The trout fly dresser's cabinet of devices; or, How to tie flies for trout and grayling ..

t R K C I C V

rENERAl
JERARY

IN1VERSITY Of
CALIFORNIA

er

THE LATE ME. H. Gr. MG-CLELLAND

("ATHENIAN.")

THE TROUT FLY DRESSER'S
CABINET OF DEVICES

OR

HOW TO TIE FLIES

FOB

TEOUT AND GEAYLINO FISHING.

BY THE LATE

H? a. MCCLELLAND

("Athenian" of the "Fishing Gazette").

WITH EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS.

LONDON :

SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND CO. LTD.,
ST. DUNSTAN'S HOUSE, FETTER LANE, E.G.

1899.

LONDON :

PRINTED BY HORACE COX, WINDSOR HOUSE,
BREAM'S BUILDINGS, E.C.

PREFATORY NOTE.

(From the Fishing Gazette, July 23, 1898.)

THE LATE ME. HAEEY McCLELLAND.

("ATHENIAN," OF THE Fishing Gazette).

As promised in a footnote to the graceful little
tribute to his memory,, which I published last
week, from "Val Conson," I now give a
portrait* of "Athenian," whose articles on
"Trout Fly Dressing" have been appearing in
the Fishing Gazette at intervals diiring the past
fifteen months or so. The series was so nearly
complete that he had written part of the last
article, with a sadly double meaning in its title,
viz., " Parting Observations and Hints."

Having been struck with the novelty, sound-
ness, and originality of letters on fly dressing
which appeared in these columns from "Athenian,"
I, two or three years ago, invited him to do a
series of illustrated articles on the subject, and
he took the matter up with great enthusiasm.
I never had the pleasure to meet " Athenian,"
but live in hopes of meeting him and many other
keen anglers on the banks of good streams in the
next world. But I had a long and pleasant cor-
respondence with " Athenian," and always found
him most courteous, and ready to fall in with

* The portrait forms the frontispiece of this little volume,

•*« M842049

VI PREFATORY NOTE.

suggestions. His articles were eagerly looked for
by all who take more than a superficial interest
in fly dressing, and certainly deserve the very
high praise given them by " Val Conson," than
whom there is no better judge living, and I
cannot do better than reproduce his note here.

DEATH OF "ATHENIAN."

DEAR MARSTON. — You have doubtless received from
the family of the contributor who wrote in your pages
over the singularly appropriate name of " Athenian "
the announcement of his death. It was only in corre-
spondence, both private and in your columns, I had to
do with him ; but I should like to say this, that in him
the art of fly dressing has lost, at a very early age,
probably the most prolific, ingenious, and inventive
intellect of the century. He was always eager to hear
and to tell some new thing, and the new thing he told
was nearly always of his own discovery. In controversy
he was always a fair and courteous opponent, and as a
correspondent he was generous to a degree in his com-
munication of what he thought would interest or help.

Thus, though I never had the pleasure of meeting
him, his early death touches me with a sense of per-
sonal loss, in which you, I feel sure, will share, and
I should like, as one of the many readers of the Fishing
Gazette who has had the benefit of perusing his singu-
larly clear and exhaustive contributions, to testify,
through your columns, to those he leaves behind him
how warmly we appreciated him and liow sincerely we
deplore his loss. — Very truly yours,

VAL CONSON.

It was Sunday, July 3, 1898, that my corre-
spondent died ; and his brother, Mr. Herbert S.
McClelland, in sending me the news on July 7,
said :

" My dear brother, who has been writing under
the name of ' Athenian ' in your paper, passed
away on Sunday last. It is exactly six years
since he and I came home from school, before the

PREFATORY NOTE. TU

end of the term, owing to the illness which
attacked his lungs, and rendered him very weak
and unfit for work, though at times, sometimes
for months, he rallied in a wonderful way, and
looked and felt quite well. About a fortnight
ago, when he realised that he was dying, he
asked that I should write to you and send the
part of his last article which he had written,
together with some notes intended to be embodied
in it, and request you to get it finished for him,
and have it published in the Fishing Gazette, so
that when you published the series of articles in
book form, as arranged, this one might appear
also."

Of course, I was glad to promise that this
should be done, and hope that ' ( Val Conson " will
kindly add the few words that are all that seem
necessary to complete the chapter.

During my long connection with this paper,
the only sad part of it has been this recording
the loss of friends and contributors. It is doubly
sad when the record is of a bright young fellow
cut off " just when the doors of manhood were
opening to him. . . . Like the flowers which
covered his coffin, his young life exhaled a
fragrance that will linger long in the hearts of
those who knew him best/'

What we fly fishers have lost in him has been
well and truly said in the letter I have quoted
above from " Val Conson."

E. B. MARSTON

(Editor, Fishing Gazette).

HOW TO TIE FLIES

FOR

TROUT AND GRAYLING FISHING,

INTKODUCTIOK

IT is, perhaps, unnecessary that I should here
dwell on the advantages which a knowledge of fly
dressing gives to the angler, since it is to be
expected that they are already known and felt
by those who read these lines. At the same time
such a course seems natural, and — with the
reader's pardon — its adoption gets me out of
the difficulty of knowing how to open up my
subject.

Every angler for trout will admit that the
qualities which go to make one successful in his
craft are judgment, skill, and knowledge of the
trout's habits and powers, and of the insects on
which he feeds ; and are not these the very
qualities which go to make a successful fly
dresser, and which are developed in the practice
of the art P It is true that fly fishing and fly
dressing each require a fair amount of manipula-
tive skill proper to themselves ; but they are at
least so closely connected that a man, with some
practical knowledge of the one, will have many
advantages on his side when entering on the
other — not only utilitarian advantages, either,
B

HOW TO TIB FLIES.

but those also which will give him a keener
enjoyment in the pursuit of both pastimes.

Fly dressing, unlike the making of rods, reels,
and other articles of the angler's equipment, is
no mere branch of other crafts. It would be
obviously unreasonable to expect that all anglers
should acquire these latter accomplishments,
especially having regard to the lasting nature of
the articles named. At the same time it should not
be forgotten that it is to those who combine manu-
facture with use and use with manufacture —
whether as professionals or no — that we owe
almost all the improvements that have been made
in the implements of our sport.

In the study of river entomology, the great
importance of which is acknowledged by all who
follow the higher branches of angling, fly dressing
is almost as useful as dissecting is in the study of
anatomy. The manner in which it stimulates the
angler's appreciation of the form and colour of
the insects with which he is concerned will soon
become apparent to all who practise it. And,
finally, it may be said that, if the angler is not
a fly dresser, the fly which he uses will not in six
cases out of ten be the true expression of his
ideas as to what it should really be. And surely,
with a man so sensitive to detail as your modern
angler, this argument should have considerable
weight.

I remember some years back reading an article
by the Eev. J. G. Wood, in which he shows the
difficulty of accurately describing any of nature's
colours. It was, I think, entitled, " Of what
Colour is a Dandelion ? " and may be read in
"Out of Doors." The difficulty of which he
speaks is one which continually besets the angler
in ordering his flies, but which may be, to a great
extent — though not wholly — removed by his
learning to dress them for himself. It may even

INTRODUCTION.

be considerably modified by his acquiring a good
knowledge of the material used in making flies,
which, with the entomological knowledge that he
already possesses, will carry him more than half
way through the task that the beginner who
aspires further has to face.

