upon a novice that, no matter
how destitute of fish a river may seem to him to
be, there are always some fish in it, and a great
many more than he would believe to be possible.
I have often and often fished in rivers which I
knew to be well stocked, and yet for days, in
unfavourable weather, have not seen a single fish.
It may be asked, 'Where do they go to?' I
can't say ; they get anywhere, everywhere, out of
sight — sulk in shoals at the bottom of the deep
pools, under the stones, banks, weeds, trunks of
trees, wherever they can hide themselves ; and if
they do come out to feed, it is at night, when it is

216 ROD AND RIVER

too dark to see, and probably they feed under
water. On such occasions fishing is folly, because
it is useless and a waste of time. This is, I regret
to say, but too often the condition of things when
some hard-worked City man elects to take his
brief holiday and spend it by the river-side.

So much depends on the description of the
river, that it is a difficult matter to explain to the
reader which are the likeliest spots in which he
may hope and expect to secure sport. Roughly
speaking, the best fish invariably select those
places where it is most difficult to cast a fly to
advantage. Big fish, when feeding, rarely make
much of a fuss about it ; they have a quiet, un-
obtrusive way of sucking down a fly : their mouths
are big, and so perhaps they know that they can
make pretty sure of not missing it. The smaller
fry take matters in a less matter-of-fact fashion,
and dart and splash about, fearful lest they should
be too late for dinner.

Wherever a fish can rest without undue exer-
tion, and yet be in a position to readily seek the
shelter of rough water, rocks, roots of trees, etc.,
in case of alarm, and also to take toll of the flies
as they pass down-stream over his nose, there he
is to be found. Where pools and shallows alter-
nate with each other, as they generally do, the
fish come out on the latter to feed when any
special rise of fly is on, or in the early mornings

FISHING DOWN-STREAM UNADVISABLE 217

or dusk of evening. Nor will they, unless alarmed,
subject themselves to the exertion of remaining
exposed to the force of heavy water. They may,
to a novice, appear to remain in such a position,
but it is not so ; it is rather between the rough and
the slack waters, and under the banks, that they
love to lie. If it is necessary for the angler to keep
out of sight, it is equally so for him to avoid
treading heavily on the banks ; the one is as
detrimental to sport as the other. The boots of
the policeman are the thief's best friends.

In trout-fishing it is never either advisable or
admissible to fish directly down-stream, no matter
whether a dry or wet fly is used. If the stream is
too rough, or otherwise unsuitable for the former,
and it is necessary to use the latter, if fish are not
rising, and the water has to be searched, the cast
should be made rather across and down-stream
than directly across or down. Let the reader but
reflect that fish under ordinary conditions lie with
their heads up-stream ; he will then understand
that the more obliquely the fly is presented to them
the better. If he fishes straight down -stream
he is seen ; if straight across, the fly is dragged
before the nose of the fish in a very unnatural
manner; nor does the latter, quick though he may
be, get the same chance of seizing it as if it floats
more directly and quietly down, as it were, into
his very mouth.

2i8 ROD AND RIVER

I have elsewhere, when writing on grayling-
fishing, made the remark that every fish has
its angle, not thereby intending to make any
pun. By this I meant what I have here en-
deavoured to describe, viz., that the obliquity
of cast must depend on the position of the fish
with regard to that of the fisherman ; and if the
style of fishing adopted be that of a sunk fly
down-stream, the fly should reach the water well
above the fish, or where the latter is supposed to
be, the cast being made so as to allow sufficient
line to unfold itself, and permit of the fly reaching
the fish. In order to effect this, the fly must
be, so to speak, flicked somewhat short of the spot,
the point of the rod being lowered and plenty of
line used.

There has been so much argument on the
subject of dry-fly versus wet-fly, that I almost
shrink from making any remarks thereon. I
think, however, that all sensible men are agreed
that bigotry is evidence of a want of sound judg-
ment. Both systems are good in their way.
Where a dry-fly can be used, then, by all means,
let it be so ; for it is, to my mind, the more
artistic and sporting way of catching fish. Where
the stream will not permit of its use, then the
wet-fly must come into operation. A good fisher-
man will use whichever of the two answers the
better. As I have remarked, so far as the science

WET-FLY AND DRY-FLY 219

and sport of the two systems are concerned, there
is no comparison, the dry-fly having it all its own
way ; but let not the man who is wedded to this
style think that, because it is more difficult, and
he perhaps excels on a Southern chalk-stream,
he is therefore going to give the fish in a
Northern or Welsh stream a lesson hitherto un-
known to them, and the go-by to all the local
fishermen ; because, if he holds such opinions,
he will have to confess that he has altogether
overrated his own powers, and he will have to
learn a lesson, which for its A B C will neces-
sitate a large consumption of what is commonly
known as humble-pie.

Strange to say, there are numberless stretches
of water in the streams of the North and North
Wales, etc., which appear most suitable for work-
ing with a dry-fly. The fish in these rivers do
not run large ; indeed, they appear to anyone
who is used to the large trout of the Southern
rivers contemptible fry. Yet these despised fish,
of five or six to the pound, positively refuse to be
cajoled into taking a dry-fly, no matter how skil-
fully offered them. I do not know why this is
the case, but it may be that they do not like to
see too much of the gut casting-line. I can
account for it in no other way. For wet-fly
fishing, the use of softer feathers for the wings of
the artificial imitation is advisable ; indeed, most

220 ROD AND RIVER

of them answer better when dressed hacklewise,
than with wings which are somewhat stiff and
unyielding by comparison. In the list of various
dressings which I have given, it will be observed
that I have marked those patterns which are
more suitable for streams in which the dry-fly
cannot be used.

In order to fish with a dry-fly, it is necessary
for the angler to face up-stream. It may so
happen that hitherto his piscatorial experiences
have been limited to the Northern or Welsh
rivers, where he has been in the habit of standing
with his face turned across or down the stream.
Now, however, he must make up his mind to
resolutely face the other way. At first this may
seem awkward and troublesome ; he is unused to
it, is slow to realize the necessity for so doing,
and begins to wish himself back again on a river
such as he has been accustomed to, and where he
can fish as he has always done. If he is fortunate
to have the assistance of any friend who is anxious
and willing to initiate him into the mysteries of
the, to him, new art, he must necessarily do his
best to follow out the instructions given him, so
long as his Mentor is beside him. Let him be
left alone for a short time, and the chances are
that the instant he is unobserved he will turn
himself down-stream again, inwardly cursing the
whole thing and denouncing it as confounded rot.

HOW TO FISH WITH A DRY-FLY 221

He may perchance catch one or two tolerable
fish, and several small ones, during the day. At
the close of the latter, when his companion rejoins
him with some two or three brace of really good
fish in his basket, he begins to realize that perhaps
after all his conclusions have been somewhat
premature. On the next occasion he determines
to try and follow the advice given him to the best
of his ability, and probably succeeds in hooking
and landing a good fish or two. Thenceforward
he needs no further inducement to try to master
the new style. He is converted — nay, wedded
to it.

The reader may desire to learn how to fish
up-stream with a dry-fly. I will therefore en-
deavour to show him.

First of all, it is necessary to find a rising fish,
i.e., a fish which is feeding on the flies which are
coming down on the surface of the water. I have
laid particular stress on this last sentence, because
it not infrequently happens that although flies may
be on the water, and the fish apparently feeding
on them, they are in reality not so doing, but are
feeding under water with their noses buried in
the weeds, and what looks like a rise is caused
by the tips of their tail-fins now and again pro-
truding. Such fish are said to be ' tailing,' and
are best left alone, for to try for them will only
result in the loss of time and temper, the chance

222 ROD AND RIVER

of being able to attract their attention with an
artificial fly being infinitesimally small. I have
known occasions, one in particular, when, appar-
ently, every fish in the portion of the Test on
which I was fishing was thus engaged ; and this,
too, was during the mayfly season. It had been
a day of disappointment to me, for the fish had
been rising very short ; my basket was empty,
and I had lost three or four large trout, one of
them an historical fish which had broken every-
one who had previously succeeded in hooking
him. He lived amongst the roots of an old alder-
tree, and when struck invariably made for his
home, and by means of some two or three quick,
deep, double rushes snapped the gut as if it were
a cobweb. These tactics he employed with me.
I did my utmost to keep him out in the stream ;
but though 1 was using a double-handed rod, and
the gut was the best of its kind, he beat me by
the sheer weight of his body and the violent,
rapid snatches he made. Nor was this the worst
of my troubles. I had, while casting, placed a
very favourite old single-handed rod on the grass
behind me, it not being furnished with a spike ;
and as I stepped back while playing the fish, I
trod on it, and ruined it irretrievably.

But to return to what I was saying. The day
had been bright and broiling ; at sunset the sky
was of a deep orange red, and the water of a

CASTING WITH A DRY-FLY 223

similar colour. I mention this fact because the
Scotch fishermen have an old saying that when
the * coppersmith,' as they term this peculiar light,
is on the water * the fush wunna tak.' There is
also another bluish metallic colour of water which
they call the ' tinsmith,' which is held by them as
being equally unsuitable. And they are right,
for I have never yet found it otherwise.

Having found a rising, feeding fish, the next
thing is to ascertain what fly he is feeding upon,
and, failing this, to select the fly which is most
likely to be the right one. Nor even then is it
advisable to at once commence operations ; for
it is ever time well spent to prospect the position
of the fish, the run of the stream in the particular
spot in which he is situated, the position of
boughs, the sun, wind, etc., and, having done so,
to determine from whence and how the cast can
best be made, so as to get the fly neatly over
him.

In the chalk streams and others of a similar
character, it may be observed that the surface of
the river is broken up into innumerable little
currents, 'streams within streams,' and if these
are not carefully observed before the cast is
made, the fly, just as it is nearirig the fish, will
probably be diverted from its course ; and if the
gut is thereby dragged across, it may be the
means of stopping the fish rising for a time,

224 ROD AND RIVER

' putting the fish down,' as it is termed. It is
therefore well to endeavour to guard against all
risks of failure by thus taking stock of the posi-
tion. Such caution takes but a very little time,
and tends to ensure success. A fly should never
be cast at the actual spot where the rise is seen,
nor, if visible to the angler, where the fish is
lying. It should be planted well above the latter,
say a foot or two, and allowed to sail gently down
towards it. Neither should it be cast so that
more of the gut than can possibly be helped
passes over the fish. It should rather be en-
deavoured to place it in such a position that,
while it floats head foremost, and with its
wings well cocked, down truly over the fish,
the main portion of the gut passes away to the
side of it. If it is not taken at the first
attempt, the angler should not repeat the cast
until he has seen the fish rise once or twice again,
thereby affording proof that it has not been in
any way scared.

Some fish, when they first come out to feed,
have a habit of wandering about before they
finally settle down ; they take a fly here, another
there, and it seems impossible to hit off their
whereabouts. At one time they move up-stream,
and just as the angler is making ready to follow
them up and put in a cast, lo and behold ! they
will turn back and rise again close to him. When

WANDERING FISH 225

this is the case, it is better to remain quite still,
of course keeping out of sight as much as possible,
and, if there is no other fish rising near at hand,
to wait until they have quite made up their minds
where they intend to dine or sup, before putting a
fly over them. I have known fish travel twenty
to thirty yards up-stream before they settle down
to feed ; these are but wending their way from
their homes to their club. They are generally
good fish, too, and worth the expenditure of a
little patience.

Wherever a big trout may elect to take up his
quarters, it may safely be assumed that there is
nearly always another, a smaller one, waiting about.
The reader can make proof of this for himself;
for if he succeeds in catching a trout in a certain
place one day — a fish, we will say, of two pounds
weight — the next day he will be almost certain to
find another rising in the same place, and if he
catches this also, it will be found to be smaller
than the other. With fish, as with mankind, there
is ever someone waiting to fill the vacant
shoes, no matter how old and worn the latter
may be.

One evening on the Test I caught a trout
weighing two pounds ; the next day I caught one
weighing about ^a pound and a half, and the day
following a third of a little over a pound, all three
being taken in exactly the same spot. I knew

15

226 ROD AND RIVER

that it was quite likely that the place would be
filled by another fish on each occasion, and made
the remark to a friend who was with me ; but it
was great luck to get all three, more especially as
the position was a most difficult one, and each cast
was made at the risk of losing my fly in a thorn-
bush which grew just above where the fish lay.

I am of opinion that it is easier to cast a fairly
long line lightly and with precision than a short
one. My reason for this assertion is not only
because I prefer using a long line, but because
the increased weight of the latter brings out the
full play of the rod more completely, and thereby
enables the user to feel its swing more perfectly.
Of course, it is folly to make use of a line absurdly
long, unless it is absolutely necessary to do so ;
and, moreover, fish hooked at the end, of a very
long line are more frequently lost than landed.
With a short line a mistake may cause a splash,
and a fish may thereby be ' put down,' or altogether
' warned off the premises,' but with a long one
such is less likely to happen : the fly may fail to
reach the desired spot, but if it goes out to the
full length of the line, which, if the distance has
been accurately gauged when running it off the
reel, will be somewhere close to the fish, it will
fall lightly enough to prevent the occurrence of
such a contretemps.

It may be found utterly impossible to make

A CHANGE OF TACTICS 227

any impression on a fish, no matter how carefully
the ground may have been reconnoitred, how
skilfully the fly may have been presented to it,
or how perfect an imitation the artificial repre-
sentation may be. There is evidently something
wrong. I have been hours over such a fish ;
indeed, have spent many hours on different occa-
sions in my endeavours to entice it, and have
failed until I have changed my tactics, when they
have frequently been rewarded with success.

Under circumstances such as these, it may be
concluded that the fault rests in the presentation
of the fly — that the latter does not reach the fish
as it should, by reason of the stream not serving
properly. The position of the angler must be
changed ; he must either CFOSS over to the opposite
side of the river, or, if that fails or is impracticable,
try a down-stream cast. If the latter course is
decided upon, the angler must keep as far up-
stream, away from the fish, as his casting powers
will permit, and endeavour to place the fly so that
it reaches the fish truly, flicking it somewhat short
in the manner I described for down-stream fishing.
If this can be effected by switching, it will be
better to adopt that style of casting. Indeed, I
consider it advisable to use the switch cast as
much as possible for all down-stream work. The
?fly is prevented passing too rapidly over a
fish by reason of the weight of the line, and its

228 ROD AND RIVER

course can be in a measure directed by a slight
movement of the point of the rod to right or left,
as may be necessary.

A few words of advice on the subject of what
is termed ' playing a fish ' may be of service to
the reader. When a fish is hooked, it naturally
becomes alarmed, and at once endeavours to
make the best of its way home ; that the fact of
the barb entering its flesh is a source of physical
pain to it I very much doubt. The pain it
experiences is rather mental, and its one aim and
object is to regain its liberty, and to this end its
entire energies are devoted. Being foiled in its
endeavours to go in the direction it desires, it
dashes off in another, anywhere, everywhere. If
it is a well-conditioned fish of respectable size, it
is capable of putting a very considerable strain
on the rod and tackle ; and if this strain is too
severe, either one or the other must give. It
therefore rests with the fisherman to calculate the
amount of resistance which his tackle is capable
of sustaining, and if he finds that it is too great,
he must give way ; in other words, he must let
the line run off the reel in order to relieve the
undue pressure which is brought to bear against
him. But at the same time he must not yield
more than he is forced to do ; for if a fish is
allowed to have its own way too suddenly, and
too great an extent of line, the latter will be, for

PLAYING A FISH 229

a second or two, over-slackened, and the fish,
especially if not fairly hooked, may succeed in
getting off. Where weeds, roots of trees and
other obstructions are present, the fish must
be held out of them as long as it is possible.
Should, however, it succeed in making for the
latter, the chances are that a smash will follow ;
if the former, and they are thick, the best plan is
to hang on and wait until the action of the water
may serve to disentangle them, and permit of the
angler's forcing the fish to quit its lodgment by
means of steady and continued pressure being put
on it to work it down-stream. Should this fail,
and waiting be too wearisome, there is nothing
for it but to move the fish out by means of stones,
clods of earth, etc. ; but care is necessary to
prevent the gut being broken when such measures
are resorted to. If the angler has but the
patience to wait, the fish will generally give in in
the long-run. It not infrequently happens that
a fish, more especially when but lightly hooked,
will rush off into the weeds and succeed in freeing
itself of the hook, leaving the latter sticking in
the former ; and the angler may be patiently
waiting, being under the impression that the fish
is still on, the belief being further strengthened
by reason of the tremulous motion imparted to
the line by the action of the water. For this
there is no remedy save that of philosophy. It

23o ROD AND RIVER

is a sell, and can't be helped. The best thing,
therefore, is to try and forget all about it, and to
devote one's self to the capture of some other,
worthier fish. It is well, when a fish takes to the
weeds, as above described, to try him from time
to time at frequent intervals, just to make sure
that he is really on the hook, and is not con-
gratulating himself on having made a fool of his
would-be captor.

Playing a fish, under ordinary circumstances, is
merely a matter of give-and-take. It is as if two
persons were each to take hold of the ends of a
piece of string, one representing the fish and the
other the fisherman. When the one pulls the
other should give way, though the string should
never be allowed to get slack ; and so the game
proceeds, the only difference being that, in the
case of a fish, each succeeding effort to get free
but adds to its exhaustion, until it is finally forced
to yield to the power of the rod, and permit the
landing-net to be placed beneath it. After all, it
is but a matter of common-sense. The chief
difficulty rests with the touch — the hands — of the
angler. If his touch is sensitive, or, as it is
termed, his hands are ' light,' he will know exactly
how much or how little he can give or take from
the fish.

Trout, salmon, etc., often spring into the air
when hooked. It is a dangerous sign, and

HIGHLY EDUCATED TROUT 231

generally, though not always, indicates that the
hook is not firmly fixed. When a spring is made
it behoves the angler to be as careful not to check
it as it would be for him to slacken his hand on a
rearing horse. The least touch, and grief must
ensue. I am acquainted with a portion of a cer-
tain river, well known to fishermen, where the
trout run large, and are extra cunning and lusty.
They will look at nothing but the smallest of flies
on the finest of tackle. They contrive, by jump-
ing when struck, to smash the gut with their tails.
These trout are highly educated — in fact, they
know a deal too much. Perhaps the existence of
a Board School may be the cause. Anyhow, they
have often broken my heart, and my casting-line to
boot. I confess they are altogether too much for
me, especially when they have become fat and in-
solent with high feeding during the mayfly season.
I could, if I chose, tell some extraordinary tales
respecting these trout, and well -authenticated
tales, too ; but, as I have no desire to be accused
of being parsimonious regarding the truth, I will
forbear.

When a fish is exhausted, and it is desired to
land it, the net must be placed quietly beneath it,
and gently drawn out of the water. I have pur-
posely made use of the word drawn, because,
unless a fish is a small one, if an attempt is made
to lift it out of the water, the strain may pro-

232 ROD AND RIVER

bably be too great for the joint of the net, and it
may break, which is not to be desired. If the net
is of the proper dimensions and shape, such as I
have described, when it is drawn towards the bank
it forms, with that portion of the hoop against
which it is pressed, a kind of closed purse, out of
which there is no chance of the fish escaping, and
any undue strain being placed on the joint is
obviated.

If the services of an assistant are requisitioned
to land a fish, he should be especially careful to
keep below it on the down-stream side of the
angler. Why, it is, I conclude, hardly necessary
for me to state. A smart tap on the head will at
once suffice to kill the fish, and enable the hook
to be removed without inflicting further suffering
on the poor struggling creature, or subjecting the
fisherman to the possibility of having his finger
lacerated by the point of the hook. He might
also perchance find the latter doing the double
duty of catching him as well as the fish — a some-
what ludicrous, though doubtless painful, state of
affairs. Yet such things have happened, as I
know to my cost.

Fish at times get foul-hooked. When this
occurs the angler must look out for squalls.
Should he, as I have done on two or three occa-
sions, succeed in hooking a fish by the tail, he
may expect a considerable amount of excitement ;

FOUL-HOOKED 233

but I would caution him not to be disappointed if
the .size of his capture should not prove equal to
his expectations. A fish so hooked, especially if
of any size, can lead the fisherman a dance which
he is not likely to forget.

[*34]

CHAPTER XI.

Loch-fishing — Reminiscences of Lochleven — The Castle Keys
—How to fish a Loch — Drifting — Sunk Flies — Want of
Skill conducive to Success — Fighting Qualities of Lochleven
Trout — The Angling Competition Nuisance — Feeding-
grounds of Loch Fish — Dangers of Loch-fishing — 'An
East Wind and its only Virtue ' — Best Months for fishing
on Lochleven — The Green Inn — Flies suitable for Lake
Trout-fishing.

WHERE a loch is well stocked, and the fish in it
are of a good average size, excellent sport may be
obtained ; and such, for a short time, is a pleasant
change to the ordinary river-fishing. I do not
think, however, that, good though the sport may
be, it is ever as satisfying to the true sportsman as
that to be obtained by the river-side, although in
the latter case the bag may be a far lighter one
at the end of the day.

By the river there is ever so much which serves
to give zest and interest to the sport. Each bend
discloses fresh beauties ; each cast is different.
Here the trout lie under the banks ; there, at the
tail of the pool. Stills and rapids alternate with
each other ; there is, too, more difficulty, more

REMINISCENCES OF LOCHLEVEN 235

science, required to fish the stream than is
demanded in lake-fishing. The latter becomes
dreadfully monotonous work ; one gets lazy and
cramped, sitting or standing all day long at one
end of a boat casting, casting unceasingly. The
eye tires of the scenery, beautiful though it may
be, after a time, and is tried and wearied with the
glitter of the sun on the water. The wind is
always behind one, and save for the playing and
landing the fish there is little or no skill required.
The veriest duffer that ever handled a rod has
just as good a chance of catching fish as the most
finished craftsman. Nevertheless, for a week or
two, loch-fishing, under favourable conditions as
regards weather, etc., may be most enjoyable. I
have passed some of the very happiest days of my
life on Lochleven — days which, alas ! can never
return, nor the like of them, for he who was then
my constant companion and close friend, as
gallant a gentleman as ever wore her Majesty's
uniform or put foot in stirrup, now sleeps in his
grave beneath an Indian sun.

At the time to which I refer, our lines were
cast amid the pestilential airs and odours of a
Northern manufacturing town. The summer
days brought visions of cool streams, and fish
to be caught, and an irresistible longing pos-
sessed us to be off somewhere, we cared not
where, but anywhere away from the smoke and

236 ROD AND RIVER

turmoil of the great city. We could stand it
no longer, and so we decided to ask for leave,
and, after much discussion, eventually found
ourselves at Kinross. The pleasant little hotel
was a welcome change to us, and, as there were
several people staying there for the loch-fishing,
we were far from solitary. When we met at the
nondescript meal which was termed dinner, in the
evening, the relation of the day's experiences,
whether of success or disaster, proved so enter-
taining that it was generally midnight before we
retired to rest.

Lochleven is full of historic interest, and the
surrounding scenery, if not as striking as that in
many other parts of Scotland, is nevertheless very
beautiful. The islands with which it is here and
there studded serve to break the monotony of so
large an expanse of water. There is, too, some
legend connected with each of them. That on
which stand the ruins of the old castle, of course,
appeals most strongly to one's sympathies by
reason of its connection with the ill-starred
Queen.

Some years ago, when the loch was being
dragged or cleaned, I forget which, a bunch of
large keys was discovered at the bottom, not far
from the castle, and these, they say, are believed
to have been the keys of the latter, which were
stated to have been thrown into the loch when

HOW TO FISH A LOCH 237

Mary of Scotland made her escape from the
castle. They are, I believe, now in the Edin-
burgh Museum.

But I must not further weary the reader, and
he probably knows quite as much of these events
as I do, if not more ; so to return to the subject
of loch-fishing.

When it is desired to fish a large expanse of
water, such as a loch, it is obviously impossible to
do so from the banks. The assistance of a boat
is therefore necessary. To row aimlessly about
in search of sport would be both laborious and
unsystematic. The following plan is therefore
generally adopted. The boat is rowed up to the
windward shore, and then permitted to drift
across, broadside on, in front of the wind, until it
reaches the opposite side, when the process is
repeated, but this time a little farther to the right
or left of the previous drift, as may be desired,
until the whole of the water, or as much as is
possible, has been fished over. If two anglers
are in the boat> one takes his stand in the bows
and the other in the stern, and as the boat is
driven across by the wind, they cast in front of it.
The slower the boat moves the better, so long as
there is sufficient breeze to move it. The great
secret in this style of fishing is to allow the flies,
three or four of which are generally used, to
sink and work their own will, for the action

238 ROD AND RIVER

of the water moves them far more naturally than
if they are tugged at and made to jump about by
any motion of the rod. A man may be ever so
good a river-fisherman, but so long as he can
make a cast of some sort, at all clear of the boat,
the veriest novice will be more likely to catch fish
than he, inasmuch as the latter, being unable to
use his rod, is forced to leave his flies alone,
whereas the former cannot resist doing his best to
cast cleanly and well, and trying to fish too much
on the surface of the water. Thus his very
ability to fish becomes a drawback to his success.
Such was the case when my companion and I
visited Lochleven. I had no previous experience
of loch-fishing, and he had scarcely ever fished in
his life. Having put his rod and tackle together
and set him to work, I proceeded to do the same
for myself. Now, I had been fishing from child-
hood, and thought I knew a good deal about it.
I tried my very utmost, but for every fish I
succeeded in capturing my companion caught
at least three, besides hooking and losing any
amount more, and yet he was scarcely able to
throw his line a yard in front of him, and knew
absolutely nothing but what he had learned from
me. This went on for several days ; indeed, until
our leave was at an end. On our returning again,
some few weeks later, I experienced just the same
luck ; I was utterly disgusted with myself, but

ANGLING COMPETITION NUISANCE 239

not in the least degree jealous, for I knew that
there must be a reason, though what it could be
I was then unable to account for. I have since
ascertained that it is nearly always thus.

These Lochleven trout fight hard and fiercely
when hooked, and will often spring yards high
into the air. The chief thing to be guarded
against is to prevent their getting under the boat,
and so fouling the line. They do not, as a rule,
run large, the average size being somewhat under
a pound.

The angling competitions which take place
there from time to time through the season are an
intolerable nuisance, and it is much to be regretted
that the peace and beauty of the loch should be
so ruthlessly disturbed. The competitors, who
hail from the large towns, go there rather for the
sake of making a day of it than for sport ; they
shout and drink and make the place altogether
unbearable until, to everybody's relief, the evening
train carries them off. Some idea of the enor-
mous stock of fish in the lake may be formed
from the record of the annual takes. The year
previous to that of my visits there, sixteen thou-
sand trout were taken by the rod, and yet, since
there are some four thousand acres of water,
nearly all of which is fishing ground, this total
represents but four fish per acre.

I have since that time fished in other lochs,

240 ROD AND RIVER

and have had some excellent sport, but, despite
the annoyance of the angling competitions, my
pleasantest reminiscences of loch-fishing are, and
ever will be, those connected with Lochleven.

The bottoms of lochs vary very considerably,
and while some are fairly regular, others are
intersected by banks, the depths being very
irregular. When drifting, the greater number
of fish, and those of largest size, will be found
in the neighbourhood of the banks, which form
their feeding-grounds. The deeper parts rarely
yield much sport,. such fish as are taken in them
being generally small. It is therefore well, for
anyone visiting a strange loch, to endeavour to
ascertain what the soundings are. Charts of
most of the large lochs may be purchased, but
where they are not procurable, local information
must be resorted to.

I would urge the reader, if he has had no expe-
rience of loch-fishing, and there is more than one
rod in the boat, to be cautious, when thus casting
with the wind behind him, to avoid throwing on
that side of the boat on which his companion may
be, and equally to caution the latter to respect him.
A cast armed with three or four flies is not a
pleasant thing to have festooned round one's face.
Such adornments are less harmful when unattached
to a line and coiled around a hat.

There is one striking peculiarity about Loch-

A MYSTERY 241

leven fishing which I had almost forgotten to
mention. In every other lake or river with which
I am acquainted, an east wind is the most unsuit-
able of all winds for sport ; and when such pre-
vails, the angler may make up his mind to a blank
day. On Lochleven the reverse is the case, for,
strange, to say, there an east wind is the one of
all others most eagerly to be desired. Why this
should be I have never yet been able to discover,
nor have I ever met anyone who was able to
enlighten me on the subject. I have formed all
sorts of theories regarding it, but none of them
would hold good. Of course, there must be a
reason, but the fish alone are acquainted with it,
and so it remains a mystery.

The best months in the year are from the
middle of March to the middle of June, and after
that during the month of August, July being the
worst of all. The charge for boats is somewhat
high, being 2s. 6d. an hour, exclusive of the two
boatmen, who, if I remember rightly, are to be
hired at is. 6d. per day each and their luncheon.

The Green Irin at Kinross is the best to stay
at ; the charges are moderate, and everything is
particularly clean and comfortable.

Needless to say, ' Ye munna fush on the
Sawbath.'

The following is a list of flies suitable for lake-
fishing, which I think may prove of service to the

16

242 ROD AND RIVER

reader. Although many of the dressings are
taken from Francis Francis' book, they are for
the most part standard patterns which I have my-
self proved to be worthy of recommendation. In
addition to this list, there are many of the ordinary
trout-flies which, in their seasons, will be found,
if dressed a trifle larger than for river-fishing,
equally suitable for the purpose. I think that,
as a rule, the hackled wet-fly patterns are perhaps
to be preferred. The addition of a little tinsel, or
a red, green, or yellow silk tag, is often an im-
provement.

FLIES SUITABLE FOR LAKE TROUT-FISHING.

1. Wing : Teal.

Body : Red pig's wool, ribbed with gold thread.
Hackle: Red.

2. Wing : Teal.

Body : Black silk, ribbed with silver thread.
Hackle : Black, from head to tail.

3. Wing: Mallard.

Body : Claret mohair, ribbed with gold thread.
Hackle : Claret, a shade lighter than the body.
A red or black hackle may be substituted if
preferred.

4. Wing : Mallard.

Body : Fiery-brown mohair, ribbed with gold

thread.
Hackle : Black.

FLIES FOR LAKE TROUT-FISHING 243

5. Wing : Woodcock.

Body : Orange or yellow crewel, ribbed with

gold thread.
Hackle: Red.

6. Wing : From the jay's wing, of a pale-bluish

tinge, darker towards the butt.
Body : Hare's ear and water-rat's fur mixed,
the former predominating and picked out
for legs ; gold tinsel at the tail.

7. Wing : Light jay's wing.

Body: Olive mohair, ribbed with fine gold wire.
Hackle : Greenish-olive in appearance, but

golden when held up to the light.
A black hackle or a teal wing may be used as a

change.

This is a well-known Irish fly, called the
4 golden olive.'

THE HECHAM-PECHAM.

Wing : Mallard with white tips (a nearly black

feather).

Body : Red wool, ribbed with silver twist.
Hackle : Red.

This is the best of all loch-flies. There are
several varieties of it, but the wing is the
same in all. There are green, yellow, and blue
hechams.

N.B.— The name is pronounced as if spelt
' heckam-peckam.'

244 ROD AND RIVER

A Scotchman on a loch would be at sea with-
out a dressing of this fly.

Any shades of red, yellow, orange, or green
wools may be used for loch-flies. The two last-
named colours are especially good. Teal, mallard,
and grouse feathers make the best wings.

The following is a good loch-fly :
Wing : Starling (medium colour).
Body : Hare's ear (broken colours), picked out

at breast for legs.
Tag : Red, yellow, or green wool.

CHAPTER XII.

Grayling — Relative Size of Grayling — Description of Streams
suitable for Grayling — Peculiarity of Grayling when rising
at a Fly — Casting for Grayling — The Grayling as a Sporting
Fish — Tactics of Grayling when hooked — Spawning of
Grayling — Best Month for Grayling-fishing — Advantages of
a Grayling Stream — Rising Qualities of Grayling — An
Exceptional Day— The Olive Dun as a Grayling Fly-
Shape of Grayling — Delicacy and Shape of Mouth of
Grayling— The Virtues of Grayling— Edible Qualities of
Grayling — Origin of Grayling — Weather and Time of Day
most suitable for Grayling-fishing — Grayling as Spawn-eaters
—The Law of Retaliation — Yorkshire Grayling Flies —
Derbyshire Bumbles — Selection of Grayling Flies.

IT is much to be regretted that grayling are to be
found in so few of our streams. Although I am
well aware that all rivers which contain trout, and
in which the latter thrive remarkably well, are not
equally suitable for grayling, nevertheless there
must be many of our rivers which would suit
them admirably if properly stocked. Not so very
many years ago there were no grayling in the
Test ; now it is one of the best, if not the best,
of our grayling streams, and the fish there and in
the Hampshire Avon attain to a greater average

246 ROD AND RIVER

size than elsewhere. A fish of a pound weight
in the Test or Avon is thought to be a takeable
fish, and no more ; whereas in Yorkshire, Derby-
shire, and other districts, such a fish would be
considered of some account. The grayling attains
maturity more rapidly than a trout, but rarely
a weight of over three pounds. Now and again
a capture of five or six pounds is recorded,
but such fish as these are few and far between.
I have myself taken some few of three pounds,
but I have never seen any exceeding that
weight.

The most suitable streams for grayling are
those in which pools and long gravelly, shallow
reaches alternate ; and the more bends there are
the better, for they love to congregate in the
backwaters formed by the latter. Unlike the
trout, they lie deep in the water, and rise almost
perpendicularly at the flies floating over them,
thereby often missing them. For this reason
it is more advisable, when fishing for grayling in
waters where the flow is other than sluggish, to
cast rather across and down, than directly up
stream, as the fly is thereby prevented travel-
ling too rapidly ; but it is. of course, necessary
to keep out of sight just as much as when trout-
fishing, so it is not always possible to adopt this
style of casting. There are those who declare
grayling-fishing to be an inferior sport to that of

TACTICS FOR GRAYLING WHEN HOOKED 247

trout. My own experiences are very much the
reverse of this, for I consider that when the fish
are of good size, and the river is well stocked, no
fish can possibly afford better sport. Equal pre-
cision and delicacy in casting are requisite, and,
being extremely tender-mouthed, grayling require
more careful handling when hooked than trout.
They may not fight quite as fiercely, but they
can give the angler a considerable deal of
trouble before he gets a chance of bringing
them to net, their large back fins acting as a
kind of screw, and causing them to spin to such
an extent that, when the hook is taken out, the
gut will often be found to be twisted up like
whipcord. At times, when in full condition, the
play of a grayling is in nowise inferior to that of
a trout ; and I have known them spring out of
the water, though this is not often the case, as
boldly as any trout. I have often been taken
forty or fifty yards down- stream before I have
been able to turn a grayling, when it has been
well-conditioned. It is necessary to use small
flies and the lightest possible tackle for grayling-
fishing, and so the difficulties of landing a fish of
any size are considerably increased.

Grayling spawn in March and April, and are
fully recovered in August. November, December,
and even the beginning of January, if the weather
is at all favourable in the latter, are the months in

248 ROD AND RIVER

which they are in best condition. I have had
excellent sport just before Christmas, when the
weather has been open and mild. Indeed, the
best bag I ever made was at that time a few
years ago, and the pick of the basket was caught
when it was growing dark. The olive dun was
then coming down, though it was so late in the
day.

Thus it may be seen that, where there are
grayling, the fisherman, instead of being obliged
to put away his rod at the end of September, is
able to look forward to another three months of
sport. Now, this is a very great advantage, for
it reduces the dead time to three, instead of six,
months ; the latter is a weary time to a man to
whom the pleasures of hunting or shooting are
denied.

Although somewhat choice in their selection of
flies and tackle, I think that grayling are better
rising fish than their first cousins, the trout. There
are few days on which some fish cannot be found
on the feed, so long as there is any fly on the
water, and they will very often take well when
there is an utter absence of any fly at all. I had
on one occasion a remarkably good day's sport
when the wind was blowing so keenly, and the
weather apparently so utterly unsuitable for fish-
ing, as to make me feel almost ashamed to be
seen with a rod. Not a fish was stirring. I made

SHAPE AND COLOUR OF GRAYLING 249

a chance cast, allowing the fly to sink, and caught
a fish. I cast again, and was again successful.
Before I left the pool I had a pile of fish beside
me, which gave me some trouble to carry home.
All were good, and some of them rather over
than under two pounds. They were all taken
with the olive dun.

Though somewhat hog-backed, a grayling is a
very handsome fish, and by no means deficient
in grace of outline. Nor can anything exceed
the beauty of its colouring when in the full bloom
of condition. Grays and browns are all exquisitely
blended together in every variety of these colours ;
the large back fin is like the most delicately-
marked tortoiseshell, the richest madder taking
the place of brown, and contrasting perfectly with
the dark-green-coloured back. The mouth is
very small in comparison with that of a trout, and
is shaped like the bell of a trumpet. It is very
delicate and tender, and, in consequence, easily
torn by the hook. Hence, as I have remarked,
the necessity for the fish being carefully handled
when hooked.

One of the best, if not the very best, of our
Hampshire fishermen remarked to a friend of
mine that he had, after years of experience, come
to the conclusion that, so far from considering
grayling-fishing inferior to that of trout, he pre-
ferred it to the latter. Not only because the

250 ROD AND RIVER

former is a truly sporting fish, being quite as
difficult to catch as, if not even more so than, a
trout ; but also because it is sooner in condition
after spawning, affords sport for a longer period
of the year, and is an equally good fish when
cooked.

Now this, coming from such an authority, is
worth a good deal. I cannot say that I prefer
grayling-fishing to trout-fishing, because I do
not ; nor do I think a grayling is as good to
eat as a trout. Nevertheless, there are many
people who consider it a greater delicacy. It
has a peculiar flavour, unlike that of any other
of the Salmonidae. It perhaps approaches nearer
to the smelt in this respect. Anyhow, it justly
deserves a very high reputation not only by
reason of the sport it affords, but also for its
edible qualities.

It has been asserted that there were no grayling
in this country until brought hither by the monks
of old. This statement appears to me to be
hardly warrantable, for, considering how great
care is necessary to transport fish or ova from one
part of Great Britain to another, even in these
days of rapid travelling, I do not see how, when
locomotion was slow and difficult, as was the case
in the days when monks were many, it could have
been possible to convey fish alive, in any stage,
from the Continent, whence they are said to have

BEST TIME FOR FISHING 251

been introduced, and more especially grayling,
which are notoriously difficult fish to trans-
port from one place to another, and require
extra care and attention. I think it may be
reasonably concluded that they have existed in
this country quite as long as trout or any other
fish.

Perhaps the best weather for grayling-fishing
is a bright morning after a white frost, in the
late autumn, and the most suitable hours from
twelve till three, for it is between these hours that
the flies are hatching out at that period of the
year. I used to notice, when fishing in Hamp-
shire, that, almost to a minute, at twelve o'clock
the first batch of flies made their appearance. By
two or half-past the rise would be over for the
day, unless the weather happened to be very
mild, when small batches of flies would continue
to come down until sundown.

Grayling are said to do damage in a trout-
stream by reason of their spawn-eating propen-
sities. I am sorry to say that there is no doubt
but that they do eat spawn of other fish — salmon
as well as trout — but it is said that they do not
eat their own. How that may be I cannot say,
but I know that they are guilty of the other
offence ; and I also know of one spot, at least,
where, when the salmon are spawning, the gray-
ling may be seen in shoals devouring the spawn.

252 ROD AND RIVER

My own private opinion is that grayling are no
more culpable in this respect than other fish, for I
believe that they all offend in like manner when
they get the chance. If it were not so the
rivers would be overstocked — nay, choked up
with fish. If grayling are not innocent of the
crimes laid to their charge, at all events they
suffer in a similar manner from the depredations
of other fish, and so the matter is pretty equally
balanced.

In Yorkshire it is very much the custom to fish
for grayling with horsehair casts, and flies tied on
the same material. As the fish there do not run
large, this is found to answer very well ; but it
would be quite inadequate for the larger fish in
the Southern chalk-streams.

The flies used in Yorkshire are, for the most
part, of the spider kind, tied on small, very light
hooks, and very thinly dressed. I have some few
patterns of these, but I would advise anyone
desiring to fish there, or in other streams, for gray-
ling, to procure the flies locally. Those I possess
were obtained from Mr. Croisdale, in the Briggate,
at Leeds, and are very well tied. Doubtless, any
of the Yorkshire tackle-makers can supply them.
I mention Mr. Croisdale because such tackle as I
purchased from him when in Yorkshire proved so
excellent, and he is the only Yorkshire tackle-
maker with whom I have had dealings.

GRAYLING FLIES 253

In Derbyshire, a pattern of fly termed a
'bumble' is much used for grayling. It answers
excellently well on those rivers, but I have never
found it of much service elsewhere. There are
various kinds of bumbles ; I append the dressings
of two.

For ordinary use for grayling a selection can be
made from the list which I have given for trout.
They like the addition of a little tinsel, and this
can be added, if desired, to those which are not
dressed with it, excepting Nos. i, 4, 8, 9.

GRAYLING FLIES.

1. **Needle-brown.

2. **Olive dun (both dark and medium).

3. Hare's-ear dun.

4. Iron-blue.

5. **Red quill.

6. **Wickham's fancy.

7. Brown spinner.

8. **Gold-eyed gauze-wing.

9. *Aldam's Indian yellow.

10. Flight's fancy.

11. *Red tag.

12. **Small silver sedge.

13. Orange sedge.

The double asterisks denote those flies which
I have found to be exceptionally good for gray-
ling.

254 ROD AND RIVER

BUMBLES.

14. **Orange.

15. Claret.

There are also other bumbles used by the
Derbyshire fishermen, varying in colour. The
two I have given will, however, be found suffi-
cient.

055]

CHAPTER XIII. .

Pollution of Salmon Rivers — Obstructions — Fish -passes —
Salmon-life— Extract from Preface of Reports made to
the Tweed Commissioners — Questions and Answers from
Tweed Fishery Reports — Summary of Information given in
Tweed Fishery Reports — Average Rate of Speed of Salmon
when ascending Rivers — Extraordinary Rate of Speed
attained by a Salmon in the Sea — Spring Fish and Early
Rivers— Temperature of Water— The Parr— The Sewin—
Local Nomenclature — Classification of the Migratory
Salmonidae — Differences between Varieties of Migratory
Salmonidae — Care of Salmon Rivers — The Value of a
River well cared for — The Value of Trout Streams — The
Duties of a Water-keeper — Improving a River — Weed-
cutting on Salmon Rivers — A Weed-net.

UNTIL comparatively recent years, but little has
been known regarding the habits of the salmon,
and the other varieties of Salmonidae which are
migratory. All sorts of wonderful theories and
opinions were enunciated from time to time.
Thanks to the researches of Buckland and others,
who set themselves earnestly to work to learn all
that they possibly could of this interesting family,
much of the mystery which surrounded it has been
cleared up ; and we are now in possession of an
amount of valuable information which, if acted

256 ROD AND RIVER

upon, should result in the various salmon fisheries
in Great Britain and Ireland being placed on a
footing and brought into a condition of pros-
perity such as have not hitherto existed. Very
much has been done during the past twenty
years; much is being done, and much still remains
to be done.

There must have been a time when salmon
were to be found in all of our rivers. Such
would doubtless be the case at the present if the
fish were allowed free access to them. Their
progress is, however, barred by the obstacles
which advancing civilization has placed in their
way, viz., mills and pollution.

It is not so very long ago that the Thames was
a salmon river, far more recently than the people
of to-day are aware. Such it doubtless would
still be, were it not for the causes which I have
mentioned. The day may yet come when it will
again be so — a time to be earnestly looked forward
to, since not only will the presence of the fish
be universally appreciated, but, before such a con-
summation can take place, the river itself must
first be restored to much of its pristine purity.
Already the efforts which have been made to
counteract the evils formerly existing have borne
good fruit, and the Thames of to-day is a
vastly different river to what it was twenty years
ago.

POLLUTION OF SALMON RIVERS 257

Pollution is the most serious evil of the day
with which we have to contend ; nearly every
evil may be attributed to it. Our rivers, the food
we eat, the very air we breathe, everything, are
more or less polluted, and disease walks rampant
in our midst. The only wonder is that even
more serious consequences have not resulted.
The population is ever rapidly increasing, and
each year it becomes more urgently necessary for
the Legislature to guard against the ravages of the
hydra-headed fiend. It is all very well to make
laws, but if they are to be disregarded and violated
with impunity, they are worse than no laws at all.
A law is an order given by the State ; if that
order is not carried out, and its execution seen to,
it becomes a positive evil.