I could say a great deal about the enjoyment,
the artistic enjoyment, if I may be permitted so
to call it, which is to be derived from fly dressing ;
but, then, my remarks might easily be mistaken
for those of an enthusiast ! I will, therefore,
content myself by saying that I consider its
difficulties to be very nrnch exaggerated both
outside and inside the ranks of its votaries.

One reason why the efforts of some to learn
fly dressing have been irksome or unsuccessful
is that they have begun with the most
difficult style, namely, the professional's, or fly
dressing without the aid of a vice. As this was
the way in which I myself commenced I well
know what difficult, finger cramping work it is
for the beginner. I trust, however, that the
reader will be so far guided by my experience as
to adopt the use of a vice and some such acces-
sories and tools as I shall shortly describe, and in
a very short time he will know fly dressing to be
what, if rightly gone about, it always is — an
interesting, easy, and useful recreation.

One often sees in papers requests for informa-
tion regarding profitable home employment. It
has been a matter of surprise to me that fly
dressing does not receive more prominence in this
connection. There seems to be everything to
recommend it. The stock-in-trade necessary for
a beginning is small and inexpensive. The profits
are good, and, highest recommendation of all, the
demand for flies is always brisk, and the market
never seems to be overstocked. I hope that these
pages may be of use to some of those who may
B 2

HOW TO TIB FLIES.

take up fly dressing as a means of a livelihood* ;
though, of course, they are primarily intended
for the instruction of the amateur fly dresser.

In this connection I cannot refrain from
quoting the following short passage from Robert
Louis Stevenson's "Virginibus Puerisque." He
is contrasting literature with painting as a hobby,
but his words have a very evident application to
our present subject.

" But painting, on the contrary, is often highly
sedative ; because so much of the labour, after
your picture is once begun, is almost entirely
manual, and of that skilled sort of manual labour
which offers a continual series of successes, and
so tickles a man, through his vanity, into good
humour.

• • * * *

" A stupid artist, right or wrong, is
almost certain he has found a right tone or a
right colour, or made a dexterous stroke with his
brush.

*****

" It would be well for all the genus irritabile to
add something of skilled labour to intangible
brain work/5

* I am afraid I cannot advise anyone to take up fly
dressing as a means of a livelihood. I know several who
have tried it and been greatly disappointed.— ED. Fishing
Gazette.

CHAPTER I.
ON THE EXACT IMITATION THEORY.

THERE are few questions of more general interest
among fly-fishers than that of how far it is
necessary or expedient that the artificial fly on
the cast should resemble the natural fly on the
water. It will not be out of place to devote a
chapter to its discussion, as the utility of high-
class fly-dressing, and the methods to be followed
therein, are practically determined by its answer.

I have myself always found the exact imita-
tion theory a safe one by which to be guided, at
any rate when fish are well on the feed. I con-
stantly observe, when wet-fly fishing, that trout
will show an unmistakeable preference for a good
imitation of one of the natural flies to be seen at
the time, no matter in what position on the cast
it is placed. Indeed, occasions are of frequent
occurrence when it is useless to fish with any
other.

As another argument from direct experience, I
may say that I have been forced to the conclusion
that, when several species of flies are on the water
at the same time, a feeding fish will, as a rule,
confine his attentions to one of them. This fact
rests not only on observations of the fish while in
the water, but on the evidence of post-mortem
examination. I have always made a habit of
examining the stomachs of the fish I catch, and
have generally found those of surface feeders to
contain but one species of fly in any considerable
quantity — even when more than one species had

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

been continuously abundant, and where this was
not the case each species was so massed together
by itself as equally well to support my belief that
the trout at his ordinary meals is no lover
of nondescript dishes or of variety for variety's
sake.

Why a trout should exercise this selective
faculty I am at loss to explain. It may be for
many reasons. It may be that he is a creature of
highly cultivated taste. Certainly no creature is
supplied with daintier food with which to develop
such. Or it may be that all the lower animals are
extremely conservative in their nature, perhaps
because it saves them the trouble of thinking,
or by reason of a sort of self -hypnotism. A
remarkable instance of this kind is that of the
bee, which may often be noticed to go from one
flower to another of the same colour, avoiding
those whose colour is different. I am aware that
this serves a useful purpose in properly fertilising
seed, but it is in the bee's own personal motives
that I am at present interested. And surely, if
such exist at all, they must contain their element
of selfishness. Are not all economic institutions
sustained on this principle ?

If, then, the trout's habits in feeding are such
as I have attempted to prove them, the exact
imitation theory stands upon an exceedingly firm
basis. It is, of course, impossible to affix an
indelibly inscribed label to the character of any
individual, still less to that of any species, which
shall at all times truly describe it, and so it is
not unlikely that we should meet with occasional
contrary instances. But, in my opinion, these
contrary instances are not really so numerous as
they would seem to be. In the first place, there
is nothing to prevent our thinking in many cases
where " the wrong fly " is taken that it is taken
rather for its resemblance to the " right " one

ON THE EXACT IMITATION THEORY.

than for its divergence from, it.* And,, again,
many instances that appear contrary in a more
convincing degree may, in reality, not be contrary
at all. For example : Fish are often feeding on
sunk flies, or flies just as they are assuming the
dun, or pseudimago, state beneath the surface of
the water, and the success of some particular
artificial may be due to its resemblance to this fly.
In my opinion, also, some instances of fancy
flies and others being found more useful than good
copies of the natural fly before us, at times when
fish appear to be feeding well, are to be satisfac-
torily explained by the theory that the fish are,
in reality, only "tailing" the said natural fly.
My own experience lends a certain amount of
evidence, since, on several occasions when I have
found a random change of fly to result in a cap-
ture, the rises have not been of that steady,
unobtrusive kind, as when a fish means business,
but of a wanton, sportive, tumbling character,
often making the water fairly boil, and myself
fairly wild with excitement, but in the rarest of
instances betokening anything but an empty
creel.

At this stage I should, perhaps, remark that
my observations have all been taken on a river
where insect food is abundant. I can well
understand that where this is not the case other
conditions may obtain very different from those
which I have been considering. I know that those
who fish such waters are often inclined to think
that it is of little importance what fly is used.
I trust, however, that I have already said enough
to show that this, when stated as a general truth,

* It is to be noted in this connection that it is the
smaller trout that display the greatest laxity of choice ;
also that different species of flies "on" together are
usually very dissimilar : e.g., the May Fly, Alder, and Black
Gnat.

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

is a creed which does discredit alike to fisherman
and fish.

There is now a third theory to be examined.
That which, assuming an analogy more or less
complete between the purpose of the fly-fisher
and that of the advertiser, lays down the rule
that, whereas the latter sometimes finds it
advantageous to attract attention by a misspelt
word or some striking incongruity, the former
may hope for good results from the use of an
artificial fly resembling the natural in most
respects, but with such a difference as may be
expected to excite curiosity but not engender
fright. This, I think, is a fair statement of the
views advanced as plausible by " Mona " in the
F. G. some months ago, and vigorously contro-
verted by " Pheasant Tail."