Is it to be wondered at that a salmon, a fish
which is at liberty to select any river, should
hesitate to ascend one in which every description
of filth — sewage, refuse from gas, dye, mineral, and
other works of a like nature — is for ever sullying
the purity of the water ? It must be, in truth, a
brave and determined fish which can face such
abominations as these, and especially so when it
is remembered that such a fish has come fresh
from the unpolluted waters of the deep seas.
Nothing but the most powerful longing to return
to the home of its birth, and there be fruitful
and multiply, as did its forefathers, can prove a

17

258 ROD AND RIVER

sufficient inducement to carry it through the foul
and unctuous flood ; and yet every impediment
which the ingenuity or ignorance of man can in-
vent is placed in its way. At the very commence-
ment of its upward journey it has to encounter the
perils of the numerous nets which are spread to
ensnare it. Further on there is the awful Styx-
like passage to which I have referred, a case of
hold your breath and make a bolt for it ; and then
the many mills, and weirs, and dams remain to
be got through or over. The last-named obstruc-
tions are by no means to be easily overcome.
One is almost lost in admiration of the pluck and
determination displayed by the gallant fish which
can encounter such dangers and difficulties as
these. No wonder that salmon-fishing is the
grand and exciting sport it is.

It may be observed by some one of my readers
that nowadays passes are established on all salmon
rivers to assist the progress of the ascending fish.
This is so to a very great extent. There are
such passes, it is true, but many of them, though
constructed at a considerable expense, are next
door to useless ; and it is only during heavy
floods that the fish can possibly get over them,
and even then the difficulty is extreme. They
are either too long, too steep, or the channel is
situated in the wrong position, and so the money
has been utterly wasted and has benefited no one

SALMON-LIFE 259

save the builder and his men, least of all the fish.
In many instances half the expenditure would
have sufficed to build a proper pass, if a little
more skill and forethought had been employed.
It has truly been said that, of all our senses,
common-sense is the most to be valued.

Salmon, bull-trout, and sea-trout, no matter by
what names they may be called, are migratory
fish. They belong rather to the fresh-water
than to the sea ; but it is to the latter they
resort annually, to feed and recuperate their con-
dition, which has been weakened by spawning.
Fish which have never spawned at all also take
this yearly trip to sea. When the process of
recovery is complete they endeavour to return to
the rivers which gave them birth, for the purpose
of spawning. A very few weeks of sea-life and
marine food suffice to renew their strength and
condition. It is roughly estimated that a salmon,
after it has spawned, is only half the weight
which it would have scaled before that operation.
When a fish has spawned it is termed a 'kelt.'
The majority of kelts drop down the rivers during
the month of April, and yet return in August or
September, frequently before that period, with
their original weight very considerably increased.
This will serve to give the reader some idea of
the nutritious qualities of the food which these
fish consume while at sea. It has been stated,

260 ROD AND RIVER

and I believe it is the case, that salmon, during
the period which they pass in the river before
spawning, do not feed at all. I lay stress on the
word before, because it is my impression that a
kelt will devour almost anything. It is certain
that the fish daily deteriorate in condition
while in the river, thereby affording proof that,
even if they do feed, the food they are able to
obtain under such circumstances is not suitable
to their well-being. But it is a well-ascertained
fact that the stomachs of salmon, when caught,
are invariably found to be devoid of anything in
the way of food. Now and again an exception
is found to the rule, but such is very rare ; and if
these fish do feed in fresh water, it is my
opinion, and that of many others also, that the
only sustenance which they receive is from the
animalculae, and such-like, contained in the water
itself.

'Some years ago the Tweed Fishery Com-
missioners appointed a small committee of their
number to make inquiries regarding the natural
history of the Salmonidse frequenting their river.
With the view of obtaining information regarding
these questions, the committee first employed
themselves in putting marks on the fish, which
appeared to differ from one another, so as to have
the means of discovering the changes of form and
size which these marked fish underwent in each

TWEED FISHERY REPORTS 261

succeeding stage of life, should any be afterwards
captured. . . .

* With the same object, the Commissioners
drew out a series of queries, and circulated them
among persons supposed to have any knowledge
of the fish inhabiting the Tweed. Overseers of
fisheries, superintendents of water-bailiffs, intel-
ligent fishermen, amateur anglers, and men of
science versed in ichthyology, gave answers to
these queries, or to such of them as suited
their varied experience, observation, and re-
searches.'

The foregoing is an extract from the preface of
the reports instituted regarding the fish frequent-
ing the Tweed and its tributaries. In preparing my
notes for the compilation of this work, it occurred
to me that if I were to carefully study the
reports above referred to, and to select from
the sixty different queries given those which I
considered likely to prove of interest to the
reader, and weigh the answers given by the
nineteen individuals who responded to these
queries, I could obtain a very fair average of
opinions, and also be thus enabled to give
the reader a better account of the life and
ways of the migratory Salmonidae than by
means of any long-winded and possibly dreary
dissertation of my own. It was a somewhat
tedious and fidgety task ; but having completed

262 ROD AND RIVER

it, I am satisfied that it was worth the trouble
it entailed.

I propose giving the questions as put by the
Commissioners, and for reply the conclusion which
I arrived at from the general opinion given by the
respondents :

1. Q. — What are the different kinds of salmon
which frequent the Tweed ?

A. — Salmon, bull-trout, sea-trout, and brown
trout.

N.B. — The brown trout are the ordinary river-
trout.

2. Q. — What is the largest salmon caught in the
Tweed or adjoining sea-fisheries ?

A. — Seventy-five pounds, said to have been
caught by Mr. Kerr, of Kelso.

3. Q. — State the month or season when the
different kinds of salmon come up the river ; also
when they leave the latter for the sea.

A. — Salmon ascend at all seasons, leaving the
river in April.

Bull and sea-trout ascend during August and
September, and leave in April.

4. Q. — From what parts of the sea do salmon
come : from deep water, or from those parts
adjoining the coast ? And in the latter case from
north or south ?

A. — They come from the coast, and from all
directions.

SALMON IN FRESH WATER 263

N.B. — It is not to be inferred by this answer
that salmon do not come from the deep sea, but
that they come thence by way of the coasts.

5. Q. — Do foulness, temperature, clearness or
muddiness of water, induce salmon to enter or
avoid the rivers ?

A. — Salmon prefer clear, full flood, and dislike
low, dirty, or snow water.

6. Q. — Do salmon appear to grow in size and
fatten rapidly whilst in the sea ?

A. — Yes ; they fatten rapidly whilst in the
sea.

7. Q. — In how many days or hours after
salmon enter the river do the sea-lice disappear ?

A. — In about three or four days.

8. Q. — Do salmon increase in size or improve
in quality, or deteriorate, in the Tweed after
entering the river ? If they deteriorate, do they
do so faster at one season than another ?

A. — They deteriorate very considerably in fresh
water, and more especially so towards the spawn-
ing season and in hot weather.

9. Q. — State any facts to show what is the
food, if any, on which salmon subsist whilst in
the river.

A. — With the exception of perhaps a few small
flies, and this is doubtful, salmon do not feed
during the period they spend in fresh water.

10. Q. — Are there any offensive or unusual and

264 ROD AND RIVER

extraneous substances discharged into the Tweed
and which appear to be injurious to the fish ? If
so, state the nature of these, etc.

A. — Sewage, paper-mills, dye-works, gas-works,
tanneries, woollen manufactories, etc., prevent
salmon from entering a river.

11. Q. — When salmon are in the river, do they
run up towards the higher parts more at one time
than another — i.e., at night rather than in the day-
time ? When the river is muddy rather than
when it is clear ? If so, state when.

A. — Salmon run chiefly at night, when the
water is low and clear, but both by day and
night when it is in flood or muddy.

12. Q. — It being asserted that salmon go back
to the particular rivers where they were bred, and
even to the tributaries, state whether such has
been ascertained to be the case in regard to any
of the fisheries of the Tweed ?

A. — Salmon do return to their native streams,
as a general rule, though not invariably. The
same may be said regarding sea-trout.

13. Q. — Do salmon, when coming up to spawn,
go chiefly in pairs, male and female ?

A. — Salmon, when resorting to any parts of a
river or its tributaries, do so in pairs, male and
female.

14. Q. — In what month does spawning com-
monly begin ?

SPA WNING 265

A. — Chiefly during November.

15. Q. — Is the spawning time ever retarded by
ice, snow, floods, or any other natural causes ?

A. — A low temperature of the water or a
flooded state of the river retards the spawning of
salmon.

1 6. Q. — Have you ever seen the female salmon
depositing her ova unaccompanied by a male
fish?

A. — The male fish is always in actual attendance
or close at hand.

1 7. Q. — When the female fish is spawning, are
the ova deposited at one operation, or does she
continue the operation for several days ?

A. — The operation of spawning lasts for some
three or four days.

1 8. Q. — In general, how long is it before the
ova, after being deposited, are hatched ?

A. — From a hundred to a hundred and
twenty days elapse before the ova is hatched.

19. Q. — Is the hatching season retarded by
cold or any other natural causes ?

A. — Cold retards the hatching process.

20. Q. — Are the ova frequently destroyed by
any cause — such as floods, cold, etc. ?

A. — Excessive floods or drying-up of the
spawning-beds act prejudicially in destroying the
ova.

21. Q. — Are the ova frequently destroyed by

266 ROD AND RIVER

other animals feeding on it, such as bull-trout,
river-trout, wild-duck, water-ousels, or the grub
of the may-fly ?

A. — Bull-trout, and ducks both tame and wild —
tame especially — destroy the ova.

22. Q. — When do the several kinds of salmon,
after spawning, leave the river for the sea ?

A. — As a general rule, during the month of
April.

23. Q. — Do salmon frequently return to the sea
without spawning, and if so, from what distance
up the rivers, etc. ?

A. — They do not frequently return to the sea
without having spawned. When they do so, it
wrould not be from a greater distance up the river
than some ten miles or so.

24. Q. — When either smolts or kelts descend
the river, do they, before quitting it for the sea,
remain for some time stationary about the tide-
way, and if so, for what purpose ?

A. — Smolts and kelts, especially the former,
remain in the tideway for some few days, in order
to inure themselves to the salt water.

25. Q. — What changes in size, colour, and marks
do the fry undergo before they leave the river for
the sea ?

A. — They lose the bar-marks, get their scales,
increase in size to some four or five inches in
length, and their pectoral fins become darker.

MIGRATION OF SALMON-FRY 267

26. Q. — What is the age of the fry when they
leave the river for the sea ?

A. — About eighteen months old.

27. Q. — Is there any particular month in which
the salmon-fry leave the river for the sea ?

A. — In April and May, but principally during
May.

28. Q. — What is the principal cause which fixes
the time of the migration of salmon-fry ? Is it
the temperature of the water, or their assumption
of a silvery dress, or both ?

A. — The assumption of the scales, and being
thereby fitted to take to the salt water, and
impelled by natural instinct to go to the sea. The
higher temperature of the water acts as a further
inducement to them to take their departure.

29. Q. — Assuming that the young fry become
parr, and that the parr become smolts, and that
the smolts, when they acquire the silvery scales,
leave the river, state the age of the fish when they
become parr and smolts respectively.

A. — They become parr from the date of their
hatching out, and smolts when a year old.

30. Q. — Have either parr or smolts been
observed with ova or milt in them ?

A. — The male parr have milt fully matured in
them. The females are never known to have
developed ova.

31. Q. — Have parr ever been seen to go to the
sea?

268 ROD AND RIVER

A. — They do not go to the sea, but very occa-
sionally to the tideway, being probably forced
there by floods.

32. Q. — Have smolts, or other young fish of
the salmon kind, ever been marked in the Tweed
in a particular way, and have these fish afterwards
been captured ? If so, state what change they
present in their size and appearance.

A. — A large number of smolts have been
marked, and have afterwards been captured in the
same and different rivers, having, within a year,
changed to grilse.

33. Q. — It being the opinion of some fishermen
on the Tweed that when a salmon or grilse leaps to
take an artificial fly, it is not with a view to feed
upon it, but only to destroy it as a thing ap-
parently having life, do you participate in that
opinion ?

A. — They take the artificial fly for some living
thing for food, probably a shrimp.

For the benefit of any of my readers who may
not be acquainted with the terms used to denote
a salmon in the different periods of its existence,
I venture to give the following information.

A ' parr ' is the young salmon before it gets its
scales, prior to its leaving the river for the sea.

A ' smolt ' is the fish after it has got its scales.

A * grilse ' is a salmon in its first year, and
before it has ever spawned.

SUMMARY OF REPORT 269

A 'kelt' is a salmon, male or female, after it
has spawned.

In the foregoing questions and the answers
given to them, the life of a salmon, from the time
it is an egg until it has reached maturity, is very
fully explained. The information thus deduced
may be summed up briefly as follows, viz. :

That salmon ascend the rivers at all seasons,
bull-trout and sea-trout doing so in August and
September.

That they come from the sea by way of the
coast, and from all directions, but ever prefer a
clear, full flood for their journey up-stream, to low,
dirty, or snow water. After they have been some
three or four days in the river the sea-lice which
are on them disappear.

That they deteriorate considerably in condition
during their sojourn in the fresh water, more
especially before the spawning -time and in hot
weather.

That they do not feed at all while in the river,
save, perhaps, on a few small flies, animalculae,
etc.

That sewage, paper-mills, dye and gas works,
woollen manufactories, etc., deter the salmon from
entering a river.

That when the water is low and clear they
travel chiefly at night ; but when it is in flood or
dirty, by day as well as by night.

270 ROD AND RIVER

That salmon and sea-trout, as a rule, return to
their native streams.

That when they resort to any part of a river
or its tributaries, they do so in pairs, male and
female.

That salmon usually spawn in November, but
that a low temperature or floods are apt to retard
the process ; and that when spawning takes place,
the male fish is always in attendance on the female,
or close at hand.

That it takes from a hundred to a hundred and
twenty days for the ova to hatch, and that cold
weather retards the hatching process.

That excessive floods or drying-up of the
spawning-beds destroy the ova, and that bull-
trout and ducks, especially tame ducks, do con-
siderable damage to the latter.

That salmon do not frequently return to the sea
without spawning, and that if they do so, it is not
from a further distance up the river than about ten
miles.

That smolts and kelts, especially the former,
remain in the tideway, on their passage to the sea,
for some few days, in order that they may become
inured to the salt water.

That the salmon-fry (parr) lose the bar-marks,
get their scales, increase in size to some four or
five inches in length, and that their pectoral fins
become darker, before they leave the river for the

SUMMARY OF REPORT 271

sea ; and that vliey leave the river when about
eighteen months old, generally taking their de-
parture in May.

That the time of the departure of smolts is
regulated by their getting their scales, and so
being able to undergo the change to the salt
water ; and that the increasing temperature of the
fresh water acts as a still further inducement for
them to depart.

That the male parr has milt fully matured, but
that the female has never been known to possess
ova.

That parr never go to the sea, but that they
are at times forced down by floods into the tide-
way.

That smolts marked in the Tweed have been
recaptured there and in different rivers, having
within the space of a year changed to grilse.

That salmon take the artificial fly for some
living thing for food, probably a shrimp.

There are many other questions of interest in
the report, but I have selected only those which
have a direct bearing on the habits and ways of
salmon, and with which every salmon fisherman
should be acquainted. It may, however, interest
the reader to learn that the average rate of pro-
gress made by salmon in their passage up-stream
is about three miles an hour. This rate of speed
is rarely ever increased, save under the most

272 ROD AND RIVER

favourable conditions ; but thick, muddy water
and such-like may serve to reduce it to from a
mile to a mile and a half per hour. A curious
instance is quoted of the high rate of speed at
which a salmon can travel in the sea, which is as
follows :

Mr. Alexander Mitchell, formerly the superin-
tendent of the Tweed water-bailiffs, states that he
marked some bull-trout and turned them down in
the Whitadder, below New Mills, the marks con-
sisting of indiarubber rings placed above the tail,
and stamped with the word Tweed and the year.
One of these was numbered 192, and was marked
on March 29. On April 2 (four days later) it
was caught in a net by a Mr. Alder, at Winterton,
near Yarmouth. He states that it is, he believes,
preserved in the local museum.

Judging from my own experience and that of
others, more salmon ascend the rivers during the
spring and autumn than at other seasons. The
spring fish are always the heaviest, and although
salmon, as has been shown, ascend the river
at all seasons, they prefer to make the upward
journey in water which is not too cold. Some
rivers are earlier than others. I conclude that it
is by reason of the temperature being higher in
these waters. It is a somewhat curious fact that
although the Test and the Hampshire Avon run
nearly parallel to each other, and at no very great

TEMPERATURE OF WATER 273

distance apart, the latter river is ever a month
earlier than the former. Nevertheless, the Test
rod-fishing continues good throughout the entire
season, whereas that in the Avon is but indifferent
after June. It may be that the temperature of
the water in the Avon is over-high, and makes
the fish dull and inactive. I do not say that this
is the cause, for I am not certain ; it is only my
own idea. During the early part of the season,
before they have left the river, the fresh fish will
usually be found at the tail of a school of kelts,
which thus frequently congregate.

The temperature of the water has a very great
deal to do with fishing, much more than is sup-
posed. The water is frequently, especially in the
Northern streams, icy cold, though the day may
be hot and bright, and vice versa. Fishermen are
often at a loss to account for their want of sport
on days which seem all they should be for fishing.
Equally are they puzzled to account for success
on those which seem to be least suitable. The
cause is doubtless to be attributed to the high or
low temperature of the water, as the case may be.
Nor can it be supposed that the natural trout-
flies as readily hatch out in cold water as in that
of a more equable temperature.

At the commencement of the present work, I
gave a list of some twelve or thirteen varieties of
Salmonidse, as classified by Yarrell. It will be

18

274 ROD AND RIVER

observed that he considers the parr to be
a distinct variety, his reasons being, he states,
because these fish, having milt in them, must
therefore be adult fish. This opinion is nowadays
discarded, and it has been shown, by the Tweed
reports, that though the male fish contains milt,
no ova have ever been found in the female, thereby
proving that his theory is not correct. In all
other similar statements he is the highest and
most reliable authority.

There is in Wales (and I believe also in Corn-
wall and other places) a fish called a sewin. It
has been asserted that this fish is also a separate
variety. Yarrell distinctly affirms it to be no
other than the young of the bull-trout, and I am
content to believe that he is right. Again, very
much confusion exists amongst anglers regarding
the different names by which sea-trout are known.
In one district they are termed sea-trout, in
another salmon-trout, in a third white-trout, and
in a fourth salmon-peal, etc. It is hardly to be
wondered at that many people are sadly exercised
in their minds as to what varieties of fish these
several appellations can possibly refer to. I may as
well clear up the mystery by informing them that
they are all one and the same fish, viz., the sea-
trout, that is to say, according to Yarrell, and,
as I have before remarked, there is no better
authority. This classification very much simplifies

CLASSING OF MIGRATORY SALMONIDJE 275

matters. We thus find that there are but three
varieties of the Salmonidae in Britain which are
migratory, and that they are these :

1. The salmon.

2. The bull-trout, otherwise called the sewin,
whilling.

3. The sea-trout, otherwise called salmon-trout,
white-trout, peal.

It may be asked, What are the differences
between the salmon, the bull-trout, and the sea-
trout ?

Between the first two there is, to a person
ignorant of such matters, scarcely any difference
at all. Indeed, so slight is it that even experi-
enced fishmongers are often unable to detect it,
and numberless bull-trout are £old in all good
faith by them as being true salmon. Bull-trout,
however, very rarely attain to over seventeen or
eighteen pounds in weight, so that any fish over
that size may safely be assumed to be a true
salmon. The flesh of the bull-trout is, however,
inferior to that of the salmon. Yarrell, who has
gone more deeply and scientifically into the
subject than any other author, either before or
since, explains that, apart from other less definite
distinction, the gill-covers of the three fish are
very different in shape, that of the salmon being
circular, that of the bull-trout nearly triangular,
and that of the sea-trout being partly circular and

276 ROD AND RIVER

partly angular. The tail of the bull-trout becomes
round at an earlier period than that of the salmon,
which in a grilse is concave at the end, rather
than convex. Thus, by these characteristics,
either variety may be readily identified at any
period of its existence. In order to make use of
this test, it is necessary to open the gill-cover, the
better to see the shape of its outer edge. I think
that this will prove sufficiently explicit to the
reader to enable him to pronounce to which of
the three varieties a fish may belong.

Some few remarks on the subject of salmon-
rivers may well find place in this portion of the
present work. It is absolutely necessary that
such rivers should be carefully attended to at all
times, and sedulously guarded during the spawn-
ing season. All this means, I am well aware, the
expenditure of money ; but if the owner of a
salmon-fishery neglects his property, he will, most
assuredly, subject it to damage, and he must not
expect any very great amount of sport. If he is
unable or disinclined to go to the necessary ex-
pense, he had better by far let it to some tenant
who is able and willing to take care of it. It
would indeed be wiser to give the fishing to such
a person — of course, on the understanding that it
should be properly cared for — than allow it to
deteriorate. A salmon-fishery may be made a
very valuable property — indeed, it should be so.

VALUE OF WELL-CARED-FOR RIVERS 277

I know of one river which comparatively but a
few years ago was neglected and uncared for ; a
few salmon succeeded in getting up it from time
to time. There was no water-keeper, and the
gamekeepers, who were supposed to look after
it, knew nothing about fish or fishing, and cared
infinitely less. After a time it was let at an almost
nominal rent to a gentleman, who agreed to
preserve it. At his death, which occurred shortly
afterwards, his executors obtained the remainder
of the lease. They were both good fishermen,
and were able and willing to do all in their power
to benefit the property. Fortunately they had
the assistance of the agent himself, one of the
best salmon fishermen we have, and through
whose repeated exertions and representations to
the owner of the property the efforts which had
been made to improve the fishery wer*e due. In
the space of a very few years their trouble was
crowned with the most complete success ; and at
the expiration of the then existing lease, the water,
which had been hitherto rented for a small amount,
was, and is still, let for ^600 per annum ; and
all this triumph, for I can call it nothing less,
was achieved without the owner of the property
being called upon to disburse more than a very
nominal sum.

The above serves to show what can be done
by the employment of common-sense, energy, and

278 ROD AND RIVER

perseverance in the way of improving a river.
And much the same, in a minor degree, might be
done with many of our trout-streams, which are
at present so sadly neglected. There is an ever-
increasing demand for good fishing, and by men
who are able and willing to pay highly for it ; but
owners and farmers are dreadfully apathetic as a
rule, and prefer to let things run on as they have
done. They grumble at the prices, loss of rent,
etc., but yet will not pick up the gold which lies,
as it were, at their very feet. A neglected river
does no one any good, and is as doleful a spectacle
as an empty stable or a ruined house. In Hamp-
shire the fishings let for almost fabulous prices.
I do not think I am overstating the average
price to be ,£100 a mile for good water. In some
instances it is considerably higher. Men want
fishing ; they are at their wits' end to procure it,
and they are ready to travel any distance, and go
to any trouble or expense to do so.

It is, as I have said, very necessary that a
salmon-river should be well cared for. An in-
telligent and hard-working water-keeper will find
that he has plenty to do, apart from his attendance
on fishermen. There is ever something requiring
attention : banks are washing away and must be
seen to, piles require renewing, weeds cutting,
back-waters clearing of debris, etc. ; and in the
spawning season he will find it a difficult matter

DUTIES OF A WATER-KEEPER 279

to get a night's rest, for it is at this period that
the greatest vigilance is necessary. At such times
it is absolutely essential that he should have
efficient and sufficient help afforded him ; for it is
killing work, even on a small fishery, for a single-
handed keeper. It is impossible for him to be
everywhere during the twenty-four hours, and
owners of fishings should never grudge giving all
necessary assistance to a good and hard-working
servant. If he is not both of these, he is useless,
and probably dishonest to boot, and the sooner
he departs the better for his master ; for I main-
tain that no servant at all is better than a bad one.
If a man is dishonest enough to rob his master of
his wages, he -will hardly scruple to be dishonest in
other ways. This night-watching is cold, trying
work, and not altogether unmixed with danger,
especially where only one keeper is employed.
Nor do I think it is fair to expect a man to cope
single-handed with a gang of poachers, probably
three or four in number.

Very much may be done towards improving a
river by means of artificial falls, dams, fish-shelters,
etc. Fish do not like to lie in places where they
are perpetually exposed to the rays of the sun,
and therefore, where necessary shade is deficient,
and the banks of the river admit of it, a few trees
planted here and there will be found beneficial.
Willow or any such description of quick-growing

280 ROD AND RIVER

tree will answer the purpose. Fish love to lie in
the shade. The greatest care should, however,
be taken not to interfere with any deep natural
run under the banks further than may be necessary
to preserve the latter from falling in. For if this
precaution is not taken, what has been previously
a time-honoured resting-place for fish may be
utterly ruined ; and where wooden offsets, ' gory-
dings,' as they are termed, are made use of, they
require to be very judiciously placed, or the
natural flow of the stream may be seriously inter-
fered with, and a good reach or pool rendered
useless.

It may happen that it is necessary to cut weeds
on some rivers ; indeed, if this were not done,
such streams would be choked, and fishing would
be impossible. This periodical weed-cutting is a
great nuisance to the angler. I have, in the
earlier pages of this work, referred to the annoy-
ance which may be experienced on such occasions,
and how very detrimental the cut weeds are to
trout-fishing. Still, nevertheless, it is possible to
pick out a trout with a fly now and again when
there is a temporary cessation from the work,
such as may occur when the men are resting for
their meals, etc. If cut weeds mar sport with
trout, they most effectually put a stop to the
operations of the salmon-fisher. In the former
case, the fly floats on the water, and being cast

WEED-CUTTING 281

up-stream, it is less liable to be interfered with by
the masses of weeds floating down. In the latter,
the casting being necessarily down-stream, the
hook is fouled and clogged by every little frag-
ment of weed which it encounters, and the water
is full of such. Moreover, though the trout will
often continue to rise, even when the weeds are
coming down most heavily, the salmon appear to
be scared by them, and are often unsettled for
some two or three days after the cutting has been
discontinued. I have again referred to this weed-
cutting annoyance because it is more serious on a
salmon than a trout stream. There is said to
be a remedy for every evil under the sun, and I
will endeavour to explain how even this one may
be prevented.

In the Hampshire rivers weed-cutting prevails
more or less throughout the summer, and it was
found to be such an intolerable nuisance, and so
greatly to interfere with the salmon-fishing, that
my friend Mr. Kendle, who has the management
of the Broadlands estate, and takes the keenest
interest in the welfare of the fishery belonging
thereto, adopted the following plan, which has
been found to answer most thoroughly, and has
been in use for several years : A strong wooden
baulk, some eighteen inches square, is laid across
the river, and placed en wooden piers at either
end, thus forming a kind of foot-bridge. The

282 ROD AND RIVER

upper side is furnished with bridge hand-rails,
the upright supports of which are placed at
regular intervals. At either end of this bridge
there is a powerful check-windlass.

A large net, considerably deeper and wider than
the river, is lashed on to a strong rope at the upper
edge, and similarly so to another at the lower,
sufficient rope being left spare at either end to
admit of the entire net being moved across the
river without exhausting the spare rope on the
opposite side.

The spare ends of the upper rope are each
fastened to one of the windlasses. The upper
edge of the net is secured to the hand-rail supports
by means of cords placed at intervals correspond-
ing with them. The lower rope is passed at
either end beneath strong iron catch-hooks, which
are driven into the piers as close to the bottom of
the river as possible. This bottom rope is then
drawn tight, and its spare ends lashed to posts
driven firmly into the ground a few yards up-
stream on either bank. The upper rope is
tightened by means of the windlasses, and the net
is let go. As may be supposed, the action of the
stream and the weight of the weeds cause the net
to bulge considerably — hence the necessity for the
net being over long and deep. At first a few
small weeds may pass through the meshes, but in
a few minutes the whole net becomes filled, and

A WEED-NET 283

forms an impenetrable barrier to the rest of the
weeds which are coming down-stream. At night
the lower rope is slackened, and the weeds allowed
to escape ; the check is taken off one of the wind-
lasses, and the net is brought across the river by
means of the one on the opposite side, cleared of
any weeds which may be still adhering to it, and
spread out to dry.

This arrangement is made use of daily during
the season, being put down early every morning
and removed at night. It is as simple and effec-
tive as anything can possibly be ; and when it is
down, although there may be many tons' weight
of weeds behind the net, which is consequently
subjected to enormous pressure, not one single
particle of weed is able to pass.

All honour to the inventor !

Of course, it is necessary to select a suitable
place for the baulk to be placed, and the forma-
tion of the bed of the river at the spot at which it
may be desired to place such a contrivance must
be taken into consideration.

284

CHAPTER XIV.

Fishing a Strange River — Alterations in Rivers by Floods —
Taking Places — Fishing the Water — An Amateur at Work
— ' Potted Fish '—Water and Weather.

A FISHERMAN visiting a salmon river for the first
time is generally at a loss to ascertain which are
the best places to try for fish, unless he has the
assistance of a keeper or gillie who is well
acquainted with the water and its peculiarities.

No two streams are exactly alike. In each one
there are some pools and reaches which are better
than others, and in each pool or reach there are
one or more spots which are what is termed the
' taking places,' each one of which requires to be
fished in one particular way, in order that the fly
may be presented to the fish, which are known or
supposed to be lying there, in the most alluring
manner. A stranger to a river is, therefore, con-
siderably handicapped, and until he has learned
his way about it he cannot expect to do full justice
to himself, let him be ever so good a fisherman.
And there is so much to learn on every river,

FISHING A STRANGE RIVER 285

apart from anything to do with the flies to be
used, etc. The flow of the water is by no means
all it at first sight may appear to be. Not only
are the currents which are visible very frequently
deceptive, but there are under-currents, which are
not visible, and which tend to draw the fly alto-
gether away from the place in which it is believed
to be, and so, instead of fishing a certain spot, it
is, perhaps, not within several feet of it, despite the
appearance of the line to the contrary. A salmon-
fly, being sunk and worked under water, is, of
course, invisible to the angler, who, unless he is
acquainted with these peculiarities and eccen-
tricities of the river, may time after time fail to
place his fly within sight of perhaps the best fish
in the whole stream ; for such ever select positions
in which it is most difficult to get at them.

Rivers which run over hard and rocky beds are
not subject to any material alteration, inasmuch as
their banks are not liable to be worn away.
Where, however, the soil is softer, the floods of
one winter only will so frequently change the run
of a, pool as to alter the position of the ' taking
place ' — indeed, they may spoil the pool altogether
as a resting-place for the fish. In such cases,
what was deep water previously may become
shallow, and vice versa.

The water never runs straight through a pool ;
there is always a back-water — at times two or

286 ROD AND RIVER

three. It is where these unite again with the
main body of the water, and present the appear-
ance of two streams forming a junction with each
other, that the ' taking place ' is generally to be
found. This spot is usually about the tail of the
pool ; and it is there, and at the head of the latter,
that a salmon may be expected to 'come.' In the
straight reaches the fish lie in the deep cuts, under
the banks, or at the base of any obstruction, such
as a rock, etc., provided the water there is deep
enough.

In the bends one side is usually shallow, and
that opposite to it deep. In these the latter
requires to be fished as close under the bank as
possible, and to do this efficiently requires no little
skill on the part of the fisherman. It may, there-
fore, be readily understood that, to fish a salmon
river properly, a thorough knowledge of it
is absolutely essential, and a stranger may very
easily waste a great deal of valuable time and
energy in trying water which is notoriously useless,
or may hurry over that which requires the most
careful, delicate fishing. Of course, without any
previous knowledge, or the assistance of a guide,
there is nothing for it but to work steadily on all
through. If time will not admit of this, then the
most likely-looking places only must be tried. It
happens at times, where the stream varies in
character, that the fish will move in the stiller

AN AMATEUR AT WORK 287

portions, and not in the rough water, or the case
may be reversed. Fish are peculiar creatures,
and though there must doubtless be a reason for
their eccentric behaviour at times, it is very often
impossible to discover it.

I would impress upon the reader, if he is a
novice, that salmon are not to be caught with the
rod and line, that it is the fly with which he
catches the fish. To speak plainly, I would have
him remember that the rod and line are only the
means by which he is to get his fly into a certain
spot ; that it is what he does with the fly after it
is in the water which is the chief point to be,
considered, and that casting more frequently than
is absolutely necessary is not fishing, but is detri-
mental to sport. Fish are not to be caught flying
about in the air. I lay stress on this, because it
is nearly always the case that a beginner seems
to imagine that the one and only thing necessary
is to keep on casting and casting. He gives no
thought as to what the fly is doing, but he goes
on flogging the water until he is thoroughly
exhausted with his efforts, and then, and not till
then, does he give the fish a chance of even
looking at his fly. If by good luck he succeeds
in hooking a fish, in nine cases out of ten it is at
the very time when his attention is diverted, and
the fly has been permitted to remain a little longer
in the water than usual. He would be far more

288 ROD AND RIVER

likely to catch fish if, having made his cast, no
matter how clumsy the latter may have been, he
were to leave the fly alone and trust to the action
of the stream to bring it round.

I have at times witnessed the most amusing
scenes when watching the efforts of some over-
energetic novice. One such scene I shall never
forget. The hero on that occasion was a very
short, apoplectic-looking individual, and blessed
with a temper to match. The day was unusually
hot and bright ; he had never caught a salmon in
his life, and was determined to do or die, and it was
quite a toss up whether he did or died. He was
armed with a rod of the weaver's beam descrip-
tion (small men invariably select the largest
weapons), and he had enough line out for any
two ordinary men ; this latter being lifted bodily,
at full length, off the water after each cast, so
nearly knocked him over as to necessitate his
running several yards backwards ; and when
making the return cast he was again carried
forward until he reached the bank, nearly toppling
over into the river as he did so.

After a time I ventured to approach him and
make some inquiries respecting his success, and,
by degrees, endeavoured to give him the instruc-
tion of which he was so sorely in need. Of all
the pupils I ever took in hand, he surely was the
most intractable at first. The perspiration was

HIS FIRST FISH 289

pouring down his face, his temper was gone, and
he swore like a regiment of dragoons if the least
thing went wrong. At last he succeeded in
smashing the top of his rod, and it required all
my persuasion to prevent his packing up and
going home. However, having some wax and
thread with me, I contrived to splice it together
for him, and by degrees he grew calmer and more
inclined to listen to reason.

As we worked on he found that, by following
my instructions, he was able to dispense with the
expenditure of so much muscular exertion, and
succeeded in making some few very tolerable
casts. All of a sudden a fish came at the
fly and hooked himself, a sixteen-pounder ; a
rare good fish he was, too, and I gaffed it for
him. It was his first fish ; his excitement was
intense, and his gratitude to me unbounded.
Since that day I have never seen him, I don't
even know where he is ; but I can hardly doubt
that, having made so successful a debut, he has
become an enthusiastic and good fisherman. I
am sure I hope so.

Salmon, when ascending a river, and after they
have got well into the fresh water, do not make
their way straight up-stream, but take up their
quarters in some pool, where they will frequently
remain for weeks and months at a time, especially
in hot weather. As has been shown, they daily

19

29o ROD AND RIVER

deteriorate in condition, and, unless a flood inter-
venes to induce them to move up, such fish often
become listless and sulky, and will do nothing.
These are termed ' potted ' fish, and such they
literally might be for all the sport they are likely
to afford. They are sometimes of considerable
size, and are in consequence a nuisance, since
they not only refuse to rise themselves, but hunt
any newcomer out of the pool. If the weather
has been hot and dry for any lengthened period, it
is strange how slight a shower will at times cause
them to shift their quarters. I have known fish
which have remained apparently motionless for
weeks move upward after a shower of rain which
was insufficient to lay the dust.

The condition of the water and the weather
exercise a very decided influence on the fish.
When the river is low and clear, it is difficult to
induce them to move. In high flood, fishing with
a fly is an impossibility, but when the water is
beginning to clear after a flood, good sport may
generally be reckoned upon. Fish will not take
when rivers are rising. It is the custom of millers
to draw the mill-hatches on Saturday afternoon,
and the rivers rise in consequence. At such times
the salmon may be observed jumping and splash-
ing about in all directions ; but they will not
look at a fly, or anything of the kind. Indeed,
it may here be remarked that when fish jump

WATER AND WEATHER 291

high out of the water all hopes of sport may be
abandoned.

Since the Legislature forbids any netting be-
tween the hour of midnight on Saturday and mid-
night on Sunday, the mill-hatches being open,
and the flow of water increased, fresh fish come
up, and those which have been stationary very
frequently resume their upward journey.

Before rain, when thunder is about and the
weather is heavy and sultry, fish are rarely to be
taken ; but when rain first falls after a long spell
of dry weather, it often proves a very powerful
incentive to them to come well and freely at the
fly.

When snow-water, ' snow-broth,' as it is termed,
is coming down, the temperature of the water is
so lowered that sport is rendered hopeless. It
frequently happens in the Northern streams that
a sudden spate of snow-broth may come down
from the hills and so put an effectual stop to fish-
ing, though the weather in the valleys may be
mild and genial.

Provided the condition of the water is suitable
and the barometer steady, I do not think that
wind is of the same importance for salmon-fishing
as for trout. I am of opinion that the best wind
for the purpose is that which permits the river to
be fished to the best advantage. Such winds are
rarely due north or east.

292 ROD AND RIVER

A light southerly or west wind and a dull sky,
what is often described as a ' brown day,' is ever
good fishing weather ; but there are days on which
the sun may be shining brightly, when, if the wind
is suitable, and the sky now and again overcast,
good sport may be obtained. Anything is better
than an unsettled state of weather.

The earlier hours of the day up to two o'clock,
and from after five o'clock in the afternoon, are
the most suitable. Between two and five o'clock,
save in the early and latter parts of the season,
fish are rarely inclined to move.

When mist comes on the water, no matter how
well the fish may have been rising previously, they
will cease to move. This rule holds good with
trout as well as with salmon, more particularly so,
perhaps, with the former ; but when the sun is dis-
pelling the morning mists, especially in the early
days of September, good work may be frequently
done with a salmon-fly.

During the midsummer nights fish may often
be caught, provided the light holds good ; but
such work always seems to me to favour rather of
the poacher than the sportsman. Still, neverthe-
less, it may be excusable when the weather is too
hot and bright to admit of fish being caught during
the day-time.

L 293

CHAPTER XV.

Salmon-rods — Spliced Salmon-rods— Rings for Salmon-rods —
Salmon-lines — Salmon-gut — Salmon -gut — Casting-lines —
Damping-box for Salmon-casts — Gut-tips — How to put on
a Salmon-fly — Testing Salmon-tackle — Gaffs — Berthon
Folding Gaff — Salmon-fly Box — Messengers.

I CAN hardly dispense with some observations
regarding salmon -rods and the paraphernalia
necessary to the salmon fisherman. It is not my
intention to write a long-winded dissertation on
the subject, but rather to restrict myself to
remarking solely on those points which are
absolutely necessary.

Of whatever material a salmon-rod may be
made, whether greenheart, hickory, or cane, it
must be suitable for the user. A certain amount
of physical strength is necessary to enable a man
to use any salmon-rod to good advantage ; but it
is by no means to be assumed that a powerful man
must needs be able to cast a better salmon-line
than one who is possessed of moderate strength
only. Indeed, it more frequently happens that
the weaker man is the neater and better fisherman

294 ROD AND RIVER

of the two, by reason of his being able to use
such strength as he possesses to the greater
advantage. Heavy-chested, large-armed men are
often very clumsy. Their limbs are over-mus-
cular, and they cannot open their shoulders freely.
Such men cannot throw, run, ride, shoot, do any-
thing— that is to say, they rarely excel in either
of these things. A more lathy, weaker man,
whose length of limb affords greater leverage,
can walk round his bigger, heavier brother, and
knock him into a cocked-hat in no time. Now,
in order to use a salmon-rod properly, length of
arm is of great advantage. But I shall have
occasion to refer to this later on.

No man should use a rod which is beyond his
strength, or which tries him unduly. A long
day's salmon - fishing affords exercise enough
without any unnecessary addition ; and a beginner
will find his ribs ache even with the lightest and
most suitable rod. So long as a rod possesses
strength sufficient to carry its line well and cleanly,
and to hold a fish when it is necessary and possi-
ble to do so, it is strong enough ; and one inch
greater length or one grain more weight than
suffices to ensure this is mere lumber. The
circumstances which may require the use of a rod
more than eighteen feet in length are very ex-
ceptional. Indeed, one of sixteen or seventeen
feet is amply long enough for all ordinary pur-

SALMON RODS 295

poses, provided it is properly made and properly
used. The reader can select his own material ;
but, for my own part, I think that the greenheart
rods sold by Mr. Farlow, and named after Major
Traherne, leave nothing to be desired ; and if a
man cannot do well with one of these, he will
most certainly signally fail to do better with any
other. Cane rods are a luxury ; they are very
pleasant to handle, and are, I am aware, ex-
cellent, when they are really good ; but I prefer
the old greenheart, and feel infinitely safer with a
well-made rod of this description than with any
other.

Whereas top-heaviness is to be abjured when
making selection of a trout-rod, a salmon-rod
can afford to err somewhat in that respect, a
slight tendency to drop being an advantage when
fishing against a wind or switching. The Castle-
Connell pattern of rod is suitable for the latter ;
and I am well aware that those people who can use
them are loud in their praises of them. For my
own part, I think them detestable, shaky, wobbly
affairs, and I would not accept one as a gift if I
were expected to use it. They are less expensive
than other rods, and are made of good material ;
but it is most difficult to learn to use them, and
when the knowledge has been acquired, they are
no better than other good rods — indeed, in many
respects inferior.

296 ROD AND RIVER

A good salmon-rod costs about ^3, whether
spliced or ferruled.

For salmon-fishing a spliced rod, when well
put together, is charming to use ; but the
splices require to be very carefully bound ;
and this, unless the rod can be kept up
throughout the season, is a nuisance. I do
not think I like spliced salmon-rods any better
than those which are ferruled, but I like them
equally well. For trout-fishing I prefer the
latter, for the reasons I have assigned in the
portion of this work which has reference to
them.

There is a very great difference of opinion as
to whether ' standing rings ' are preferable for
use on a salmon-rod to the ordinary * lay-down '
patterns. Personally speaking, I think there is
no comparison between the two, and I should
never adopt the lay down if I could procure the
former ; but the pattern should be that known as
the 'snake.' The topmost ring should be of
steel, with an inner revolving ring. This arrange-
ment prevents the line wearing away the ring at
one particular spot, as the inner one can be turned
round.

Every salmon-rod should be provided with an
india-rubber button screwed into the butt, as the
ordinary wooden buttons are apt to make the thigh
sore, and also to slip when the rod has to be held

REELS AND LINES 297

up for any length of time, as is the case when a
fish takes to sulking, etc.

A good salmon-reel, and none but the best
should ever be purchased, is nearly as expensive
as a salmon-rod. The ordinary check pattern
is the best ; it should always be made of metal,
and as light as is compatible with due strength ;
they are frequently far too heavy. Such a reel
will probably cost from £2 to £2 ics. A long
price doubtless, but, if it is as good as it should
be, it will be well worth the money.

As for trout-fishing, so also for salmon : I
maintain that the line should be sufficiently
heavy to give due play to the rod. In heavy
wind, such a line will be found of the greatest
service. Needless to say, it should be thoroughly
waterproof, and as pliant as a kid glove. The
American abominations usually sold are detest-
able to use until they are nearly worn out. They
may be cheap, but they are nasty kinking things
covered with varnish, and drive one mad. To
an inexperienced eye they look very beautiful ;
I would advise the reader to shun them as he
would a plague. No salmon-line should be less
than 100 yards in length. A line of this length,
if a good one, cannot be procured for less than a
guinea. The longer a really good line is kept
before being used the better. When the dress-
ing of a line becomes worn, the application of a

298 ROD AND RIVER

little megilp, such as is used by artists for oil-
painting, will serve to renew the surface, and
prevent the silk from becoming rotten.

I do not know if Messrs. Eaton and Deller
make salmon-lines on the same principle as they
do those for trout, but I have no doubt they do
or could do so. Such a line would be perfec-
tion for salmon - fishing, but it should not be
tapered.

All the best fishing-tackle makers keep good
salmon-gut. If the reader desires to purchase
direct from the importer, he can hardly do better
than write for samples and prices to Mr. Rams-
bottom, in Manchester. Good salmon-gut is ex-
pensive, and the strands are never very long.
The price is from 505. to loos, per hundred ; that
procurable at the former price is, or should be,
quite good enough for ordinary use.