There may be much good sense in the idea, as
I shall hereafter attempt to show, if applied only
at times when fish are not feeding ; but, if I reason
aright, it depends on an obvious fallacy when its
application is extended. A feeding fish cannot
be considered to be in an ordinary casual state of
consciousness. It is, we should expect, by virtue
of being a feeding fish, in a state open to receive
one certain impression, namely, the image of the
fly on which it is feeding, and relatively im-
pervious to all other impressions of no greater
inherent magnitude ; in fact, in a state compar-
able rather to that of a person scanning a hoarding
for a well-known advertisement he wishes to
see, the hoarding containing only advertisements
of about the same size and general charac-
teristics, than to that of an unpreoccupied
bystander. And just as any advertisement would
attract the attention of the said man in a degree
proportionate to its resemblance to the one of
which he is in search, so the nearer one's artificial
resembles the fly which is being taken at the time,

ON THE EXACT IMITATION THEORY.

the better is it calculated to attract the attention
of the fish.

To present to such a fish an artificial repre-
senting a different fly, or designedly " freakish,"
is therefore without any excuse that I am able
to find, and is only calculated to arouse sus-
picion, and draw attention to the main point
of " freakishness," namely, the presence of the
hook. At best it is only to substitute for an
imitation of something that the fish expects,
wants, and knows it wants, an object having no
such certain recommendation.

This latter remark, which is almost independent
of any assumption as to the trout's nature, will
apply — though with somewhat diminished force —
where trout are not actually feeding but "waiting
for the rise." Hence, in this case, it is well to
commence with artificials like the insects season-
able at the time, though other patterns may
meet with good success, especially when cast
and recast so as to create the idea that flies
of this sort are passing over the fish in large
numbers.* But when we can satisfy ourselves
that the inaction tof the fish is due to satiety, or,
as may often be the case in the summer time,
a disinclination to spoil their appetites for supper,
we have quite a different case with which to deal.

When our quarry, their banquet over, have
betaken themselves sub tegminefagi,to enjoy that
blissful state of lazy repose which we anglers are
sometimes privileged to share, it is then that the
energetic of our number should mount their
Wickhams or other heretical lures that their
fancies may dictate. Such a fly might then, as
being an unaccustomed sight, and as displaying
unusually bold contrasts of colour, force itself

* This is the theory of the late David Foster. Vide
" The Scientific Angler " re red caterpillars.

B 3

10 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

upon the unoccupied attention of the lethargic
fish, when another would pass by unobserved. It
might thus stir it into that impulsive activity
which is consequent on the sudden arousal of the
faculties in both man and lower animal, and
which, being unaccompanied either by suspicion
or even ordinary caution, is a state propitious to
the success of the angler's strategy.

I can see no need to frame any far-fetched
theories to explain why the trout takes fancy
flies. It would seem quite sufficient to say that
he evidently regards them as things endowed with
life, and weaker than himself ; and the same
obvious explanation will, of course, apply in the
salmon's case also. The theory that it is rage
that causes salmon and trout to rise at nondescript
flies seems quite unnecessary. Is it rage that
makes the child, the natural child, kill a fly on
the window pane — or, years later, throw stones at
birds — or, years later still, take delight in catch-
ing uneatable fish ? Why should we not give all
circumstances their much more -obvious explana-
tion, as manifestations, of the predatory instinct
in predatory animals ?

It will not be necessary to remind the reader
that, hitherto I have only been discussing the
ideals to be aimed at in trout fly making, without
reference to the manner of carrying them out in
practice.

My opinions are much more puritanical than
my actions.

Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor.

Considerations of convenience often lead me
to be content with something short of what
I might, with more labour, accomplish. After all,
when it is remembered that the trout, under
advantageous circumstances, sees our fly for but
one critical moment, we can easily believe that,
after a certain stage is reached, each degree of

ON THE EXACT IMITATION THEORY. 11

closer resemblance to nature has a smaller value
*than the last, and that, if the main characteristics
of the natural are expressed in the artificial, the
latter may be considered a good one. Let us
take an example : The medium Olive Dun has
a body olive green down the back, olive yellow
underneath, and with sides ribbed with both
colours ; but since the sides are most exposed to
the fish's view, their impression on the eye must
so predominate as to make it sufficient that the
whole body of the artificial should uniformly
resemble them.

CHAPTEE II.
ON HOOKS.

THE selection of a suitable hook upon which, to
dress a fly is of the first importance in more
senses than one. There are probably many
amateurs, and one or two professionals, who have
had this fact unpleasantly borne in upon them.
For my own part, the biggest trout I ever hooked

in a river ; but there, the story is an old one.

The fly, a neat Little Pale Blue, now reposes in
my fly book, the hook broken behind the barb.

Care should be taken to have always plenty of
the best hooks, in all sizes, that one is likely to
need. The result is usually disastrous when one
is forced to buy cheap hooks from the local hard-
ware shop. Hooks of good material and temper,
and properly enamelled* are all to be had from
good houses by paying a fair price. The qualities
mentioned are independent of one another, and
are therefore comparatively easy to secure ; but,
as regards its remaining qualities, which are
mainly of a mechanical nature, a good hook, to
borrow Mr. Wells's apt expression, is " a creature
of compromise."

Mr. Pennell, in his "Modern Practical Angler/'
was, I believe, the first who set himself the
problem of attaining this compromise. Mr. Wells
renewed the discussion in his excellent work,
"Eods and Fly Tackle," presumably because he

* The enamelled hooks are the brown and the black.
The blue are not enamelled, and are therefore not rust
proof.

ON HOOKS. 13

did not find himself fully in accord with Mr.
Pennell. And now I, an unknown writer, having
also opinions of my own on the subject, must
needs speak out my mind and survey the same
ground that both my masters have measured
before me, in the light that they have left behind
them. I will follow Mr. PennelFs mapped-out
mode of inquiry, as so much clearness is thereby
gained.

To be perfect for fly dressing purposes, then,
a hook should have :

1. A searching point.

2. Quick penetration, without tendency to rake.

3. Good holding power.

4. Strength.

5. Neatness and adaptability to form of fly.

A SEARCHING POINT.

Neither Mr. Pennell nor Mr. Wells appears to
have given much consideration to this condition.

FIG. 1. Mr. Pennell's typical position of the hook after
penetration.

At least it seems to have been inadequately
distinguished from the condition of quick pene-
tration, especially since, as we shall shortly
see, the requirements of the two are entirely
antagonistic.

Mr. Pennell states as the case of hooking
"most common in practice, that of the hook
having penetrated quite through the lip of the
fish, so that the point protrudes." Mr. Wells, on
the contrary, says : " It must not be forgotten

14 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

that the problem is not to pierce an obstacle
squarely across the path of the hook ; but its
point is to engage with an oblique surface, and
when so engaged it should turn at once from its
former path and bury downward."