Gut-casts for salmon are made either what is
termed composite or single. In the former the
cast, for about two-thirds of its length, is made
of fine twisted gut, the rest being single. These
are good enough for general use, but when the
water is low and clear, single gut only should be
used.

All gut is more or less brittle when it is dry,
salmon-gut especially so, and even when wet, a
kink or a knot in it will frequently cause it to
break at that spot. Gut-casts should be carefully

GUT-TIPS 299

looked to and used, and no knot ever allowed to
remain. They should be stained to suit the
colour of the water ; strong tea, ink-and- water, or,
best of all, a piece of green baize boiled in water,
will answer the purpose.

The same description of damping- box as that
which I have recommended for trout-casts will be
found most useful for salmon-gut. It is always
advisable to soak salmon-gut previously to putting
it into the box; there will then be no possibility of
its becoming broken through kinking.

Many people make use of what are termed
4 tips ' for the purpose of attaching and detaching
a fly more readily. These are merely a length
of gut with a loop at one end, which is slipped
through a corresponding loop on the casting-line ;
the other end is knotted on to the fly. They are
useful, save time and trouble, and are economical ;
but I do not think that they are ever as neat or
workmanlike as when the end of the casting-line
is fastened direct to the fly. The two loops must,
if ever so closely pressed, make more or less of a
blur in the water, and this is one of the things
most necessary to avoid.

Every salmon-fly iss furnished with an eye at
the head ; this eye is either of gut, or forms part
of the shank of the hook — is, in fact, an eyed
hook. It is placed there for the purpose of
attachment to the casting-line or tip, as the

300 ROD AND RIVER

case may be. As in all other things, there is
a right and a wrong way of knotting the gut
on to the eye. Being a very simple operation,
I will endeavour to explain how it should be
done :

Hold the fly, wing upwards, between the fore-
finger and thumb of the left hand, the head of the
fly being towards the right ; pass the end of the
gut, from the under-side, through the eye, then
round the neck of the latter, and again through
the eye from above. Knot the short end of the
gut, by means of a single knot, round the casting-
line, leaving the knot open and loose; draw the
casting-line steadily until the loop has passed
over the eye, then pull it tight, and cut off the
spare end. By this means the fly will swim
truly, whereas, if the gut is run through the eye
from above at first, when the rod is worked, the
head will be drawn upwards, and the fly will
not follow the line as it should. If, when the
knot is drawn tight, the position of the end of the
•gut is carefully noted, the insertion of a strong
pin underneath will at once release the fly if it is
desired to remove it.

I cannot too strongly impress on the reader the
necessity for making the most careful inspection
of his tackle before fishing, and thoroughly testing
his line and every strand of gut, the eye of the
fly he is going to use, etc., as also after landing a

GAFFS 301

fish. More fish are lost by neglect of this very
simple precaution than from any other cause.
If he is too careless to observe it, and he loses a
fish thereby, it will be his own fault ; but it is a
dreadful sell to lose a good fish by reason of such
indolence. An old hand will take very good
care to run no risks of this description. A salmon
is a powerful fish, and the tackle must needs be
sound and strong to hold it.

A gaff is a necessity, for without it a fish can-
not be landed without running extreme risks, not
only of losing it, but also of breaking the tackle,
especially if the fisherman is single-handed. It
is, I am well aware, possible to * tail ' a fish, i.e.,
to seize it by what is called the 'wrist,' viz., that
part of the body just above the tail, and so pull it
out, a salmon being the only fish which can thus
be held without the tail slipping through the
hand. This plan may be adopted as a dernier
ressort when no gaff is available or assistant
at hand to perform the feat ; but even then it
can only be managed under very exceptional and
favourable conditions.

Therefore, a gaff cannot well be dispensed
with. There are two kinds of gaffs, viz., those
which fold or shut up, and those which do not.
The latter are, of course, the stronger and better,
the shank of the gaff-hook being lashed with wire,
or water-cord varnished, to a long stout staff of

302 ROD AND RIVER

ash or some such wood. This kind of gaff is all
very well when the services of an assistant to
carry it are available, but if the fisherman is
alone, such an arrangement is an intolerable
nuisance to carry about, for it cannot well be
slung across the back, and if so carried it is per-
petually getting in the way, and yet carried it
must be somehow.

It is therefore necessary to have recourse to
one which is more portable. Now, the worst of
folding gaffs is, that they are either lacking in
length, strength, or both. A certain length is
necessary, because, as may very readily be
understood, when the fisherman is holding a
salmon-rod in one hand, the latter being neces-
sarily kept upright, he cannot possibly reach the
fish with a short gaff without smashing his rod or
tackle, for a rod will only bend to a certain
extent. A gaff must therefore be long enough
to admit of the fish being reached with ease. It
must, of course, possess sufficient strength, or
else it will break at the critical moment. It thus
becomes a case of gaff v. rod.

I know of only one description of folding gaff
which fulfils both of the required conditions, and
that is the invention of the Rev. E. L. Berthon,
the Vicar of Romsey, also the inventor of the
Berthon portable boats, and scores of other
things besides. He is a friend of mine, and at

THE BERTHON FOLDING GAFF 303

my request and suggestion, though no fisherman
himself, he succeeded in producing this gaff,
which is the very best thing of the kind as yet
invented, for it combines length, strength, porta-
bility, and, like all good inventions, extreme sim-
plicity. Whether these gaffs are still procurable
I do not know, but should any of my readers
desire to obtain information respecting them, Mr.
Berthon would, I am sure, very readily respond
to any communication addressed to him at the
Berthon Boat Works, Romsey, for I regret to hear
that he is about to relinquish the living which he
has held for so many years, and where he has
been so universally and justly beloved. I cannot
forbear paying this tribute of respect to one
whose friendship I so much value, and whose
well-known talents I so much admire.

But one more article of equipment necessary to
the salmon fisherman remains to be noticed, viz.,
a receptacle of some description in which to carry
flies. A salmon-fly-book is very useful to keep
a stock of flies in, but it is a somewhat cumbrous
affair, and either fills an ordinary coat-pocket to
bursting or necessitates the use of a bag. Whether
carried about or not, it is an unwise plan to return
salmon-flies to a book before they are dried ; to do
so is very apt to spoil both book and flies. A
friend of mine made me a present of a most excel-
lent little arrangement for carrying flies and casts,

304 ROD AND RIVER

designed by Mr. Farlow. It consists of an oval
tin box with three divisions, one for casts, and one
with a lid for flies inside the space left for the
former. These are in the lower half of the box.
The upper portion is fitted with strips of cork in
which to place wet flies, and the lid is perforated
in order to assist the drying process. It is a very
simple and practical little affair, and I can very
fully recommend its adoption.

I had almost forgotten to mention one more
apparently insignificant, but by no means unim-
portant, item. It frequently happens that a salmon
when hooked takes to sulking at- the bottom of
the river, and at times the patience of the angler
is sorely taxed, for there is no knowing how long
this state of affairs may continue ; moreover, a
fish will often succeed in either sawing the gut
through against the sharp edge of a rock, or work-
ing the hook out of its mouth. It is, therefore, as
well to take active measures to make it move on.
Throwing stones, etc., may answer, but this is dan-
gerous work, and the gut may possibly be broken.
The usual plan is to send down a ' messenger.'
This latter is generally a round ring of thin card,
with a slit cut across one side of the ring to
admit of its being placed on the line. The angler
then gets up-stream above the fish, and the action
of the water carries the messenger down to the
hook. When this is satisfactorily performed the.

MESSENGERS 305

fish generally takes the hint, and makes a bolt ;
but when the wind is blowing up-stream it is by
no means an easy matter to get the messenger to
work properly, as the card is too light The
better plan is to snip a stout curtain-ring through
with a pair of pliers, and substitute this for the
card. There is then no mistake about it, for the
ring spins down the line, and, hitting the fish on
the nose, ensures his speedy departure.

I need hardly add that no fisherman should be
without some strong tying-silk and wax. It may
not be required for many a day, but, sooner or
later, a breakage of some sort is sure to occur, and
then its value will be apparent.

20

[ 306]

CHAPTER XVI.

The Action of a Salmon Fly — Necessity for fishing Down-stream
for Salmon — How to hold a Salmon-rod — How to face the
Water — Placing the Fly — Working the Rod — Picking the
Line off the Water— Casting— Slack Line— The Value of
Switching — Good Style — Length of Line to be used —
Fishing a Pool, or Reach— Mr. Kelson's Theory— The Use
of Silver-bodied Flies — Small Flies for Low Water —
' Coming ' and ' Refusing ' — Changing Flies — Selection
of Flies with reference to Weather, etc. — Old Standard
Flies — * Coming ' and ' Taking ' — Striking a Salmon-
Playing a Salmon — Sulking — Gaffing a Salmon — Killing
and Gaffing — Difference in Weight after Gilling — How to
carry a Salmon.

BEFORE entering upon the subject of casting with
a salmon-rod, I think it will be advisable to give
some consideration to the action of a salmon-fly in
the water,

It is the general opinion that salmon take the
artificial fly for some living thing, probably a
shrimp. At all events, whatever they suppose it
to be, it most certainly is not like anything which
lives above the surface of the water. The term
1 fly ' is, therefore, a misnomer ; that of ' lure '
would be more expressive and correct, for there

THE SALMON -FLY 307

are many people who are under the impression
that salmon-flies are intended to represent an
insect of some description.

It is of the first importance that the materials
used in the manufacture of salmon-flies should be
soft, pliant, and as transparent as possible. When
dry, the combination of colours which is made use
of frequently presents a somewhat gaudy appear-
ance. In the water the case is different, for the
brilliant colours become then softened, and the
reverse of glaring. I am of opinion that the man
who can design a salmon-fly must necessarily
possess as good an eye for colour as would enable
him to become a skilful artist, for a salmon-fly
is a picture in itself. Let the reader inspect any
one of our standard patterns, and note how per-
fectly the various shades of colour harmonize with
each other, and how the more brilliant portions
are veiled and toned down by the filmy grays and
browns which overlie them ; he will then be able
to realize how much thought and judgment have
been brought to bear upon its construction.

Something more than mere colour is required
to attract the fish. The lure must be made to
live and move. This appearance is to be effected
by the motion of the rod ; but, unless the materials
of which the fly is composed are sufficiently soft
and yielding, the fibres of the feathers, etc., cannot
be made to open and close. A well-made fly, in

308 ROD AND RIVER

the hands of a skilful fisherman, can be made to
appear very attractive and life-like.

Now, it is impossible to impart the required
motion to a salmon-fly if it is cast up or directly
across the stream. It must swim truly with and
parallel to the flow of the water in the particular
portion of the stream in which it may happen
to be at the time, i.e., parallel to the current
it is being worked in. Hence the necessity for
fishing down-stream, or as nearly directly so as
possible. The fly is drawn down stream by the
action of the water, and the top of the rod being
worked gently and slowly up and down, as it
follows the course of the fly, causes the fly to
dart upwards against the stream when the upward
motion is given, and allows it to fall back with the
downward one. In the former the fibres are
drawn together, and close ; in the latter they
reopen.

In order to use a salmon-rod properly, it must
be held properly. In other words, it must be
held in the position which, while allowing its
full powers to be utilized, admits of their being
extracted with the least possible exertion to the
user. It must be properly balanced.

Nearly all beginners make the mistake of hold-
ing a salmon-rod with their hands placed too
closely together. This method necessitates the
employment of a considerable amount of physical

HOW TO HOLD A SALMON-ROD 309

force, and is not only very tiring and inconvenient,
but also prevents the line being cast with the
lightness and precision which are necessary.

The rod should be held with the hands as far
apart as possible, the shoulders thereby being
thrown well open. If the stream is running from
left to right, the left hand will be uppermost, and
vice versa.

Now, let the reader accompany me in imagina-
tion to the riverside. We will assume that the
stream is flowing from right to left. First of all,
let him stand facing directly across the river, then
let him make a half turn to the left. He will be
thus facing in the proper direction for making his
cast. He must endeavour to place his fly under
the opposite bank at this angle, or as near to the
bank as his casting powers will admit of his doing.
If the river is wide, and the entire length cannot
be covered, then he must cast as far as he can
conveniently manage, but always preserving the
position I have described at the commencement
of the cast. As the fly is drawn across the stream
by the current, he must follow its direction with
the point of his rod, and when it has reached the
extreme limit allowed by the length of line which
may be out, he must slowly and gently move the
top of the rod up and down, at the same time
gathering up the line bit by bit with his left hand
with each downward motion, and turning his body

3io ROD AND RIVER

towards the fly, as it is by degrees brought up
under the bank, and the water has been fished inch
by inch, as close up to where he is standing as will
leave a convenient length of line to take off the
water ; but he must bear in mind that, through-
out the whole performance, the rod, line, and fly
must be in the same plane. I have italicised
this sentence, because it is not infrequently the
case that salmon fishermen hold their rods at
right angles to the line. It is a wrong system;
the position is unsuitable for striking a fish, and
the motion which is imparted to the fly when the
rod is thus held is not so true and life-like as
when it is held as I have described. In gathering
up the line, it should first be drawn in by the
fingers of the left hand ; those of the right hand,
closing upon the rod, serve to prevent the slack
again running out.

As far as the casting part of the performance is
concerned, the process is similar to that which I
have described with a trout-rod, save that both
hands are required to use the larger rod. When
picking the line off the water prior to making a
fresh cast with a salmon-rod, it must be first drawn
clear of all slack water, etc., and to the surface,
and then, before the point of the rod is raised
higher than an angle of 45° with the stream,
twitched smartly and cleanly oft ; but the point
of the rod should never be allowed to go more

SLACK LINE 311

than a few inches over the shoulder. It should
rather be checked abruptly when the butt is
brought back into the shoulder ; and just before
the line has extended itself behind, the return
must be made with a strong, determined, forward
thrust of the arm. The motion of the latter
should be precisely that of aiming a blow with
the clenched fist at an object on a level with the
eye of the fisherman. In holding the rod the
lower hand should be placed immediately above
the reel.

A certain amount of slack line necessarily re-
maining after the line has been picked off the
water, this must be run out by making one or
two preliminary false casts in the air before the
final return forward cast. It is a good plan
to retain a few inches of slack line in the hand,
until just as the line is in the act of falling on the
water ; it can then be allowed to run out by the
fingers of the right hand being relaxed. By this
means the fly will fall lightly, and all splashing be
avoided. Slack line can be utilized as recom-
mended for steeple-casting in trout-fishing.

The switch, or ' spey cast,' which I very fully
described in that portion of the present work
devoted to trout-fishing, is more especially useful
for salmon-fishing. It is, indeed, a salmon-cast,
though, as I have shown, it may very advan-
tageously be used when trout-fishing. It is most

312 ROD AND RIVER

useful when the wind is behind the fisherman,
inasmuch as, if the ordinary shoulder-cast is used
in a strong back- wind, the gut is not only very
liable to knot and tangle, but the fly not in-
frequently cracks off, and is probably seen no
more — a serious loss at any time, but especially
so if the fly is an expensive one.

If the reader will endeavour to follow out the
foregoing instructions to the best of his ability, I
think I may venture to assert that he will find the
difficulties of casting considerably lessened, and
he will also acquire a good style. By holding the
rod in the way I have described, he cannot fail to
stand upright, as he should do ; and the use of
a salmon-rod, instead of tending to contract his
chest, will serve to open it, almost as much as if
he were rowing. Nothing looks worse, or savours
more of the amateur, than when a man elects to
fish for salmon with his back hunched up and his
whole body distorted, and clutching at his rod as
if he had stolen it.

One thing must be remembered. It is a great
mistake to fish with a longer line than can be
easily managed. It is even better to use a some-
what short line, and fish the water within reach
carefully and patiently, than for the sake of making
a long cast to slur the work. On the other hand,
it is never wise to dwell too long over any one
spot. Let the pool or reach be steadily fished

FISHING A POOL OR REACH 313

over, and then, if desired, the process can be
repeated. There is a very good reason for this,
for when a pool or reach is fished over the first
time, although no fish may be seen to come at
the fly, nevertheless some fish may make a half-
hearted move towards it, and if the cast is repeated
too soon, such a fish may be scared rather than
attracted. By the time the end of the stretch of
water has been finished, sufficient interval will
haye elapsed for any fish which may have been
moved to take up their former position and
regain their composure ; and when the water is
tried the second time, it very frequently happens
that they will come straight at the fly and take it.
It is for this reason that when two men are fish-
ing the same river, one in advance of the other,
the one following will often obtain more sport
than the other. Mr. Kelson, the well-known
salmon fisherman, and perhaps the best fly-tyer
in England, makes a systematic use of his know-
ledge of this fact. Some of his patterns are made
extra large and gaudy ; these he terms exaggera-
tions. They are used for fishing over a pool in
which the fish are disinclined to move. The pool
is then tried with a fly of smaller size, in which
the colouring is similar, but very much toned
down and veiled by means of gray or brown
feathers. Such patterns he terms ' condensations,'
and he maintains that a fish, having been moved

314 ROD AND RIVER

with the first fly, is more readily induced to take
this smaller, quieter, second edition, than if it had
not been previously moved with the larger and
gaudier pattern. There is more than mere theory
in all this, for it is a well-known fact that certain
flies are good changes to each other. Thus, for
instance, the Jock Scott and the Silver Doctor
form an excellent change. If one fails the other
often proves successful.

There has been much discussion as to whether
a bright fly should be used in bright weather and
a dull fly in dull weather, or the reverse. My
own experience inclines me to the belief that
bright flies are more suitable for dull days, and
more sombre patterns for bright weather. I have
often found that, when the sky becomes suddenly
overcast during bright weather, a change to a
silver-bodied fly, such as a Silver Doctor or a
1 silver gray,' has been worth the trouble.

I am convinced that better sport is to be
secured if small flies are used in low and clear
water; and it is a golden rule that when a fish
has moved at a fly and refused it, a change should
be made to a smaller sized fly, whether it be of a
similar or different pattern, some ten minutes' law
being always accorded the fish before casting over
. it again.

If a fish comes at the fly and refuses it, after the
usual law has been given, it is always more advis-

SELECTION OF FLIES 315

able for the fisherman to move up-stream for a
few yards, and fish quietly and steadily down over
the spot where the rise took place, than to begin
casting directly over the fish from where he was
previously standing. Nor should he stop short
at the rising place, but continue to try on for
some distance, as it not uhfrequently happens that
after rising at a fly, a fish may drop some little
distance down-stream.

While advising that the trouble of making
a change of fly should never be considered too
great, at the same time it is unwise to go to the
other extreme. A fly should always have a fair
trial.

It is difficult — indeed, it is impossible — to lay
down any rule for the selection of special flies for
certain days. It has been said that the colour of
the fly should correspond with that of the sky,
water, etc., and there is very much to be said in
favour of this idea, which I have found a by no
means bad guide. Pools, especially those which
are shaded, vary in colour, and often require a
special pattern ; a fly which answers well in one
pool being, perhaps, well nigh useless in the next.
The colour of the trees which overhang a pool,
whether they are bare, green, or yellow, also
alters that of the shadow cast on the water beneath
them.

There are some grand old standard patterns of

316 ROD AND RIVER

flies which, under ordinary conditions, rarely fail
to do their duty on any river in which they may
be used. I maintain that with the following in
his book, dressed on some two or three different
sized hooks, the angler need hardly hesitate to
trust his luck on any river in Britain :

The Jock Scott. Silver Gray.

The blue Jock Scott. Dusty Miller.

The silver Doctor. Butcher.

The blue Doctor. The Mystery.

The Popham.

Of course, there are heaps of other patterns which
are all good ; indeed, the number of salmon-flies
is innumerable. I intend to refer to some of the
best of these, giving their dressings later on.

When a salmon comes and takes, in nine cases
out of ten he contrives to hook himself with-
out any effort on the part of the angler being
necessary, for as the fly is in motion, this,
combined with the dash of the fish, is generally
sufficient to drive the hook home. In no case
should a fish be struck in the ordinary acceptation
of the word. Here, as in trout-fishing, it is not
a strike ; it should rather be a steady, firm draw
of the line, the rod point being raised upward.
This is all that is required. A violent upward
snatch would probably result in a smash. The
instant the fish feels the steel it makes a rush for

PLAYING A SALMON 317

it, sometimes taking out a considerable amount of
line before it stops. The instant it pulls up the
fisherman must get opposite to it, reeling up as
speedily as possible. Other rushes may follow,
but in each case the same tactics must be adopted
of keeping level with the fish. So long as he can
manage to do this the angler can feel tolerably
safe ; but whether up or down stream, he must
endeavour to preserve this position. The more
brilliant the play of the fish, the shorter will be
the struggle. In all this the rod must be kept
as upright as possible ; and needless to say, care
must be taken to see that there is no risk of the
line fouling. If the reel is not a good one it may
overrun with the first rush, and when the line is
wound up to get to the fish it is very apt to
become tangled in the reel. If this takes place,
fish and line must go. Again, the reel may be
too stiff and refuse to run as it should ; this latter
state of affairs is little better than the former.
Hence the necessity for a reel being as perfect as
possible. Each succeeding rush serves to exhaust
the fish, and so bit by bit it can be brought nearer
and nearer, until it is within reach of the gaff ; but
I would warn a novice never to make too sure that
a fish is done for. Even when lying over on its
side, many a fish will make a final effort, and may,
if the gaffer is inexperienced, the hold of the hook
worn, or the tackle frayed, succeed in getting away.

3i8 ROD AND RIVER

Should a fish sulk, he must be moved by means
of a messenger, as I have previously described.

It is no easy matter to gaff a salmon properly.
A man must be cool and quick. The gaffer
should always keep below the fisherman, and
out of sight of the fish as much as possible. The
gaff should be held hook downwards, and struck
into the tail end of the fish so as to avoid
damaging or killing it. If the gaff is driven into
the stomach, and by mischance the fish should
get off at the last moment, as has often happened
ere this, there will be every risk of its dying.
It is bad enough to lose a good fish at any time,
but it is truly deplorable when it has sustained
such damage as to condemn it to a lingering and
painful death.

A fish should not be lifted out of the water by
the gaff. No gaff could stand such treatment.
It should be drawn upwards to the bank. The
gaffing and drawing the fish out should be per-
formed in one motion. As soon as the fish is
landed, it should be knocked on the head and
killed, and when the hook has been removed,
the gill covers should be lifted, and the gills on
both sides cut through with a sharp knife. This
sets the curd. If a fish is weighed before being
thus gilled and afterwards, the difference will be
remarkable. A pound in weight is generally
allowed after gilling. It is a somewhat curious

CARRYING A SALMON 319

fact that the loss of so little blood as usually flows
should cause so great a discrepancy in the weight.
The most convenient way of carrying a salmon
is to make a slip-knot at the end of a piece of
cord and pass it over the tail (the wrist) of the
fish ; the other end is then run through the
mouth and out at the gills, or through a slit made
in the under jaws. The head and tail can thus
be drawn nearly together.

CHAPTER XVII.

Gut Loops v. Metal Eyes for Salmon-hooks — Double Hooks —
Cholmondeley-Pennell Pattern of Hook — Parts of a Salmon-
fly described — List of useful Salmon-flies : Anonyma,
Baron, Benchill, Britannia, Bruce (A), Bruce (B), Butcher,
Champion, Childers (A), Childers (B), Dirty Orange, Black
Doctor, Blue Doctor, Silver Doctor, Durham Ranger, Dusty
Miller, Brown Eagle, Yellow Eagle, French's Fancy, Green-
well, Glow-worm Grub, Spring Grub, Infallible, Jock Scott,
Blue Jock Scott, Kendle, Lion, Mohair Canary, Mystery (A),
Mystery (B), Popham, Silver Gray, Stevenson, Thunder
and Lightning, Wilkinson, Gitana, Phoebus, Nepenthian.

As I have before observed, a salmon-fly is fur-
nished with a loop at the head end for the purpose
of attaching it to the gut casting-line. This is
either formed of twisted gut, which is fastened on
to the hook when the fly is dressed, or else is of
metal, being part and parcel of the hook itself.
The angler can decide for himself which of
the two to select. Personally, I prefer the
metal eye to the gut, inasmuch as the former
never wears out, whereas the latter does so all
too soon, and, needless to remark, in this case the
fly is rendered useless. Objections are at times
made against the use of the metal eye, it being

SALMON HOOKS 321

asserted that the casting-line, to which it is
fastened, becomes frayed and worn by contact
with the metal. I am well aware that such may
be the case if the knot is improperly made ; but if
the plan which I have given of fastening on the
fly is adopted, I think I may safely assert that
there need be no fear that the gut will fray more
against the metal than the gut loop ; indeed, my
own experience proves the contrary.

Salmon -hooks are frequently made double.
Doubtless there is more probability of hooking a
fish firmly with a double hook than with a single.
The former are generally considerably smaller
in size than the single hooks. I cannot say
that I like double hooks for salmon-fishing. It
stands to reason that even a single hook, no
matter how truly it may swim, must cause a slight
blur in the water, and with a double hook this
is more than doubled, and so it cannot be as
satisfactory. Moreover, a fly dressed on a double
hook never presents the same neat, workmanlike
appearance, and cannot be placed in a book, if it
is required to do so, without bulging the pages,
and doing more or less damage to the other flies.
Double hooks are not made with metal eyes. I
consider that a single hook answers the purpose
for which it is intended quite well enough.

Unlike a trout-hook, there is no side-twist in
a salmon-hook, the shank and barb are in the

21

322 ROD AND RIVER

same plane. This is necessary, in order to allow
of the fly swimming upright and true in the water.
vSave for the smallness of the eye in the eyed-
hooks, the Cholmondeley-Pennell pattern is, to
my mind, by far the best-shaped hook there is.
The observations I made on the tempering of
trout-hooks apply equally to those for salmon.

Before entering upon the subject of salmon-flies
it will, I think, be as well to explain the various
terms which I shall have to make use of in giving
the dressings of the various flies, especially if any
of my readers should chance to be ignorant of
such matters.

A full-dressed salmon-fly consists of the follow-
ing parts, viz. :

1. The tag. 6. The wings.

2. The tail. 7. The sides.

3. The butt. 8. The cheeks.

4. The body. 9. The horns.

5. The throat. 10. The head.

The ' tag ' is usually formed of tinsel and floss-
silk, or either alone, and is situated under the tail
of the fly.

The ' tail ' is formed of one or more feathers,
more generally of a golden pheasant's small crest
feather, termed a ' topping.'

The ' butt ' is usually of black ostrich herl, and
wound round the base of the tail.

PARTS OF A SALMON-FLY 323

The ' body ' is made of various materials,
such as floss-silk, dyed pig's wool, or seal's fur,
at times divided into two or more distinct portions,
as is the case with the Jock Scott and Popham,
each division being; butted with black ostrich herl.

c>

It is generally ribbed with gold or silver tinsel,
and frequently with a hackle for part or the whole
of its length.

The ' throat ' is a feather, generally a hackle,
wound found the upper part of the body close
under the wing.

The ' wings ' are composed of strips of various
feathers, placed above, and over each other, the
under wing being, so to speak, veiled by the
upper.

The ' sides ' are feathers used entire, and placed
along the lower sides of the wings. The spotted
neck-feathers of the jungle-cock are generally used
for this purpose, varying in length according to
the pattern of the fly.

The ' cheeks ' are short feathers, also used
entire, which are placed over the butts of the
sides. They are more generally used alone with-
out the sides ; but when the latter form part of
a fly, cheeks are usually placed over them. The
feathers used for cheeks are generally taken from
the blue chatterer jay, blue enamelled thrush,
bright blue kingfisher, or neck of the jungle-
cock.

324 ROD AND RIVER

The ' horns ' are two long fibres, placed over
and above the wing, and are usually taken from
the tail of the blue macaw — the feathers of which
are blue on the upper and yellow on the lower
side.

The ' head ' is generally formed of black ostrich
herl, black worsted, or simply varnished.

I think, and trust, that the above description
will enable the reader to recognise without diffi-
culty the several parts of a salmon-fly.

The following list of salmon-flies comprises, for
the most part, none but those patterns which bear
the highest reputation. The dressings given are
the best known. I have arranged them alpha-
betically to facilitate reference :

1. Anoriyma. 14. *The Doctor (silver).

2. *The Baron. 15. *The Durham

3. The Benchill. Ranger.

4. *The Britannia. 16. *The Dusty Miller.

5. *The Bruce (A). 17. The Brown Eagle.

6. The Bruce (B). 18. The Yellow Eagle.

7. *The Butcher. 19. *The French's

8. The Champion. Fancy.

9. *The Childers (A). 20. *The Greenwell.

10. The Childers (B). 21. The Grub (glow-

11. *The DirtyOrange. worm).

12. The Doctor (black). &. The Grub (spring).

13. *The Doctor (blue). 23. The Infallible.

USEFUL SALMON-FLIES 325

24. *The Jock Scott. 33. The Stevenson.

25. *The Jock Scott 34. *The Thunder and

(blue). Lightning.

26. The Kendle. 35. *The Wilkinson.

27. *The Lion.

28. The MohairCanaiy. MR- KELSON'S EXAG-

29. *The Mystery (A). GERATIONS.

30. '"'The Mystery (B). 36. The Gitana.

31. *The Popham. 37. The Phoebus.

32. *The Silver Gray. 38. The Nepenthian.

Any very special flies are marked with an
asterisk.

i. — ANONYMA.

Tag : Silver twist and lemon floss-silk.

Tail : A topping and an Indian crow's feather.

Butt : Red ostrich.

Body : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with gold twist.

Throat : Yellow or orange hackle, with darkish-
red hackle over.

Wings : Tippet and saddle feathers, back to back,
veiled with golden-pheasant tail, mallard, pea-
cock wing, gray mallard, strips of red and
yellow swan, and a topping over all.

Cheeks : Unspotted enamelled cinnamon feather
from the neck of the jungle-cock.

Horns : Red macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

The foregoing is an original pattern.

326 ROD AND RIVER

2. — THE BARON.

Tag : Silver twist, and dark-red-claret silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Divided into two equal portions, the
lower : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with oval
silver tinsel, butt black ostrich, and two Indian
crow's feathers reaching to the lower tail butt,
one placed above and the other below. The
upper half composed of black floss-silk, ribbed
with silver twist, hackled with a dark-red claret
hackle.

Throat : A jay's blue feather.

Wings : Strands of golden - pheasant tippet-
feathers, yellow swan, summer duck (barred),
blue and red macaw, golden - pheasant tail,
peacock wing, mallard, and a topping.

Sides : Jungle-cock (two spots).

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich or black wool.

The Baron is an excellent fly ; it is somewhat
similar to the Jock Scott, save that the lower
part of the body is silver instead of yellow, and
Indian crow's feathers are used in place of yellow
toucan. It is a capital fly for a nondescript kind
of day, and therefore most useful.

THE BRITANNIA 327

3. — THE BENCHILL.

A very handsome fly, and, I believe, bears a
high reputation.

Tag : Silver twist, and light-claret floss-silk.

Tail : A topping and scarlet ibis.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Seal's fur dyed dark-yellow, pale-orange,

light-claret, and light-blue, placed from tail to

head in this order, and ribbed with silver

tinsel.
Hackle : Light-blue as far as to cover the blue

seal's fur.
Wings : Two tippet-feathers, veiled with light

speckled turkey, swan feathers dyed yellow and

red, bustard, golden-pheasant-tail, teal, mallard,

and a topping.
Horns : Blue macaw.

4. — THE BRITANNIA.

A very old and well-known standard pattern.
Tag : Gold twist.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : Black ostrich.
Body : Red-orange floss-silk, ribbed with oval

gold tinsel, and with a reddish-orange hackle

from end to end.
Wings : Shoveller duck or large brown mallard

and a topping.

328 ROD AND RIVER

Sides : Jungle-cock (two spots).
Cheeks : Chatterer.
Horns : Blue macaw.

Collar : A dark-blue hackle. (This is placed
above the cheeks and wings.)

5. — THE BRUCE (A).

This fly is, I believe, named after Colonel
Bruce, of Testwood Park, in Hampshire. It is,
though of unpretentious appearance, one of the
very best flies, especially for use in the early part
of the season, or in wild, stormy weather. It is a
local pattern.

Tag : Silver twist and lemon floss-silk.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : Black ostrich.
Body : Flat silver tinsel ribbed with oval ditto,

and a magenta hackle run alongside the latter

from head to tail.
Throat : Magenta hackle, with small speckled

gallina ones.
Wings : Under wing — light grizzled turkey; over

wing — golden-pheasant tail and a topping.
Head : Black ostrich.

6.—THE BRUCE (B).

The following variety of the above is an inven-
tion of my own ; it answered so well as to be in
some request. It is, I believe, to be purchased

THE BUTCHER 329

at Mr. Main's, in Jermyn Street, and, I think,
one or two other places. It is thus dressed :

Tag : As before.

Tail : As before.

Butt : As before.

Body : Divided into two parts, with black ostrich
herl and small magenta hackle points at the
joint ; the body itself is composed of flat silver
tinsel ribbed with oval ditto as before.

Throat : Magenta hackle and small speckled
guinea-fowl over (as before).

Wings : Under wing — light grizzled turkey ; over
wing — strips of large mottled feather from the
wing of the great bustard.

Cheeks : Jungle-cock.

Collar : A crimson hackle.

Head : Varnished.

7. — THE BUTCHER.

A well-named fly, for I suppose that no fly, not
even the Jock Scott, has killed more fish than
the Butcher.

Tag : Silver twist and yellow silk.

Tail : A topping, teal, and light-blue macaw.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Divided into four parts, arranged thus
from tail to head, viz., light-claret, light-blue,
dark -claret, and dark -blue; these are made
either of seal's fur dyed or pig's wool.

330 ROD AND RIVER

Throat : Small speckled guinea - fowl over a
yellow hackle.

Wings : A golden-pheasant tippet-feather, and a
blood-red feather from the breast of the same
bird, set back to back, and reaching nearly to
the bend of the hook ; over these are strips
of teal, golden-pheasant tail, small speckled
guinea - fowl, bustard, and peacock's wing,
strands of red parrot, yellow swan, mallard
at the top.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Cheeks : Blue chatterer.

Head : Black ostrich or black wool.

8. — THE CHAMPION.

Tag : Silver twist and yellow silk.

Tail : A topping, light-gray mallard, and two or
three strands of light-blue and light-crimson
dyed swan.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Light - blue silk ; dark - yellow, crimson,
dark-crimson, dark-blue, and black pig's wool
or seal's fur, placed from tail to head in the
order given and equally divided, and ribbed
with flat silver tinsel with fine round silver
twist laid beside it.

Hackle : Black, as far as the black portion of the
body.

Throat : Blue jay, or guinea-fowl dyed blue.

THE GUILDERS 331

Wings : Two barred feathers from the summer
duck placed back to back, with married strips
of silver - pheasant and golden-pheasant tail,
repeated twice, and similar strips of blue macaw
and crimson swan, with a broadish piece of teal
on either side of the latter strips ; strips of pale-
gray mallard or unbarred summer duck, strips
of crimson and dark-yellow swan, peacock wing,
golden-pheasant tail, two longish strips of brown
mallard, and a topping over all.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Cheeks : Blue chatterer.

Head : Black ostrich.

This dressing forms one of the most beautiful
of salmon-flies. The mixture of colour is very
perfect.

Q. — THE CHILDERS (A).

Tag : Silver twist and light-blue floss-silk.

Tail : A topping with strands of red macaw,
bright-blue macaw, and pintail duck.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Two turns of light-yellow silk, light-yellow
teal's fur or pig's wool, and scarlet ditto at the
shoulder ; the latter about one - fifth of the
entire length, ribbed with flat silver tinsel and
fine silver twist beside it.

Hackle : A white furnace hackle dyed light-yellow.

Throat : A scarlet hackle and light widgeon.

332 ROD AND RIVER

Wings : Golden-pheasant tippet, ditto tail, tur-
key, silver - pheasant, pintail, summer duck
(barred), bustard, bright-blue macaw, red parrot,
red macaw, large speckled guinea-fowl, mallard,
and a topping.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Cheeks : Blue chatterer.

Head : Black ostrich or black wool.

Mr. Kelson speaks highly of this fly ; and a
very beautiful specimen it is of its kind. It is
an old standard fly, and takes its name from
a Colonel Childers, formerly well-known on the
Tweed.

There are two or three different dressings of
this fly, but the above, which is Mr. Kelson's, is
the best.

I give another simpler pattern of the same fly,
taken from ' The Salmon-fisher's Pocket Com-
panion ':

10. — THE CHILDERS (B).

Tag : Gold twist and yellow silk.

Tail : Golden-pheasant and teal.

Body: From tail to head thus, viz., yellow,
orange, and red pig's wool, ribbed with gold
tinsel, and hackled with a plain black or red
hackle.

Throat : Blue jay.

Wing : Mallard, teal, guinea-fowl, bustard, green

THE DIRTY ORANGE 333

parrot, golden-pheasant tail, peacock wing, and
strands from the tail of a black cockatoo.

Horns : Blue and red macaw.

Head : Black wool.

ii. — THE DIRTY ORANGE.

This is a good fly, and, I should say, good on
most rivers ; it is perhaps more especially an Usk
pattern.

Tag : Gold twist and blue silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Two turns of dark, dirty-orange silk,
with light, dirty-orange seal's fur thence to the
shoulder, and hackled over the seal's fur with a
dirty-orange-coloured hackle, and ribbed with
oval gold tinsel.

Throat : Blue jay.

Wings : Guinea-fowl, light bustard, teal, golden-
pheasant's tail, swan, dyed blue and light-red-
claret, summer duck, or mallard.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Ostrich herl dyed light-blue.

12. — THE BLACK DOCTOR.
There are three flies which have the title of
' doctor,' viz., the black, blue, and silver. In each
of these varieties the wing is similar, and is as
follows :

334 ROD AND RIVER

Wing : Golden-pheasant tippet, ditto tail, light-
gray turkey, bustard, wood-duck, swan, dyed
red, yellow, and blue, a strand of blue and
yellow macaw at either side, and a topping.

With this wing the ' Black Doctor ' is thus
dressed :

Tag : Gold twist and pale-yellow floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Scarlet wool.

Body : Black floss-silk, ribbed with flat silver or

gold tinsel.
Throat : A natural black hackle with blue jay

over it.

Cheeks : Jungle-cock.
Head : Scarlet wool.

13. — THE BLUE DOCTOR.
Tag : Silver twist and lemon floss-silk.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : Scarlet wool.
Body : Light-blue floss-silk, ribbed with flat silver

tinsel, and fine silver twist beside it, and hackled

throughout with a light-blue hackle.
Throat : Light-blue hackle with small speckled

guinea-fowl over.
Head : Scarlet wool.

14. — THE SILVER DOCTOR.
Tag : Silver twist and golden-yellow floss-silk.
Tail : A topping and blue chatterer.

THE SILVER DOCTOR 335

Butt : Scarlet wool.

Body : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with oval ditto.
Throat : Medium blue with small speckled guinea-
fowl over.
Head : Scarlet wool.

The above is Mr. Mallock's dressing. Mr.
Kelson gives the following :

Tag : Silver twist and dark-yellow silk.

Tail : A topping and kingfisher.

Butt : Dark-scarlet wool.

Body : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with oval ditto.

Throat : A blue hackle and guinea-fowl.

Wing : Connected strands of tippet, summer duck,
pintail, golden-pheasant tail, swan, dyed light-
yellow and light-blue, mallard, bustard, and a
topping.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Scarlet wool.

None of our standard patterns possess a higher
reputation than the ' Silver Doctor.' It will
take fish in any river. Mr. Kelson advocates its
being used on bright days rather than in dull
weather. I have found it do well on both bright
and dull days, especially on those which are
alternately bright and cloudy. The ' Blue Doctor '
is also an especially good fly — more particularly
when the sun is bright and the sky blue overhead.
The ' Black Doctor ' is much esteemed, and is, I

336 ROD AND RIVER

am aware, very justly so. I have never done
much with it myself — perhaps because I have so
seldom made use of it.

15. — THE DURHAM RANGER.

This fly does not take its name from the city of
Durham, but from its having been very success-
fully used by a party of Durham fishermen when
fishing on the Sprowston water.

Mr. Kelson, who mentions the foregoing, gives
the following dressing for this fly, which is one of
the very best of all good patterns :

Tag : Silver twist and light-yellow silk.

Tail : A topping and an Indian crow.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Two turns of orange silk, two turns of
dark-orange seal's fur ; the rest, which is about
half of black seal's fur, ribbed with flat silver
tinsel and fine silver twist, and hackled from
the orange seal's fur with a white Coch-y-
bonddhu hackle dyed orange.

Throat : Light-blue hackle.

Wings : From golden-pheasant tippets in pairs, the
shorter overlapping the longer and placed back to
back with two long jungle-cock spotted feathers
in the middle between the tippet-feathers.

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black wool.

THE DUSTY MILLER 337

This fly has a very varmint-looking, sporting
appearance ; the colouring is peculiarly good. It
is a reliable fly in all descriptions of weather.

16. — THE DUSTY MILLER.

I have a special fancy for this fly, for I have so
often had occasion to be grateful to its alluring
qualities. It is a good fly throughout the season,
but especially for autumn fishing. It is a quiet,
somewhat sombre-looking fly. Although it is
metal-bodied, the fact of the tinsel being embossed
reduces the glitter, and it is therefore just the fly
to use on those days in which the weather may
be described as intermediate, i.e., neither bright
nor cloudy. Francis gives the following excellent
recipe for its dressing :

Tag : Silver tinsel and dark-olive floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Embossed silver tinsel, ribbed with gold

thread, and hackled with a dark-olive-coloured

hackle.

Throat : Small speckled guinea-fowl.
Wing : Golden-pheasant tail, mallard, teal, green

parrot, strips of swan feathers dyed a lavender

colour.

Cheeks : Jungle-cock.
Head : Black ostrich, wool, or varnished.

22

338 ROD AND RIVER

17. — THE BROWN EAGLE.

Both this fly and the yellow eagle (No. 18) are
more especially Scotch patterns.
The brown eagle is thus dressed :

Tag : Silver twist and light-blue floss-silk.

Tail : Green parrot, summer dock, and fibres of

tippet.

Butt : Black ostrich.
Body : Two turns of light-brown floss-silk, the

rest of orange fur, ribbed with oval gold tinsel.
Hackle : Dark-gray down of the golden eagle,

from the light-brown floss-silk upwards.
Shoulder : A small quantity of teal.
Wings : Strips of dark-brown turkey feather, with

the white tip extending flatwise and outward

from the top of the iron at an angle of 1 5°.
Horns : Red rnacaw.
Head : Black wool.

I think, but am not sure, that the dressings
which I here give of these two flies are Major
Traherne's.

1 8. — THE YELLOW EAGLE.
Tag : Silver thread.
Tail : Sprigs of golden-pheasant tippet-feather, or

the red rump feather from the same bird.
Body : Scarlet seal's fur, or yellow and scarlet

seal's fur in two equal joints, ribbed with flat

silver tinsel and silver cord in wide spirals.

THE YELLOW EAGLE 339

Hackle : From a third of the way down the body,
the down of the golden eagle dyed a decided
yellow ; the fibres can hardly be too long and
fluffy, and generally dressed full.

Shoulder : Teal.

Wings : Silver-speckled strips of turkey, with a
black bar and a white tip, extending flatwise
and outward at the same angle as described in
No. 1 6.

Head : Varnished.

No. 1 6 can be obtained from Mr. W. Garden,
fishing-tackle maker, Union Street, Aberdeen ;
No. 17 from Mr. J. A. Dunbar, fishing-tackle
maker, the Esplanade, Oban.

19. — FRENCH'S FANCY.

I have myself christened this fly after the
name of the friend who invented it, Colonel
French, A.D.C. It has proved so killing a pattern
that I venture to give the reader the benefit of it.

Tag : Lemon floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich (this may be omitted).

Body : Magenta-coloured floss-silk for clear water,
and mohair of the same colour for heavy water,
ribbed from head to tail with a magenta-coloured
hackle, and flat silver tinsel with fine silver
twist beside it.

Wings : Yellow swan, with a topping.

340 ROD AND RIVER

(The wings may be varied with strips of blue,
but the yellow colouring of the wings must pre-
dominate.)

The above is a very gaudy, brilliant fly, either
in or out of the water. Whatever its appearance
may be, its virtues are many.

20. — THE GREENWELL.

Another fly christened after a Durham man,
viz., Canon Greenwell of that city, who invented
it many years ago. He also invented a well-
known North-country trout-fly called ' Greenwell's
Glory.' The Greenwell bears a high repute on the
Tweed during the autumn, but it is also a good fly
on all rivers during the earlier part of the season.