There seems to be some contrariety of opinion
here. Mr. Wells is evidently considering such
cases of hooking as when the fly remains entirely
inside the fish's mouth ; for in the case assumed
by Mr. Pennell, the lip, the object to be pierced,
certainly is "squarely across the path of the
hook/' Both cases are undoubtedly of frequent

FIG. 2. In the above diagram the hooks are shown in an
upright position. In practice they will generally be
inclined over on their sides, which would make the
necessity for a searching point to be still greater than is
indicated. On the other hand, the hook will not often
be drawn so directly across the lip, but rather it will
meet it slantwise, which will affect the case in the
opposite direction.

occurrence, and in both the advantage of a
searching point is apparent. A hook designed to
meet Mr. Pennell's case should be of such a form
as to allow the point to get well down under the
lip into the channel-like space between the lip
and the tongue (Fig. 2), while one designed to
meet Mr. Wells's case should as far as possible
ensure that its point will always touch the flesh
(Fig. 3), and readily explore any little cranny
that may lie in its path.

There are two ways in which the point of
a hook can be made "searching." One way is
exemplified in the sneck and Kirby hooks. These

ON HOOKS. 15

are bent so that they cannot possibly lie flat,
that is to say, the point is kerbed or turned out of
the plane of the shank and bend. This renders
the hook almost certain to " catch on " when
jammed into an angle of the mouth or pressed
between the lips, or the tongue and the palate.
It must be admitted, however, that there are
positions into which the hook may get, where
kerbing is in every respect a disadvantage. The
second method of exposing the point is simply to
turn it away from the shank as much as the
satisfaction of other conditions will allow, while
keeping it in the same plane with the shank and
bend ; and, of course, a part of the wire behind

FIG. 3. Circumstances are exaggerated in this diagram
also ; but it is hoped that it will be successful in con-
veying the principles it is intended to illustrate.

the barb projecting beneath the point is highly
detrimental to the latter's exposure. Of this the
Dublin Limerick hook is an example.

QUICKNESS OF PENETRATION.

If anyone were to hold the point of a hook
between his finger and thumb, and desire to push
it into, say, a piece of cork, in what direction,
with regard to the hook, would he apply a force
in order to do this most easily ? — Surely in the
direction of some line through the extreme point,
and lying between the upper and lower surfaces
of the wire at the point. It will be noted that,
when the proper direction is found, the point

16

HOW TO TIB FLIES.

will penetrate precisely in this direction, and be
in no way deflected. The inclination of this
line, which we will call the line of penetration,
to either surface, will, in general, be proportional
to the amount of resistance acting on that surface.
Hence in the ordinary hook with round sectioned

FIG. 4.

point, the line of penetration will be inclined
almost equally to both surfaces (Fig. 4).

Now (Fig. 5) the force actually applied in hooking
a fish is, during the first and critical period,
approximately in the direction P S, and, as the
point penetrates, gradually veering towards the

^7

- --~>

FIG. 5.

P S— Initial line of pull. P X— Penetrating- force.

Q S— Final line of pull. P Y— Tearing-out force.

p— Angle of penetration.

direction Q S. And this force, P S, in accordance
with the mechanical law, known as the " parallelo-
gram of forces," is equivalent to two forces acting
in the direction P X and P Y, and of magnitudes
proportional to these lines. The effect of the
former is, as we have seen, to make the hook

ON HOOKS. 17

penetrate in its own direction ; while the latter,
which is at right angles to the upper surface
of the hook point, tends to tear it upwards and
out of the flesh ; but if the resistance is sufficiently
great, it will do little more than slightly " spring "
the wire and create extra friction. It will be
seen that a hook's penetrating power decreases as
the angle p increases, and increases with the ratio
of P X to P Y, or the ratio of the useful force to
the harmful. It is, of course, also affected by the
degree of sharpness and form of the point, and
by the prominence of the barb.

In Mr. PennelFs diagrams the line of penetra-
tion is shown lying on the under surface of the
hook-point. Mr. Wells, in correcting this error,
goes to the other extreme, and asserts that the
upper surface in an ordinary hook " determines
its promptness to engage, as well as the direction
in which it will follow." The italics are mine. I
quote the following from "Fly Rods and Fly
Tackle " :—

" Take a common carpenter's chisel and apply it to a
board, with the bevel down and in contact with the
board. The bevel here guides the edge, and forces it to
advance parallel with the surface upon which the bevel
rests ; there is not the slightest tendency to bury. It
would seem to follow from this that the hook shown in
the first of Mr. Fennell' s figures (Fig. 6) is by no means
theoretically perfect as to penetration (or promptness
* to bite,' which is the idea I understand Mr. Pennell
intends to convey), but, on the contrary it is both
theoretically and practically imperfect in this respect.

" Now let us reverse the chisel and apply it to the
board, with the bevelled side uppermost, and at such an
angle that the flat side (which will then become what
we have termed the ' following ' side), does not touch
the board. Here we have an exact reproduction of the
penetrating point of a fish hook, one governed by exactly
the same laws. Attempt to cut with the chisel held in
this position ! It buries at once in the board and comes
to a halt. The * advancing ' edge, the bevel, guides
and forces it downwards."

18

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

This last statement, "the advancing edge/'
&c., is all that I can find in Mr. WelFs discussion
by way of proof, that it is the upper surface of
the hook point (or, as Mr. Wells's calls it, "the
advancing edge"), which determines the direction
of penetration. If his experiments be carefully
performed, it will be seen that the under surface

FIG. 6. The largest hook in the above diagram is referred
to by Mr. PenneU as " mechanically perfect so far as
penetration depending on bend is concerned." It is not
really so. The smaller figures illustrate such mechani-
cally perfect hooks out-barb and in-barb. The put-barb
hook in existence is the nearest approach obtainable to
the perfection of which Mr. Pennell speaks.

(or " following edge ") has quite an equal in-
fluence, and that the line of penetration, as I
have already said, lies between the two surfaces.
The reason that the chisel does not bury in the
first experiment is because its point is not
" searching/' and is unable to insinuate itself be-
hind any of the minute roughness of the wood,
and so get a " catch on." The result would be

ON HOOKS. 19

the same in the second experiment if the wood
were sufficiently hard and smooth.

HOLDING POWER.

Whether a hook that has once penetrated will
hold or no is chiefly a matter of whether the
resistance of the flesh is great enough to prevent
the hook's tearing out. This, again, depends on
the amount of tearing-out force — which is least
with a hook of quick penetration — the area and
flatness of the upper surface of the wire, and the
depth to which the point has penetrated.

It is obvious that, provided a hook penetrate
at all, the greater its angle of penetration, the
deeper will be the hold which it will take. So
that, within certain limits, it is true that the
better a hook's penetrating qualities the weaker
will be its holding power. Figs. 2 and 3, in
which the directions of penetration are marked,
will illustrate this important fact.* It is also
plain that there should be sufficient wire directly
behind the barb to afford a hold of sufficient
depth, whatever be the direction of pene-
tration.

Concerning the barb itself, I think that a very
prominent one is quite unnecessary. A few
experiments will soon convince anyone that a
very small increase of prominence will necessitate
a very considerable increase of force to make the
hook penetrate as far as before, so that in fly-
fishing for trout with small hooks a very pro-
minent barb would often defeat its own ends.
When the point is driven properly home, the
barb is not likely to be called upon, and where a

* It will be clear from the diagrams in this article that
the smaller the inclination of the line of pull to the surface
of the flesh to he penetrated, the more effective in every
way will be the " strike." Hence, at the moment of
striking- the rod point should be as low as is convenient.

20 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

slightly barbed hook would not secure a good
hold, one with a prominent barb would be unlikely
to penetrate over the barb at all. Of the in-barb
and the out-barb hooks, the former will usually
lock itself more securely in the flesh, since the
more pressure is on the inner or upper surface of
the wire. However, it is probable that in the
majority of cases either barb would fulfil its
duties satisfactorily enough. If the out-barb
loses its hold it is more likely to be because
insufficient attention is paid in its design to the
requirement of deep penetration.

Mr. Pennell gives as the chief criterion of the
holding power of a hook one which I cannot
think is of any real importance at all. After
stating what I have already quoted regarding the
typical position of a hook after it has penetrated,
he proceeds to say : —

" In this case it is evident that, when once hooked,
the nearer the point approaches the shank of the hook
the less chance must the fish have of escaping. This
will be seen by carrying the principal to the extreme
limit — and assuming that the point was so bent in after
hooking as actually to touch the shank — the fish's lip
would then be inclosed in a complete triangle, from
which, of course, there could be no possible escape."

This style of argument (viz., from one limiting
case) is a very deceptive one, and by no means
conclusive. It matters little to most of us, for
instance, whether we have a doorway 8ft. high or
10ft. high by which to make our exit from a
room, and if we find we can enter without incon-
venience we should scarcely be inclined to have
any further misgivings. And yet we could prove
the contrary of this just as logically as Mr.
Pennell reasons above. Since, if on our entry the
doorway were to close up into a mere crack in the
wall, it would be useless as a means of egress ! A
design for a hook that does not provide sufficient

ON HOOKS. 21

— and much more than sufficient — room for the
passage in would indeed be an absurdity, and if
there be no mechanical arrangement, such as a
point guard, or other similar abomination, there
will clearly be plenty of room for passage out. Mr.
Pennell is surely inconsistent in considering this
alleged influence of the hook's shape in a contin-
gency that might arise (viz., the hook's slipping
backwards after penetration), and ignoring the
fact that precisely the same influence has, a
fortiori, a right to be included, when he is
examining the circumstances affecting penetration
itself.

STRENGTH.

It is an old axiom that the strength of a chain
is that of its weakest link, and it is equally clear
that the strength of a hook is that of the part
where it is most likely to break. There are two
points which require examination — behind the
barb, where too much wire is often cut away ;
and the point at the greatest distance from the
line of pull, which is subject to the greatest
strain. The thickness of the wire behind the
barb, measured parallel to the line of pull, is of
far greater importance than its thickness at right
angles to this line. Messrs. Hardy take advan-
tage of this principal in their " harpoon " hook,
and cut the barb (in this case the barbs), not
from the upper or under surface, but from the
near and off sides of the wire. The same effect
might be got by flattening the wire at these
sides before cutting the barbs in the ordinary
way.

Fig. 7 illustrates geometrically how the
tendency of the hook to break at the upper angle
of the bend, is affected by its distance from the
line of pull. It will be observed that I have con-
sidered the final line of pull, since the tension of

22 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

the line does not usually reach its maximum till
the hook has penetrated as far as it will go.

NEATNESS AND ADAPTABILITY TO FOKM OF FLY.
If we regard only — as do many anglers of my
acquaintance — the adaptibility of a hook to the
form of the fly, I think we should prefer those
hooks with perfectly straight shanks, and as much

FIG. 7. Q S— Final line of pull. W— Weakest point so far
as position only is concerned, s— Line of strength, with
the length of which the likelihood of the hook to break
at W increases.

of the wire in the shank as possible, or those with
shanks curving slightly away from the point,
such as Mr. Pennell's eyed sneck hooks. These,
by the way, have the advantage of not pinching
the gut at the head of the fly, as the angle which
the gut when strained here makes with the wire
is so small. Unfortunately, it seems that it is
only to eyed hooks that the principle is applied !

ON HOOKS.

23

In dry fly fishing a shank of one of the above-
mentioned descriptions is of more than artistic
importance. For that of a good floating hook
must allow as complete contact as is possible with
the surface of the water.

AN ATTEMPT AT A COMPROMISE.
The conclusion to which the above dissertation
leads is, that there is no hook in use so vicious in

9

FIG. 8. 1. Down-eyed Pennell sneck with upturned shank.
2. Hall up-eyed. 3. Sneck. 4. Kirby. 5. Dublin
Limerick. 6. Bound. 7. Down-eyed Pennell Limerick
with upturned shank. 8. Down-eyed Pennell Limerick
with straight shank. 9. Nicolay out-barb. 10. Hook
with guarded point (not used by sportsmen).

construction but that something may be said in
its favour. For my own part, I prefer, of ordinary
hooks, the sneck and Kirby bends ; and of eyed
hooks, Mr. Penneirs eyed sneck hooks, already
referred to, and Mr. HalFs.

I have devoted considerable space to the fore-
going discussion, because it is important that one
should be able to judge "the points" of one's
tackle, and because the "contemplative man"

24 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

has an interest and pleasure in so doing ; yet, lest
it be said that no practical suggestions have been
evolved, I will proceed to describe the ideal hook
of my imagining. It must be understood that I
in no way assume the right to speak with
authority, and that I am quite open to the con-
viction of being in error, either here or elsewhere.
On this understanding I present the drawing
below (Fig. 9).

The reader will see for himself that the
characteristic lines and angles shown are as good
as those of most hooks in use at the present day,
while superiority may be claimed as regards the
exposure of the point. The last named is a little
kerbed, so that penetration is a little greater

FIG. 9.

than that shown on the plane of the paper. The
method of sharpening the point resembles that
employed by Messrs. Hardy for their " harpoon "
hook, but in mine the upper surface is flat, and
there is only one cutting edge (viz., that under-
neath) of any sharpness, while in their's there
are three. It is just possible that, while all
cutting edges aid penetration immensely, those at
the sides might start a tear in the flesh, and aid
the hook's pulling out. The underneath cutting
edge is free from this objection, as, once the hook
has penetrated, there is very little pressure where
the cut has been made, and, in any case, down-
ward cutting cannot do much harm. This mode
of sharpening also makes the point likely to get

ON HOOKS. 25

into any little hollow or furrow that it might
otherwise escape. Until I saw an actual speci-
men of Messrs. Hardy's hook, I imagined that
my idea of sharpening the under surface of the
point was original. The sectional drawing in
their catalogue is, or was, incorrect, and shows
only the sharpened sides.

The vexed question of eyed hooks v. hooks to
gut may safely be left to take care of itself.* The
advantages of the eyed hooks on the score of
strength is obvious, while the advantages claimed
in respect of economy and convenience can be
readily referred to the test of direct experience.
Personally, I consider that flies to gut are made
more easily and pleasantly than those on eyed
hooks. But this may be a matter of practice.
There are probably many who hold the opposite
opinion.

* Flies on eyed hooks are almost invariably usod in dry
fly fishing. In the north flies on gut used wet are more
generally in use. — ED. Fishing Gazette.

CHAPTER III.

ON MATERIALS.