Tag : Silver twist and yellow silk.

Tail : A topping and small-spotted jungle-cock.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Light-blue silk, ribbed with flat silver
tinsel, and fine silver twist beside it.

Hackle : Light-blue from the last rib but one.

Wings : Two strips of black turkey, white tipped ;
golden-pheasant tail, dark and light bustard,
guinea-fowl, white turkey dyed green and
scarlet, gray mallard, brown mallard, and a
topping over all.

Sides : Jungle-fowl (two spots).

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black wool.

THE SPRING GRUB 341

21. — THE GLOW-WORM GRUB.
All the grubs, and there are several varieties,
strange uncanny-looking things, are useful at
times. They may be described as wingless
salmon-flies, jointed in the middle with a hackle
feather, and also hackled at the butt. I purpose
giving two dressings, viz., the glow-worm and the
spring. The following dressing of the former I
took from one of Farlow's patterns, though I
believe it is not the true glow-worm. Neverthe-
less, it proved itself to be as good as any.

Tag : Silver twist and claret floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Red parrot's hackle, and small speckled
guinea-fowl over it.

Body : In two portions, of deep copper-coloured
twisted tinsel, hackled in the centre with a blue-
dun hackle.

Throat : Dark-claret hackle, with a small speckled
guinea-fowl hackle over it to the head.

22. — THE SPRING GRUB.
Tag : Silver twist and light-blue silk.
Tail : Scarlet ibis and blue macaw in married

strips.

Butt : A furnace hackle dyed orange.
Body : Divided, as in No. 20. The lower half

of yellow silk, ribbed with black chenille, and

342 ROD AND RIVER

a blue-dun hackle in the centre of the body ; the
upper part black silk, ribbed with silver tinsel.
Shoulder : A Coch-y-bonddhu hackle, with a small
speckled guinea-fowl hackle over it dyed
orange.

The above is Mr. Kelson's pattern.

23. — THE INFALLIBLE.

Tag : Silver twist and light-blue floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Three or four turns of claret silk, and
very dark-yellow silk above it, ribbed with flat
silver tinsel, with a claret hackle running along-
side of the tinsel.

Throat : A jay's blue feather.

Wings : Golden-pheasant tippet back to back ;
above these golden-pheasant tail, peacock wing,
bustard, mallard, red and blue macaw, and a
topping.

Sides : A strip of summer duck, reaching as far
as the centre of the orange part of the tippet-
feather between the bars.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

The above is a very handsome fly ; it is not
unlike the Childers. As its name implies, it is
held in high estimation. It is a favourite fly on
the Exe. The pattern is one of Mr. Farlow's.

THE JOCK SCOTT 343

24. — THE JOCK SCOTT.

This fly and the Silver Doctor may be said to
be, of all known patterns of salmon-flies, the very
best. It may truly be said that no fisherman
should be without them. The Jock Scott is thus
dressed :

Tag : Silver twist and light-yellow silk.

Tail : A topping and an Indian crow's feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : In two equal portions, the lower one being
of light yellow floss-silk, ribbed with fine silver
twist, and butted with black ostrich ; above and
below this part of the body are placed two or
three toucan feathers, which should reach just
beyond the butt of the tail. The upper part of
the body is of black floss-silk, ribbed with flat
silver tinsel, and fine silver twist beside it, and
hackled with a natural black hackle throughout
the length of the black floss-silk portion.

Throat : Small speckled guinea-fowl.

Wings : Two strips of white-tipped black turkey ;
above these, strips of bustard, gray mallard,
strands of golden-pheasant tail, and peacock
sword-feather ; over these are strands of red
macaw and blue and yellow swan ; two strips of
mallard and a topping above all.

Sides : Jungle-fowl (two spots).

Cheeks : Chatterer.

344 ROD AND RIVER

Horns : Blue macaw.
Head : Black ostrich.

The Jock Scott is usually dressed as above.
Some patterns vary slightly, but this, given by
Mr. Kelson, is the best.

25. — THE BLUE JOCK SCOTT.

This is a variety of the foregoing fly, and it
makes an excellent change to the latter. I
believe this fly is the invention of Mr. Basil Field.
The difference between it and the ordinary Jock
Scott consists in the upper portion of the body
(the apron, as it is termed) being blue instead of
black. Mr. Field makes use of scarlet ibis and
chatterer, together with the topping in the tail
instead of the Indian crow. The blue portion is
not hackled throughout, but at the throat alone,
where a blue hackle is covered with a hackle from
the widgeon. I think, unless I am very much
mistaken, that the cheeks are blue kingfisher's
feathers in place of the chatterer ; but such differ-
ence is immaterial, the one feather answering the
purpose as well as the other.

The blue Jock Scott has done some wonderfully
good work on the Test, where it is a special .
favourite.

26. — THE KENDLE.

This fly is also the invention of Mr. Basil
Field, who named it after my friend Mr. Kendle.

THE KENDLE 345

I believe it to be an excellent fly, though I have
never tried it. I find a pattern of it stuck into
the leaves of my notebook, from which I give the
dressing :

Tag : Silver twist.

Tail : Two small toppings and a chatterer at the
base.

Body : White floss-silk, covered over with a thin
strip of gold-beater's skin, the joints of the coils
being hidden by means of a ribbing of gold twist.

Throat : Yellow hackle or yellow macaw, with a
blue hackle, or guinea-fowl dyed blue, over it.

Wings : Swan, dyed blue and yellow, with bus-
tard, golden-pheasant tail and teal above.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

27. — THE LION.

An old standard pattern, and said to be as
good of its kind as it can be. Mr. Kelson gives
the following recipe :
Tag : Silver twist and light yellow silk.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : Black ostrich.
Body : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with oval ditto, a

fifth part at the shoulder being left for dark

scarlet seal's fur.
Hackle : A natural black down three parts of the

body.

346 ROD AND RIVER

Throat : Small speckled guinea-fowl.

Wings : A few fibres of golden-pheasant tippet-
feather, golden-pheasant sword-feather, and
peacock herl (sword-feather ?), yellow macaw,
red ditto, bustard, golden-pheasant tail, teal,
guinea-fowl (as at throat), two strips of mallard,
and a topping over all.

Sides : Jungle-cock, spotted.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black wool.

28. — THE MOHAIR CANARY.
A very good and popular fly on most rivers in
Britain.

Tag : Silver twist and yellow floss.

Tail : A topping, and a few sprigs of golden-
pheasant tippet-feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Three turns of yellow floss and gold-
coloured seal's fur, ribbed with oval silver twist.

Hackle: Gold-coloured, with black centre through-
out the seal's fur portion ; a tuft of gold-
coloured mohair at the shoulder.

Wings : Gold-coloured mohair and bronze pea-
cock herl, in the proportion of two-thirds of the
former to one of the latter, commencing with
the mohair and alternating with the peacock
herl, the mohair being over all at the top.

Head : Varnished.

THE MYSTERY 347

This description is also taken from one of Mr.
Kelson's patterns.

29. — THE MYSTERY (A).

A capital fly, especially in spring and autumn.
I am sorry to say that I have not a good pattern
or dressing by me to which to refer, but I think
that the following dressing is correct :

Tag : Silver twist and lemon-coloured floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Pale salmon-coloured floss-silk, ribbed with

flat silver tinsel and fine silver twist beside it.
Throat : A very dark claret hackle, continued for

a third of the way down the body.
Wings : Swan dyed light yellow, and with a strip

of red macaw on either side ; a topping over all.
Head : Black ostrich.

30. — THE MYSTERY (B).

This is one of the many varieties of the pre-
ceding pattern. I do not know its proper name,
and have never been able to ascertain it. It is,
however, so good a fly, that I give its dressing.
The only thing which can be said other than in
highest praise of it, is the fact of its being a some-
what expensive fly when dressed in any but the
smaller sizes, by reason of the number of toppings
required.

348 ROD AND RIVER

Tag : Small flat gold tinsel and two turns of black

floss-silk.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : None.
Body : Orange-coloured floss-silk, ribbed with flat

embossed gold tinsel, and hackled from the first

turn of the ribbing with an orange -coloured

hackle.

Throat : A jay's blue feather.
Wings : Three or four toppings.
Horns : Red macaw or scarlet ibis.
Head : Varnished.

3 1 . — THE POPHAM.

This fly is said to be an imitation of a
cooked prawn. It is somewhat strange that,
although the latter is so attractive a bait for
salmon, one which is uncooked is useless for the
purpose. Evidently fish are attracted rather by
colour than by scent. The Popham was invented
by Mr. Popham, the owner of the celebrated
Derby winner, Wild Dayrell. It is thus dressed :

Tag : Gold twist.

Tail : A topping and an Indian crow's feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : The body is divided into three equal parts,
the joints being butted with black ostrich herl
and an Indian crow's feather, the length of the
joint above and below each joint. The first

THE POPHAM 349

(the lowest) joint is of orange-red floss-silk,
ribbed with fine gold twist ; the second (the
middle joint), of yellow silk, also ribbed with
fine silver twist ; and the third (the top) joint
of light-blue floss-silk, and the same ribbing as
before. The Indian crow's feather also being
over this joint in the same manner as in the
other two.

Throat hackle : A jay's blue feather.

Wings : Tippet, teal, guinea-fowl, golden- pheasant
tail, red parrot, light-brown mottled turkey,
and bustard, with strips of red, and yellow
macaw, or yellow swan ; brown mallard and
a topping over all.

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

32. — THE SILVER GRAY.

The value and virtues of this fly can hardly be
exaggerated. It has been often argued that
silver-bodied flies are more suitable for bright
than for dull days. This may be so, but I have
killed more fish with such flies on dull days than
at other times. One day's sport which I shall
never forget when using a Silver Gray may
interest the reader, and will afford proof of what
I assert. A friend of mine and myself were one
day invited to fish on a stretch of excellent

350 ROD AND RIVER

salmon-water. Our host was unable to fish after
two o'clock, having to fulfil an engagement. I
failed to move a single fish until just before
luncheon, when I hooked an eighteen-pounder,
which, having come short at the fly, gave me the
slip. When we met at mid-day, our host had
caught one fish, and my other friend three, vary-
ing in weight from thirteen to twenty pounds.
While we were at luncheon it began to rain, and
it continued to do so heavily throughout the
remainder of the day. When he left us, our
host instructed me to go down-stream and my
other friend to fish up. I had previously been
fishing with, I think, a * Butcher ' or a Jock
Scott, and changed to a Silver Gray. At the
second or third cast I rose a fish which came
short ; a few minutes later another fish rose in a
similar manner. Shortly afterwards a third came
and took me, a twenty-one-pounder, and after a
most exciting battle I landed it. Some fifty yards
lower down a fourth fish, of much the same size,
rose, and I succeeded in landing it also. I rose
a fifth shortly afterwards, and on my return to the
upper water, where we had rested for luncheon,
I secured a sixth of about twenty-three pounds.
All these fish were taken on a Silver Gray. My
friend who had gone up-stream, a far better
fisherman than I am, succeeded in taking two
more fish, and, if my memory serves me truly, I

THE SILVER GRAY 351

think these were also taken on a similar fly. We
had thus caught eight fish between us, not in-
cluding the one caught by our host before
luncheon. I think that this is proof enough of
the virtues of the Silver Gray, and that a bright
fly is not always unsuitable for a dull day.
The Silver Gray is thus dressed :

Tag : Silver twist and yellow floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Flat silver tinsel ribbed with oval ditto,
and hackled from the second turn of the oval,
with a silver-gray hackle, with a black stripe
running down the centre.

Throat : Teal or widgeon (the latter for choice).

Wings : Strands of golden-pheasant tippet, strands
of golden-pheasant tail, white swan and ditto,
dyed blue and yellow, brown mallard, a narrow
strip of barred summer duck on either side,
and a topping over all.

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black wool.

33. — THE STEVENSON.

This is a somewhat strong -coloured fly, and
so suitable for high water. The wings are not
unlike those of the Durham ranger. It is a fly
which I only know by repute, and I have had no

352 ROD AND RIVER

personal experience of it. The dressing given is
Mr. Kelson's, but whether he has altered the
original pattern, which was invented by the well-
known fly-tyer, James Wright, I am unable to
say. Mr. Kelson states that by making a slight
change in the dressing it can be used as an
4 exaggeration ' for low, clear water.

Tag : Silver twist and light-blue silk.

Tail : A topping and strands of golden-pheasant
tippet-feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Two turns of orange floss-silk, and above
this orange seal's fur, hackled with an orange
hackle, and ribbed with flat silver tinsel, and
fine silver twist placed beside it.

Throat : A light-blue hackle.

Wings : Two long jungle-cock spotted feathers
placed back to back, reaching to the tail, and
enveloped by four double golden - pheasant
tippet-feathers, arranged so as to overlie each
other and show the three black bars at their
ends at equal distances apart.

Sides : Jungle-cock spotted feathers (two spots).

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black wool.

34. — THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.

This is an excellent all-round fly, and is espe-
cially useful for autumn and low water. Its

THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING 353

name would imply a somewhat gaudy dressing.
Such, however, is not the case, for it is a re-
markably quiet pattern. It should most certainly
find a place in the book of every salmon fisherman.
I am myself well aware of its value, and should
be sorry to be without it. It should not be
dressed too large.

Tag : Gold twist and orange floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Black floss-silk, ribbed with oval gold

tinsel, and hackled from the first turn of the

latter with an orange hackle.
Throat : A jay's blue feather.
Wings : Two large pieces of brown mallard and

a topping.

Side : Jungle-cock spotted feathers (two spots).
Horns : Blue macaw.
Head : Black ostrich.

35. — THE WILKINSON.

This fly does not seem to be as generally used
as it might be, for it is an invaluable pattern. I
have proved its good qualities on several occa-
sions, and can most strongly recommend its
adoption. It is an excellent fly for bright weather.

Tag : Gold twist.
Tail : A topping.
Butt : Scarlet wool.

23

354 ROD AND RIVER

Body : Flat silver tinsel, ribbed with gold twist,

and hackled throughout with a pale - blue

hackle.

Throat : A jay's blue feather.
Wings : Fibres of golden-pheasant tail, bustard,

widgeon, golden-pheasant tippet -feathers, red

swan, and a topping over all.
Horns : Blue and yellow macaw.
Head : Scarlet wool.

I have referred to Mr. Kelson's patterns of
what he terms ' exaggerations.' The three fol-
lowing flies are his inventions :

36. — THE GITANA.

Tag : Silver twist and blue floss-silk.

Tail : A topping and a chatterer feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body: In two divisions, the lower portion rather
shorter than the upper. The lower part of
flat silver tinsel, ribbed with oval ditto, and
over it (as in the Popham) two Indian crow's
feathers, back to back, at top and bottom, butted
with black ostrich herl. The upper part is of
black floss-silk, ribbed with oval gold tinsel and
flat silver ditto, and hackled from the first turn
of the tinsel with a natural black hackle.

Throat : Green macaw, the feather taken from
under the wing or the tail of the bird.

Wings : Two blue macaw feathers, taken from

THE PHCEBUS 355

the top of the wing, longish jungle-cock spotted
feather on either side of the macaw feathers,
and reaching beyond the tag. Three tippet-
feathers overlapping on either side, the first
reaching to the tail butt, and two toppings
above.

Horns : Red macaw (double).

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Head : Black ostrich.

37. — THE PHCEBUS.

Tag : Silver twist and blue silk.

Tail : Two toppings and a chatterer feather.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : Of flat gold tinsel in four equal sections,
each butted with black ostrich herl and with
Indian crow's feather, as in the Popham, and
graduating in length from tail to head. Under
each of these feathers there are two or three
yellow toucan feathers.

Wings : Two large green macaw feathers, back to
back, and two toppings over all.

Sides : Two longish summer duck (barred)
feathers.

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

356 ROD AND RIVER

38. — THE NEPENTHIAN.

Tag : Silver twist and light-plum claret floss-silk.

Tail : A topping.

Butt : Black ostrich.

Body : In four equal sections of silk, ribbed
throughout, with small oval silver tinsel.
Commencing from the tail end, the colours are :
yellow, dark blue, orange, and dark orange.
They are all butted with black ostrich, and
with feathers above and below, as in the pre-
ceding fly. The first of these are toucan, the
second blue chatterer, the third and fourth
Indian crow, graduated.

Wings : Double tippet-feathers, back to back,
enveloping two long, spotted jungle - cock
feathers, which reach to the end of the tail, and
with a topping over all.

Sides : Two summer duck feathers, as in the pre-
ceding pattern.

Cheeks : Chatterer.

Horns : Blue macaw.

Head : Black ostrich.

[357]

CHAPTER XVIII.

Hints on the Manufacture of Salmon Flies —Sea-trout Fishing
— Useful Sea-trout Flies — Conclusion.

IT is absolutely impossible to attempt to give any
instruction to the reader regarding the manu-
facture of salmon-flies without the aid of numerous
illustrations ; and even then I very much doubt if
he would acquire the art without the expenditure
of many weeks and months of toil, and numerous
disappointments. To anyone who may be de-
sirous of learning to tie his own salmon-flies —
and I most strongly recommend every salmon
fisherman to learn — I would give the following
advice, viz., to go to some really good professional
and take a few lessons. He will learn more in
some three or four hours than in the same number
of years without such assistance.

I consider that it is infinitely more difficult to
learn to tie a salmon-fly really well, than to tie
a trout-fly. The latter are small, fidgety, and
require very good sight ; but the difficulty in
making a salmon-fly consists in building the

358 ROD AND RIVER

wings. Every feather in the latter must be true
and correspond with its fellow ; one twisted fibre
will cause a ' blur ' in the water, and spoil the effect
of the whole fly, and cause it to swim untruly.

The materials used in the manufacture of
salmon-flies are expensive and numerous, but
none but the very best should ever be used. It
is impossible to construct a salmon-fly properly
with bad materials. The strips of feathers for
right and left wings must correspond in length,
colouring, and curve. Hackles must be dyed the
exact colour, and the same remark holds good as
regards seal's fur, pig's wool, mohair, etc. The
birds from which many of the feathers are taken
are often rare, and consequently costly ; but not-
withstanding all these, the fisherman will find it
true economy to learn to make his own flies, and
also a very pleasurable and fascinating employ-
ment, to say nothing of his being able to be
independent of tackle-makers. He can, more-
over, exercise his skill in designing fresh patterns
for himself. But even should he prefer purchas-
ing his flies to making them, the knowing how
to make them will very materially assist him in
his purchases. Every tackle-maker professes to
make or sell salmon-flies, but far too often the
latter are absurd monstrosities, and altogether
unlike the patterns they are intended to represent.
The materials are cheap, ill-dyed substitutes ; the

MAKING METAL-BODIED FLIES 359

hackles, those at the throat especially, are far too
short and scanty ; the tinsel lacks brilliancy, and
the whole thing speedily falls to pieces. Con-
sidering the number of tackle-makers in Great
Britain and Ireland, there are but very few, com-
paratively speaking, who are able to turn out a
salmon-fly well dressed and well tied.

In making metal-bodied flies, an amateur in-
variably experiences some difficulty in getting the
coils of flat tinsel to lie evenly and to present the
appearance of a smooth, even surface of silver ;
the edges of the coils will rise and leave spaces.
This can be avoided by making a false body of
wool, and carefully graduating it from head to
tail, before the tinsel is laid on. The end of the
latter which is nearer the tail should be cut off at
a sharp angle and fastened securely before the
butt is laid on. The latter should always be
opposite the barb of the hook ; if it is higher than
this, the fly will present an ugly, stiff appearance,
and the graceful curve of the bend of the hook
will not be shown.

The fibres of the tail and the upper wing should
bow over so as nearly to meet.

The throat hackle should not be less than half
the length of the hook. In some patterns it may
advantageously reach to the barb of the hook.

Many of the patterns which I have given have
strips of dyed swan, macaw, etc., placed so as to

360 ROD AND RIVER

overlie the sides of the wings. These are
termed ' married strips/ by reason of their being
arranged so as to adhere to each other. If the
edges of these fibres are examined with a
magnifying-glass, it will be seen that they are like
the teeth of a saw, and so readily cling together
when properly held. Thus a strip of swan and a
strip of macaw, etc., can be married. I made the
remark ' properly held ' because, unless the edges
of the fibres are placed together in the right way,
they will refuse to adhere to each other. If held
by the butts, some difficulty will be experienced ;
but if by the points, it becomes an easy matter, and
they will retain their position quite as firmly as if
they had grown naturally alongside of each other.
It is impossible, without steaming them, to induce
fibres from feathers of different curves to unite
properly throughout their entire length ; therefore
all feathers for wings should be as flat as possible.
Where they are not naturally so, steaming and
pressure must be resorted to.

It must be remembered that the lie of the
fibres of feathers depends entirely on the way in
which their butts are tied on ; if the butt is twisted
the whole fibre will also become so. The fibres
of the feathers which form the wings of salmon-
flies must be perfectly flat and true one above the
other, and to effect this requires no little practice
and dexterity.

TYING SALMON-FLIES 361

A vice is most useful for tying salmon-flies,
when laying on the wings ; when making the
bodies it can be dispensed with. If used for this
purpose it should, however, be very firm and
strong, and as fine in the jaws as is compatible
with these two essentials.

Whenever floss-silk is used for bodies or tags,
it must be laid on so as to present a flat, smooth,
shining surface, and any silver twist used for tags
must be bound in close, firm coils, the spaces
which may be observed between the latter being
filled up by pushing the coils close together. The
brilliancy of the metal is thus materially increased.

In preparing hackles for tying on, the two
sides of the feather should be drawn together by
the fingers. The stem of the feather will thus
be left uppermost. It is a somewhat difficult
operation. The best plan is to put the butt-end
of the hackle in a vice, and holding the point of
the feather between the finger and thumb of the
left hand, to draw the fibres of both sides down-
wards and towards the point with the sides of the
thumb and forefinger of the right hand. The
fibres must never be wetted. The appearance of
a hackle thus treated is vastly superior to one
which has been stripped on one side or wound
on without any preparation. In the former case
it is too meagre and thin ; in the latter, rough
and untidy.

362 ROD AND RIVER

It is sometimes a difficult matter to make a
golden-pheasant topping lie in the required direc-
tion. It will twist over to one side or the other.
If the butt is twisted and pinched with the thumb-
nail, this perverseness can easily be rectified.

The head of a salmon-fly should not be made
too long or too thick. It is a good plan when
finishing it off to touch the silk with a little
varnish now and again. This will serve to
materially strengthen the work.