I HAVE now arrived at the strictly practical
portion of the present series of articles, and am
not altogether sorry. Theory has its fascinations
for me, likewise its dangers, as have out- of -depth
waters for a youngster who has imperfectly learnt
to swim, but when I am content with practice I
have, at any rate, my fords and stepping-stones,
of which I have myself made use for years, and
over which I have good hopes of being able to
pilot others. It gives me confidence to feel that
for the rest of my journey I shall always — or nearly
always — have at least one foot on the ground.

The subject of the present article is one of
peculiarly wide scope. There is scarcely a feather
or fur that could be said to be useless for fly
making, and furs and feathers would by no means
complete the list of what we should desire for the
purpose.

The first material we shall require is tying
silk, and PearsalFs " gossamer " tying silk, which
is now widely known and used, is the best with
which I am acquainted. It is sold in a very con-
venient form, viz., on box- wood reels of small
height and relatively large diameter. The silk
itself is very fine, smooth, hard, and strong, in
fact, just as it ought to be.

Next in order come the materials for wings,
and here I will make an attempt to roughly
classify the most useful as to their colour.

Many flies — notably spinners and small gnats

ON MATERIALS. 27

— have wings almost as transparent as crystal.
Mr. Francis Francis, in describing a dressing of
the Jenny Spinner, writes as follows : —

" The wings — ah ! those wings ! What shall we do
to imitate their clear, delicate, watery transparency ?
The tips of two very pale light blue hackles might, per-
haps, come near. The usual way, however, is — as
Theakstone and Konalds recommend — to dress the fly
hackle fashion, or buzz, as it is termed.

##*#*:#

" If this fly could be well imitated it would be a valu-
able one, but hitherto our imitations are but sorry
affairs ; the fish seem to know it too, for, although
rising greedily at the natural fly, they do not greatly
favour the imitation, even at the best, as they will do
that of flies more easily imitated. ' '

The Jenny Spinner has by no means ceased to
be a puzzle to fly dressers, but we have certainly
made some progress since Mr. Francis wrote.
There are several substances which imitate the
wings very well as to appearance, but which are
deficient in durability, and are generally much
too brittle and stiff. Fish scales have been very
much used, those of the pike especially so. I
have never seen herring scales recommended,
and yet they are, perhaps, the most easily ob-
tained of all, and are finer in proportion to their
size, and brighter than pike scales or any others
that I have hitherto come across.

I think, however, that the outer membrane of
a rook's quill, to which I attempted to draw
attention in the F. G. a year or two ago, will be
found as good, if not better, than any substance at
present used. The rook quills for this purpose
should be moulted ones, gathered from beneath
the trees of a rookery, and it is important that
they should not have lain long in wet weather.

Cut off about Ijin. of the root end of the quill,
and steep it for a few minutes in hot water,
c 2

28

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Then slit the quill straight down the middle, turn
it inside out, detach the outside membrane at
the extreme root end with the thumb nail, and
tear it off the quill. (Fig. 10.)

The membrane obtained will be of a good
size, and will take a dye readily. It will be
possible to get a small piece of almost any degree
of fineness required. For although at the ex-
treme root end it will be somewhat stiff and
thick, it tapers away in the opposite direction to
the fineness of the wings of the natural fly. In

FIG. 10.

1. Quill intact. 2. Quill split and membrane partially
separated. 3. Membrane as used for wings.

dry fly making it can be used double, i.e., four
thicknesses going to form the two wings.

For perfectly white wings, the swan's wing and
tail feathers are generally used. These are quite
fine towards the edge. Aylesbury duck feathers
are also good.

Wings with white tips and roots almost black
are obtained from the secondary (Fig. 11) wing
feathers of the mallard. Plover tail feathers
afford wings with black tips and white roots.
The small feathers found on the inside of snipe
and golden plover wings, as well as those of some
other birds, may be used for wings with white

ON MATERIALS.

29

tips and light dun roots. The web of soft fibre
is not, in this case, cut from the quill, but the
tips of the feathers are used intact.

Light stone blue wings are supplied by the
wing and tail feathers of the coot. I may here
remark that there is often a great difference in
the shades of the inner and outer sides of feathers.
For instance, of the coot's feathers just mentioned
it is the inner side that is of a light stone blue,
the outer side being of a medium dun in young
birds, and of a medium to dark iron blue in
older specimens.

For light stone blue wings I believe that the

Lesser wing Greater Secon- Tertiaries. Primaries,

coverts. wing coverts. daries.

FIG. 11.

feathers of the sea gull and sea swallows are also
used ; but those of the coot are not very scarce,
are easy to work with, and make a very beautiful
wing, which dries readily. The feathers of some
of the common tame blue pigeons resemble those
of the coot as to colour.

Snipe wings are extremely useful. They are of
a cold medium dun colour on the outer, and a
light dun shade on the inner side. They are,
perhaps, the best feathers with which to imitate
the duns appearing in early spring.

The starling is the bird beloved of fly dressers
— "the fly dresser's darling," one is tempted to

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

call it. It is extremely plentiful, and there is
scarcely a feather on its body that is not of use.
Its wings are of a warmish dun shade, and vary
a good deal, according to the age of the bird.
Those of a young specimen are of a peculiar
shade of bluish dun,, run into brown, and edged
with yellow, while those of the oldest birds have
a distinct shade of red on the outer side.

Feathers of a reddish shade are also supplied
by the water-rail and land-rail (corncrake) ; the
red is more pronounced in the land-raiFs feathers.
Dark cinnamon wings may be imitated with
the underneath tail feathers of the common
partridge.

The wing feathers of the thrush and redwing
(called "felt'* in Ireland) are of a rich tawny
olive brown, running into a bright tawny
yellow towards the edge and root end of the
secondaries.

For iron blue wings the tail feathers of the
torn-tit are generally used. Tail feathers of the
merlin hawk have been strongly recommended by
the late Mr. John Beever (" Arundo"). I have
never possessed any myself, so I cannot speak of
them from experience. Breast feathers of the
coot and water-rail are good as to colour, but are
coarse and soft. The various members of the
swallow family — swifts, martins, &c. — all supply
nice wings, with clearly defined edges. They are,
for the most part, of a dark dun or blackish-brown
colour. Feathers of the darkest shades of this
colour are also to be had from the waterhen and
hen blackbird. For mottled wings, we have the
wing and tail feathers of the woodcock, which are
of a dingy brown colour, splashed at the edge
with blotches of tan. The wing and tail feathers
of the brown owl are of a very dark dun shade,
almost black, at the roots, dovetailed into white
at the edge.

ON MATERIALS. 31

Of speckled feathers, those of the pheasant's
tail are the most generally useful. They make
very natural imitations of the wings of the March
Brown and of some other well known flies.
Speckled mallard feathers, .brown and grey, are
also used in large quantities, especially in Ireland,
for lake and white trout flies. Barred teal
feathers, which are of a much darker shade than
grey mallard, are correspondingly favourites in
Scotland, as are also the bronze-coloured tail
feathers of the turkey.

Grey mallard and teal feathers are used, dyed,
for May Flies ; also guinea fowl and Eouen drake
feathers, which are recommended by Mr. Halford.
Feathers of the wood (or summer) duck, a native
of South America, are used, undyed, for the same
purpose.

Next to the wings come the whisks or tails.
These are simply two fibres cut from a large
hackle, or saddle feather of the cock or hen, or from
any fine and long plumed feathers of suitable
colour.

The wing coverts and back and breast feathers
of the coot and water-rail, and the feathers from
beneath the tail of the sparrowhawk, afford a
good assortment of iron blue, brown olive, and
yellow dun fibres which are difficult to obtain
elsewhere. Unfortunately, they are not very
durable.

Golden pheasant feathers, both toppings and
tippets, are also largely used for whisks, and
make particularly attractive ones for fancy flies.
The feathers from the back and sides of the
mallard and drake teal, already mentioned in this
chapter, are also useful.

I have found that many varieties of hair,
human especially, make most natural looking
whisks. The whisks of various animals, chiefly
rats and rabbits, are recommended. They are

32 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

not, as is often supposed, unduly stiff at the ends,
but are generally difficult to obtain in quantity.

The long feelers projecting from the heads of
many of the down- wing flies are, for the purposes
of the fly dresser, analogous to the whisks, and
may be imitated by the same range of material.

CHAPTER IV.

ON MATERIALS (Continued).

THE range of materials for bodies is greatly
varied, and apparently very complete. Some
thirty years ago, floss, herl, wool, dubbing, and
tinsel were almost exclusively employed, and even
at the present day great quantities are used, but
quill, horsehair, and indiarubber are to a great
extent ousting them from favour.

"Floss is simply raw silk, dyed, of course, in
most cases, and a great number of strands laid
on together. It is sold in skeins, from which one
need not trouble to unwind it, as a small piece
can be easily cut away when required and split
into several lengths of the desired thickness.
Floss is very easy to work with, and makes a very
pretty body ; but it can scarcely be recommended
for flies with light coloured bodies, as it darkens
so much when wet.

Herls are woolly-like strips of plume, taken
from such large feathers as are obtained from the
ostrich or peacock. They rnake^ stout, hairy
bodies, and are very much used, but are not a
favourite material of my own. Of the peacock's
herls most in demand, those from the lower part
of the tail are of a red bronze colour, while those
from the " sword " feathers are of a bright metallic
green. Herls from the wing of the heron, and the
tail of the turkey and pheasant are sometimes
used.

Wool, the hard crewel wool especially, is a good
material. It is what I generally use for pale
c 3

34 HOW TO TIE PLIES.

yellow bodies, as it does not darken in the water,
nor does the variety named soak very readily. It
should be untwisted, split into several lengths,
and used in the same manner as floss.

The term dubbing relates less to the kind of
the material than to the manner in which it is
used. It is generally fur or wool teased out, spun
on a length of waxed tying silk, and then wound
round the hook shank in the same manner as are
other body materials.

Water-rat's fur, and fur from the hare's ear
are favourite dubbings, but the very fine yet
hard-fibred fur of a young seal is acknowledged
by all who try it to be the best dubbing obtain-
able. It is easily spun, and beautifully trans-
lucent. Many other varieties of fur — rabbit's,
mole's, and young fox's — are used ; also the
puppy hair from young setters or collies makes
fairly good dubbing.

It must not be supposed that it is necessary to
keep a different shade of the material for each
different shade of dubbed body that one will
require to make. Many shades are produced by
the thorough mixing together of two or more
other shades. Thus a blue and a yellow will
make a green, and a little red and brown added
will make an olive green. Practice and an eye
for colour are all that is needed to give the
necessary skill.

Obviously dubbing is particularly useful for
such flies as have rough hairy bodies, and it is also
almost universally employed for large lake flies,
its advantage here being that a very little weight
of it is required to form a large body. There is,
however, nearly always a want of definition about
a dubbed body which would seem to show
dubbing to be unsuitable for the dressing of
ordinary duns.

Horsehair is a good material, hair from both

ON MATERIALS. 35

mane and tail being used; the latter more
commonly, as it "ribs" so nicely.

I have recently turned my attention to a new
material, which I believe to be a very useful one.
It is roffia grass, used by gardeners to train plants
and make up bouquets. It is to be had of a very
pale cream and of a pale ginger colour. The thin
tape-like substance should be split, a thin strip
torn off it, tightly twisted, and then wound on the
hook shank. Used thus it resists the water for a
long time ; and a thin coat of varnish will make
it still more impervious. It ribs well, the laps
closing up well together; it also takes a dye
readily, and is almost unbreakable.

Pure unvulcanised india-rubber is, in my
opinion, the best all round body material that we
have. It has just that fresh, juicy appearance
which is the distinctive characteristic of living
matter. It takes a dye pretty well, and can be
used either for light bodied flies (dressed
detached), or for dark bodied flies wound in the
usual way.

It is sold in lumps, nicely squared up as a rule,
and should be first cut into very thin slices of
about lin. long by Jin. broad, and then lengthwise
in very thin strips. A piece of cork of about 2in.
square, sandpapered perfectly flat on both sides,
makes a good cutting board ; and the best tool
that I know of is an old razor ground quite thin
in the blade, which should be kept wet while in
use. Stropping is necessary now and again, as
the rubber looks so very much better when cleanly
cut. The strips should be softened in hot water,
or by being rolled between the finger and thumb,
or moistened with turpentine, before being pulled
out ; neglect of this may also give them a ragged
edge.

Quill is, without doubt, the material most used
for small flies at the present time. It shows a

36 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

well defined rib of colour, which, is a feature of
certain natural flies, and an effect not easily
rendered in any other manner. It is also
impenetrable, and unaffected in colour by the
water.

Quill, as the term standing alone is generally
used, and as I have used it here, means herls from
the "eye" part, or immediately below it, of a
peacock's tail, with the soft fluff scraped away.
To do this : Cut the herl from the tail feather, or,
at any rate, trim it squarely across at the root
end after tearing it from the shaft. Now hold it
between the left forefinger and thumb, leaving
about lin. of the root end projecting to the right
(Fig. 12). Then scrape it, from A to B, between

FIG. 12.

the right thumb nail and ball of the right fore-
finger, and at intervals between the right fore-
finger nail and ball of the right thumb, so that
both sides of the quill may be treated in the
same manner. Some may prefer to use a blunt
knife instead of their nails.

If the length stripped be not sufficient, a longer
hold may be taken and a longer length scraped.
It is best not to take too long a hold at first, as
the quill is apt to break. Indeed, in any case, the
beginner has generally some difficulties in avoid-
ing a breakage. Only practice — again that magic

ON MATERIALS. 37

word — is required to teach one to properly
regulate the pressure and speed of scraping. A
previous steeping of the herl in boiling water will
somewhat facilitate the operation. The herl should
then be partially dried before being scraped.

Peacock heiis from the lower part of the feather
have shiny brown quills, which are occasionally
useful, and, besides peacock herls, those of the
ostrich are sometimes employed.

Condor and adjutant herl quills are recom-
mended by Mr. Halford, and are certainly excel-
lent; but Mr. Halford must be in a peculiarly
fortunate position for obtaining them. Mr.
Hardy, of Alnwick, was good enough to send me
a small piece of condor feather, originally in the
possession of Mr. Halford. He told me at the
same time that the difficulties incident on
" catching your condor " are too great to allow
condor feathers to be a marketable commodity.
I believe that adjutant feathers are also very
scarce. There are probably many large and
coarsely plumed birds of the eagle, vulture, or
crane families, for instance, which have herl quills
more or less suitable for fly dressing. Those of
the heron have been used.