I would urge the reader, if he should attempt
to make his own flies, never to be content with
any work which is not as perfect as it should be,
but unhesitatingly to pull to pieces what may
have been perhaps the labour of hours. An ill-
tied fly is useless, and will soon fall to pieces ; but
experience will have been gained, and the time
spent in acquiring it is never wasted. The next
effort will be more successful.

If when a fly is finished the wings are easily
moved from their position to either side, it may
be assumed that it is useless, and the sooner it is
demolished the better. It is a good plan to test
bought flies in this manner, for if the wings
wobble the whole fabric must soon collapse when
put to hard work.

Floss-silk is very apt to get rough and woolly.
Its gloss may very readily be restored if it is
smoothed down with the point of a pin. It is

SEA-TROUT FISHING 363

very easily soiled, and the fingers require to be
kept scrupulously clean and free from wax, etc.
If it becomes at all stained it is useless, and the
appearance of a fly dressed with it is marred.

The foregoing remarks may prove useful to
the reader. I have gone through the troubles
incidental to the efforts of an amateur fly-tyer,
and so am well aware of the value of little hints
such as these.

The present work would be incomplete without
some reference to sea-trout fishing, and I have
purposely abstained from entering upon the subject
until now.

Sea-trout, as I have stated, are like salmon and
bull-trout, and, as their name implies, migratory
fish. Although now and again to be met with
during the summer floods, it is not until August
that they enter the rivers in any numbers. They
are fine, bold fish, and will face the roughest
water and the most difficult passes. When hooked
they fight desperately, though not for long. After
one brilliant rush, and maybe a dash into the air,
they can very readily be brought to the net.
They afford excellent sport, and are first-rate
eating. They are, however, most capricious, and
it is very difficult to know when they are likely to
rise. After or even during a flood, if the latter
is not excessive, is generally the best time to
secure them. Late in the evening, when it is

364 ROD AND RIVER

quite dark, they may often be taken with some
simple little fly, such as the brown silverhorns or
the July or iron-blue dun. As a rule, when they
are taking well, they may be caught with any of
the salmon-flies dressed very small, or, indeed,
with an ordinary trout-fly. Many of the loch
trout-fly patterns are also useful for the purpose.
The following dressings will be found useful :

i. — RED-BROWN.

Tail : A tuft of orange floss-silk.

Body : Dark red-brown pig's wool, ribbed with

fine silver twist.
Hackle : Coch-y-bonddhu.
Wings : Light teal.

In two or three sizes.

2. — ORANGE AND BLACK.

The same as No. i, but with an orange body
and a black hackle.

Medium size.

3. — RED AND BLACK.

Tail: As in No. i.

Body : Lower half dark-red ; upper half black

pig's wool.
Hackle : Coch-y-bonddhu, with a broad black

stripe down the centre.

Wing : Teal.

Medium size.

USEFUL SEA-TROUT FLIES 365

4. — BLACK AND TEAL.
Tail : As before.

Body : Black ostrich and silver thread.
Hackle : Coch-y-bonddhu.
Wing : Bright, well-marked teal.
Two sizes.

5. — ORANGE.
Tail : Golden floss.
Body : Orange-red pig's wool, ribbed with gold

thread.

Hackle : Red, with a short black butt.
Wing : Brown mottled feather from the tail of a

woodcock.

Medium size.

6. — YELLOW AND RED.
Tail : Bright-red wool.
Body : Lemon - yellow pig's wool, ribbed with

silver twist.
Hackle : Sandy-red.
Wing : Light-speckled turkey.

The wing may be varied with dark mallard

instead of the teal.

Medium size.

7. — BLACK AND BLUE.
Tag : Gold thread and orange floss.
Tail : Small orange toucan.
Body : Dark-blue floss-silk.
Hackle: Black floss-silk, ribbed with fine silver twist.

366 ROD AND RIVER

Wing: Golden-pheasant tail (the streaked feather),
tippet, and teal over all.

Head: Black.

Longish hook.

8. — ORANGE AND BRONZE.
Tag : Gold twist.
Tail : Tippet sprigs.

Body : Peacock herl, ribbed with fine gold wire.
Hackle : Coch-y-bonddhu at shoulder.
Wing : Two small tippet-feathers.
Cheeks : Kingfisher.
Ribs : Blue macaw.

Longish hook. A good sewin fly.

9.— CLARET.

Tail : Red or yellow floss-silk.
Body : Claret wool, ribbed with gold twist.
Hackle : Grouse, at shoulder.
Wing : Light or dark turkey.

Medium size.

TO. — CLARET.
Tag : Gold tinsel.
Tail : Cock of the rock (yellow).
Body : Light-claret pig's wool.
Hackle : Light-claret.

Wings : Under wing of golden-pheasant tippet-
feather, over wing- brown mallard.
Head : Black ostrich or wool.

Medium size.

USEFUL SEA-TROUT FLIES 367

1 1. — APPLE-GREEN.

Tag : Silver twist.

Tail : Gray mallard.

Body : Apple-green floss-silk, hackled with a red

hackle, and ribbed with silver twist.
Wing : Mottled woodcock.

Medium size.

12. — CLARET AND ORANGE.

Tag : Silver twist and orange floss-silk.

Tail : Golden-pheasant tippet-sprigs, and green

parrot ditto.
Butt : Black ostrich.
Body : Two-thirds of light-claret pig's wool, and

one-third dirty-yellow ditto at shoulder.
Hackle : Black, at throat only.
Wing : Dark feather from jay's wing, with tippet

strands over it.
Head : Black ostrich.

Medium size.

13. — BLACK AND GRAY.

Tag : Golden-yellow floss-silk.

Tail : Sprigs of red and green parrot and tippet.

Body : Black pig's wool, ribbed with silver twist,

and hackled with a black hackle throughout.
Throat : A couple of turns of a jay's blue

feather.

368 ROD AND RIVER

Wing : Brown and gray mallard, mixed with
fibres of golden-pheasant tail, and four or five
sprigs of blue macaw.

Longish hook. A good Irish pattern.

14. — BLACK AND RUBY.

Tail : A small topping.

Body : One turn of ruby-coloured floss-silk, the
rest of black ditto, ribbed with silver twist, and
a black hackle a third of the way down.

Wing : Darkish feather from the wing of the

jay-
Small size.

And now, before I bring this work to a close,
I trust that the reader, if he has accompanied me
thus far, may have found at least some few prac-
tical hints which may prove of service to him. If
so, I shall be amply rewarded.

INDEX

A.

Alternative, An, 227
Amateur at work, An, 288
Angling competitions, The nuis-
ance of, 239

B.

Bags, fishing, Plan for, 79
„ „ v. Baskets, 79
„ Freke fishing, 80

Banks not to be shaken, 217

Beds, Chalk and gravel, 6
„ spawning, Care of, 9

Beginners, Advice to, on fly-
tying, 193

Bends, Kirby and Limerick, 86

Blow-line, The, 128

Blue Mahoe, 44

Brogues, 82

Butt, Mr. (taxidermist), 33

C.

Cast taper, How to make, 72

„ Where to, 213
Casting dead against wind, 208
„ horizontally, 204
„ in windy weather, 206
„ Overhead and steeple,

203
„ Utility of changing mode

of, 209

,, with a cross wind, 209
„ with a dry-fly, 221, 223
„ with a salmon-rod, 309
Castle keys, The (Lochleven),
236 [299

Casts, gut, Damping box for, 74,

„ Horsehair, 73
Change of tactics, A, 227

Colour, Sensitiveness of fish to, 6
Coming and refusing, 314

„ „ taking, 316
Convert, A, 221
Coppersmith and tinsmith, The,

223
Currell, Mr. G., 56, 192

D.

Day of woe, A, 222
Dead men's shoes, 225
Derbyshire bumbles, 253
Detached bodies, 142
Difficulties, Patience under, 60

„ Self help in, 62

Disappointed anticipations, 15
Double-hooked, 232
Down stream, How to cast, 217
Drifting, 237
Dry-fly, why it fails on some

rivers, 219
„ „ The use of the, 221,223

E.
East wind, An, and its only virtue,

241

Ephemera and Trichoptera, 101
„ casting their skins,

H3
„ Duration of life of,

in

„ The, 102
' Every fish has its angle,3 218
Exceptional day, An, 248
Eyeglass for fly-tying, 199

F.

Ferruling, 56

Fish difficult to discern, 7

24

37°

INDEX

Fish passes, 258

,. jumping when hooked, 231
„ Shelter necessary for, 10
„ shelters, Positions for, 10
„ spawning, Perils of, 29
,, tailing, 221
„ visible from a height, 7
„ Where to find, 216
Fishing directly down - stream,

217

„ gear, 40
„ in strange rivers, 284
„ the water, 101, 287
„ Wet-fly, hackles v. wings

for, 219
Flies, 'British Angling,' by Theak-

stone, 165
„ Changing, 315
„ Fancy, 185
„ ' Floating, and how to dress

them,' by Haiford, 191
„ Four useful, 142
„ gut, Damping-box for, 75
„ lake trout, List of, 242
„ Local names of, 164
„ Mr. Richardson's, 99
„ Old standard (salmon), 315
Flies, salmon, List of useful :
Anonyma, 325
Baron, 326
Benchill, 327
Britannia, 327
Bruce (A), 328
„ (B),328
Butcher, 329
Champion, 330
Childers (A), 331
» (B), 332
Dirty Orange, 333
Doctor (Black), 333
„ (Blue)/334
„ (Silver), 334
Durham Ranger, 336
Dusty-Miller, 337
Eagle (Brown), 338
„ (Yellow), 338
French's Fancy, 339
Gitana, 354
Green well, 340
Grub (Glow-worm), 341
„ (Spring), 341

Flies, salmon (continued} :
Infallible, 342
Jock-Scott, 343

„ „ (Blue), 344
Kendle, 344
Lion, 345

Mohair Canary, 346
Mystery (A), 347
(B), 347

Nepenthian, 356
Phoebus, 355
Popham, 348
Silver Gray, 349
Stevenson, 351
Thunder and Lightning,

352

Wilkinson, 353

Flies, salmon, Selection of, ac-
cording to weather,

315
„ „ silver-bodied, The

use of, 314
„ „ Small, for low water,

3M

„ Sunk, 237
Flies, trout, List of, 117
Alder, 166
August Dun, 154
Black Gnat, 180
Various Blue Duns :
Blue Dun, 136
Gold-ribbed Hare's Ear,

141
Little Pale -blue Dun,

155

Quill Gnat (Blue), 141
Bumbles :

Claret Bumble, 189

Orange Bumble, 188
Coachman, 187
Coch-y-Bonddhu, 184
Cowdung, 183
Gold -eyed Gauze -wing,

1 80

Governor, 187
Grannom, 171
Hawthorn Fly, 177
Iron-blue Dun, 149
Jenny Spinner, 152
July Dun, 154
March Brown, 132

INDEX

Flies, Trout (continued} :
Various Mayflies :

Gray Drake, 122, 131
Hammond's Champion,

126, 130
Mayfly, 121
Spent Gnat, 126, 130
Needle Brown, 174
Various Olive Duns :
Olive Dun, 141
„ (Dark), 142
„ (Medium), 142
„ (Light), 142
„ Badger (The Olive

Spinner), 145
„ Detached, 145
„ Quill, Hackled,

Peacock Fly, 178
Red Ant, 182
Various Red Spinners :
Brown Badger, 162
„ Spinner, 163
Claret Spinner, 163
Detached Badger, 163
Hackle Red Spinner,

162

Light Mackerel, 161
Red Quill, 164
„ Spinner, 161, 162
„ Spinner,Great, 159,

161

Red Tag, 186
Various Sedge-flies :
Big Cinnamon, 169
Dark Sedge, 170
Orange Sedge, 170
Sand Fly, 169
Silver Sedge (Large),

169
Silver Sedge (Small),

169

Silver Horns, 175
Stone Fly, 119 " [186
Wickham's Fancy, 125,
Various Yellow Duns :

Aldam's Indian Yellow,

148

Flight's Fancy, 148
Hare's Ear Yellow Dun,
148

Flies, Trout (continued] :

Little Marryar, 148
Whitchurch Dun, 147
Yellow Dun, 145
Fly, dry, How to use, 220
„ salmon, Placing a, 309
„ The right and the wrong, 95
Fly-tyer, The experiences of an

amateur, 191
Fly-tying by lamplight, 199

„ Pleasure derivable
from, 192
Foul-hooked, 232

G.

Gaff, The Berthon folding, 302
Gaffing a salmon, 318
Gaffs, 301
Gilling and killing, 318

„ Difference in weight of
salmon after, 318
Give and take, 230
Good hands, The value of, 230
Good style, 312
Grayling, 230, 245

„ Casting for, 246

„ Edible qualities of, 250

„ fishing, Best months

for, 247

„ fishing, Weather and
time of day suitable
for, 251

„ flies, Selection of, 253
„ „ Yorkshire, 252

„ mouth, Delicacy and

shape of, 249
„ Origin of, 250
„ Peculiarity of, when

rising at a fly, 246
„ Relative size of, 246
„ Rising qualities of, 248
„ Shape of, 249
„ spawn-eaters, as, 251
„ Spawning of, 247
i, sporting fish, a, 247
„ stream, Advantage of

a, 248
„ Streams suitable for,

246

„ Tactiics of, when
hooked, 247

372

INDEX

Grayling, Virtues of, 249
Greenheart, 42
Green Inn, The (Lochleven), 24
Gut, knot, How to, 73

„ Manufacture of, 71

„ Salmon, 298

„ „ casting lines, 298

„ Selection of, 73

„ Soaking of, 74, 299

„ Staining, 299

„ tips, 299

„ Trout, 70

„ Varieties of, 71

H.

Hands, Value of good, 230
Hickory, 44
'Homes without Hands '(Quota

tions), 102

Hook, How to extract, 62
Hooks, Bad batch of, 88
„ Double, 321
„ Pennell (Salmon), 322
» „ (Trout), 89

„ Salmon, gut loops anc

metal eyes, 320
„ Trout, 84
„ „ Bend of, 86

„ „ Good, require-

ments of, 84

„ „ lightness essential,

„ „ Shape of, 85 [88

„ „ Size of, 92

)> „ strength neces-

sary, 87
„ „ eyed, advantages

of, 90

„ Trout, eyed, disadvan-
tages of, 90

„ Trout, eyed, Hall's pat-
tern v. Pennell's, 91
„ Trout, eyed, How to tie

on, 91
„ Trout, eyed, Prejudices

against, 92

„ Trout, eyed, recom-
mended by Wade, 90
„ Trout, eyed, shape of

eye, 91

„ Trout, eyed, v. hooks
tied on gut, 89

Horsehair casts, 73
Humility, The virtue of, 219

I.

Improving a river, 279
Inland Fisheries Act, 12

Kirby and Spence (quotations),

112, 113
Knots in gut, Cutting out, 75

L.

Landing a fish, 231
Larval period, Duration of, HI
Law of retaliation, 252
Line, broken, How to splice, 61
„ Length of, to be used, 312
„ salmon, Casting with, 310
» » Picking of the

water, 310
„ Slack, 203

„ „ Use of, 203, 210,311
„ winder, Farlow's patent, 69
Lines, drying after use, 69
„ Eaton and Deller's patent

trout, 67

„ Long v. short, 226
„ new, To uncoil, 69
„ Salmon, 297
„ Silk and hair, 68
„ Tapered, 68
„ Trout, 66
-ocal nomenclature, 274
Loch, How to fish a, 237
„ fishing, 234
j» ,, Dangers of, 249

» „ Flies suitable for,

242

Lochleven, Months best for fish-
ing on, 241

„ Reminiscences of,235
„ trout, Fighting quali-
ties of, 239

Loch trout, Feeding grounds of,
240

M.

Mackintosh coat and square, 83
Materials, Good, necessary for
fly-tying, 197

INDEX

373

Mayfly, The, 121

„ Drying the, 127
„ Gray Drake, 122, 131
„ Mr. Green's pattern, 126
„ Spent Gnat, 125, 131
„ Transportation of, 1 1 1

Mayflies, Patterns of, 130, 131
„ varieties of patterns,
126

Messengers (salmon fishing), 304

' Much ado about nothing,' 214

N.
Nets, Landing, 76

„ „ Long Staff for, 77

„ „ Materials for, 78

„ „ Shape of, 76, 78

„ „ Short-handled,77

O.

Obstructions (salmon rivers), 258
Olive Dun, The, as a grayling

fly, 249
Order and disorder, 197

P.

Parr, The, 274

Patience under difficulties, 60
Plausible pollution, 26
Playing a fish, 228, 316
Pliers-cutting, Use of, 62
Pollution of Hampshire Wey, 10
., Rivers, 25

Act, 1876, 25

„ „ „ Inactivity

regarding, 26

Pollution of Rivers, Salmon, 257
Pool, Fishing a, 312
Potted fish (salmon fishing), 290

Q.
Quiet way of doing things, 216

R.

Ramsbottom, Mr. (Manchester),

Red-deer suet, Use of, 70

Caution

regarding, 70
Reel, A, gone wrong, 61
„ To take to pieces, 66

Rivers, Alteration of, by floods,

284

Rocky rivers and small trout, 18
Rods, Trout, 41

„ Binding when bro-

ken, 59

„ Cane, 44

,, Castle-Connell, 54

„ Fittings of, 56

„ Ferruling, 56

„ Foster's, Mr., steel-

centred, 51
„ Length of, 53

,, Material and work-

manship, 43
rings, 57
„ Selection of, 49

Shape of, 48
„ spears, 58

„ Spliced v. ferruled,

54

„ St. Lucas, 52

,, Wear and tear of, 47

S.
Salmon, Carrying, 319

„ casts, gut, Damping-
box for, 299
„ fly, Action of, 306
„ „ box, 303

„ „ How to fasten, 300
„ „ Parts of, 322

„ ,, Placing a, 309

„ flies, Hints on making,

„ flies, List of useful, 324
„ life, 259

„ Necessity of fishing
down streams for, 308
„ Playing a, 316
„ rivers, Care of, 276
„ „ Pollution of, 257

„ „ Weed-cuttin-g on,

280 [311

„ rod, How to hold, 308,
„ „ Working a, 309

„ rods, 293
„ „ Rings for, 296

„ „ Spliced, 296

„ Speed of when ascend-
ing rivers, 271

374

INDEX

Salmon, Speed extraordinary in

the sea, 272
„ Striking a, 316
„ Sulking, 304, 318
„ tackle, Testing of, 300
Salmo ferox, 37

Salmonidas migratory, Classifica-
tion of, 275
Salmonidas migratory, Varieties

and differences, 275
Science and sport, 97
' School-board education,' 231
Scissors, 198
Sea-trout fishing, 363

„ „ Flies for, 364

Self-help in difficulties, 62
' Sell, A,' 230
Sewin, The, 274
Sight, Keeping out of, 214
Silk-tying, Good and bad, 195
„ How to wax, 59

„ Waxing, 59, 196

Slice of luck, A, 225
Spawn-eaters, Early condition

of, 31
Spawning-beds, 9

„ „ Necessity for

cleanliness of, 26
Spawning, Process of, 30
Spinners, 156

„ Dressings of, 159
' Sport-spoilers,' 15
Spots, Likely, 216
Spring fish and early rivers, 272
Stockings and socks for fishing

brogues, 82
Streams apparently barren, 215

„ overstocked, 8
* Streams within streams,' 223
Striking reel from, The reasons

against, 211
Striking, right way and wrong,

211
Switching, 204, 227

„ Value of, 312

T.

Taking places, 286
Testing a fish, 230
Theory, Mr. Kelson's (salmon
fishing), 313

'Time wasted,' 96

Top rod, Spare, 58

Trays, wooden, Use of, 199

Trichpptera, 104

Trout, brown, Early condition of

in lower test, 23
„ Common, 5
„ „ Varieties in same

river, 22
,, ,, Varying colour

of, 6

„ Description of rivers suit-
able for, 5
„ Deterioration of, with

age, 8
„ Experimental feeding of,

35

„ flies, List of, 117

,, fishing season, Abridge-
ment of, 14

„ fishing season, abridge-
ment of, Objection to, 14

„ Fly food essential for, 6

„ Growth of, 35

„ Kimbridge, The, 212

„ Large in Lower Test, 33

„ Large in Lower Test, Mr.
Kendle's1 specimens, 33

„ Late spawning, 31

„ Lochleven, 19

., Loss of sporting qualities
and partial cause of
ditto, 8

„ Over-large detrimental to
a river, 8

„ reels, 64

„ Test, 22

„ rod, Casting with a, 201

„ rod, Different styles of
casting with, 201

„ rod, How to cast with a, 202

,, rod, Use of, 200

„ small, Beauty of, 18

,, Spawning, 28

„ spawning season varying
in rivers, 13

„ stream, A ruined, 24
„ Value of, 278

,, Thames, 36

„ Varieties of in river Test,

22

INDEX

375

Trout, transportation of, Experi-
mental, 21
True sport, 128

„ Test trout, 22
Tweed fishery, reports, Extract

from preface of, 261
Tweed fishery, reports, Questions

and answers from, 262
Tweed fishery, reports, Summary

of information, 269
Tweezers, 198

U.
Unbeliever, An, 220

V.
Value of a river well cared for,

276

Varnish, Recipe for, 197
Varnishing, 197
Vice, A, and its virtues, 195
„ for fly-tying, 194

Mr. Holland's
pattern, 194

W.
Waders, Danger of not using, 81

„ „ using, 81

Wading, Advantages and disad-

„ vantages of, 215

Wading boots, Mr. Cording's, 82
„ garments, 80

Wandering fish, 224

' Want of skill conducive to suc-
cess,' 238

Washaba, 43

Water and weather, 290

Water-cress farming, Evil effects
of, n

Water-drowner, The, 29

Water-flies, Beauty of, 97

Water-keeper, Duties of a, 278

Water, Temperature of, 272

Water, the, How to face (salmon-
fishing), 309

Waxed silk, 59

'Weed-cutting fiend, The,3 16
„ net, 281

Wet fly fishing, Hackles v. wings
for, 219

Wet fly v. dry, 218

Wey, The Hampshire, 10

* Wickham's Fancy,' The virtues
of, 125

Winch fittings, 58

Wings v. bodies, 98

Y.
1 Yarrell's British Fishes,' 4

,, classification of Sal-
monidse, 4

THE END.

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/. D. &> CO.

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