A piece of quill of a different class, for body
material, may be torn from almost any wing or
tail feather, in the following manner : —

Tear off the webs of feather from both sides of
the shaft, thus removing along with them that
part of the quill from which they grow. Next
cut off the tip of the feather and split it at the
smallest end with the scissors' points. Then tear
the split ends apart, and scrape the insides of the
two strips of quill thus produced.

If the web, instead of being torn off, be cropped
closely with the scissors from a point near the tip
to the root end, the quill from which it has been
growing may be used as body material.

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

["To remove this, take a firm hold of the web
which has been left on the tip of the shaft, and
start the tear with it, taking a*shorter hold of
the quill, to 'avoid breaking it, as the 'tearing
proceeds.

Another kind of quill [is ^that obtained by
stripping a long "hackle or saddle feather of its
plume on eithei side. It makes a very natural

FIG. 13. 1. Feather entire. 2. Feather, with web closely
cropped, 3. Feather, with quill partially detached.
4. Piece of quill obtained.

looking body, which, so to speak, tapers itself
automatically in the forming ; the quill used
being tapered, and so the joints of the body
becoming wider and thicker as the winding pro-
ceeds from tail to shoulder. A friend, to whom
my first acquaintance with this material was
due, makes a very beautiful red spinner of the

ON MATERIALS. 30

shaft of the saddle feather of a dark red game
cock.

Grass and split pieces of corn blades, &c., are
sometimes convenient materials to use for green
bodies, and look uncommonly well. They retain
their colour much longer than might be supposed.
I once sent the Editor of the Fishing Gazette a fly
which I had tied two years before, and which had
figured on the cast. The colour of the body,
which was of one or other of the materials named,
had faded very little indeed.

Tinsel is used in very large quantities, both for
the whole body of the fly and as a ribbing. For
the former purpose flat tinsel is employed, and
for the latter fine round tinsel is used for small
flies, while for large lake flies the flat or oval
variety is necessary to give a sufficiently obtrusive
effect. I often wonder that tinsels for fly dressing
are not made in colours. One would think that
red, yellow, blue, and green tinsels would be just
the thing for salmon and lake trout flies, and I
feel sure that they would also be useful for such
of the small trout flies as have specially bright
bodies. We need not, however, be at a loss for a
substitute, as there is a method of making a
bright-bodied trout fly, which might well be con-
sidered an improvement on the coloured tinsel
idea in every respect except that of simplicity.
The idea was given me when I was a beginner in
fly dressing by a friend who had found it very
successful, and since then I have likewise proved
its utility on many occasions. The method was
as follows : First to lay a foundation of very fine
flat tinsel over the body, and then to cover it
sparingly with floss silk or wool of the proper
colour. In this way, and with the use of the
transparent, quill-membrane wings, I have made
some of the best green and yellow midges that
I have ever seen.

40 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

We must now pass on to the consideration of
hackles and such other materials as are used to
imitate the fly's legs.

With dubbed flies the dubbing itself, picked out
from beneath the shoulder with the needle, is
sometimes considered to be sufficient. Again, a
few hairs of some kind or other, tied in with the
tying silk and worked into place, are also occa-
sionally substituted for hackles. Small feathers,
such as those from the wren's tail, and from
beneath the wings of certain birds, also black
plover toppings, &c., are used in large quantities,
but scarcely call for separate notice here, as the
utility of most of them is not general, but limited
to particular dressings of particular flies.

Of neck feathers, that is to say, hackles properly
so called, we have an endless variety. The
speckled brown hackles of the partridge are often
used for March Brown flies. Hackles of the snipe
and golden plover, which in many respects
resembles the snipe, also grouse hackles, which
are of a more reddish tone than the others, are in
demand. Dotterel hackles are rarer, but are
considered almost indispensable in the north of
England. They are of a light dun in colour.

The bright iridescent hackles of the starling,
which are of a glinting shade of dark metallic
green and rose colour, as looked at when on the
bird, make excellent black hackles. The duller
feathers of the hen, and those taken from a lower
part of the neck of the male bird, are also useful.
I have found it extremely difficult to obtain good
black hackles from poultry, of a size suitable for
the very small flies.

The jungle cock, so much esteemed by dressers
of salmon flies, supplies badger hackles useful for
trout flies, though sometimes rather coarse in the
quill.

It is from poultry that the great majority of

ON MATERIALS. 41

hackles used in fly making are obtained. Those
of the cock are the brighter and the harder in the
fibre, but the hen is looked to for certain colours,
as, for instance, ginger and black. Honey dun,
blue dun, stone blue, yellow dun, and red hackles,
are best from game birds, but, with the exception
of the last, are very difficult to obtain. Blue
hackles are also to be obtained from Andalusians ;
white, cream, and yellow from Leghorns and
Dorkings ; buff from Cochins ; also excellent
hackles of all shades may often be obtained from
common barndoor fowl. Bantam hackles may
also be recommended. The best times to collect
hackles are at the beginning and end of the year.

The nomenclature of hackles is somewhat un-
certain, and without the aid of colour it is not
easy to impart to the novice the ideas attached
even to the more definite terms with which we
are provided. Nevertheless, the subject must not
remain untouched.

Ked, as applied to hackles, of course, means
" foxy " red, and the darkest and glossiest shade,
which is much in demand, is generally called
"dark red game," being best obtained from a
cock of the same designation. The palest and
most yellowish shades of red are described as
ginger.

The term " dun " refers to a dingy brown or
mouse colour, with its darker and lighter shades,
of which the fly dresser sees a great number.

The remaining terms, denoting hackles of one
colour only — black, cinnamon, &c. — are unmis-
takable ; but many hackles are of two or more
colours combined and distributed in different
ways. The more important of these must now be
noticed.

Badger hackles are black or dark dun in the
centre, and white or cream at the edge. Honey
dun and brassy dun resemble badger hackles as

42

HOW TO TIB FLIES.

to distribution of colour, being dark dun in the
centre, and of the colour of liquid honey or
barley-sugar at the edge.

Bed furnace hackles are black in the centre,
black at the extreme edge, and dark red between
the edge and centre. In white furnace hackles,
white takes the place of the red, otherwise they
are the same as the red furnace.

FIG. 14.

Grizzled (also called cuckoo and marley)
hackles have each fibre composed of alternate
short strips of light and dark colour ; occasion-
ally they are to be found edged with yet another
different shade. There is a large variety of
grizzled combinations.

Mr. Bambridge, of Eton, keeps an excellent
assortment of all varieties of hackles, and other
materials, too, for the matter of that, and will be

ON MATERIALS. 43

pleased to send a set of samples, returnable, of
course, to intending purchasers. For those who
have to buy their hackles no arrangement could
be more satisfactory, and I feel sure that many
will be glad to avail themselves of it.

With regard to the shape of hackles, I person-
ally am not hard to please. For wet flies, so as
the feather be clean, not draggled, of the proper
size and colour, and fairly durable, I ask for
nothing more. For dry flies it is certainly
desirable that hackles should be long in the quill
and relatively short in the fibre, though this
may be obviated by using two hackles for one
fly. Mr. Halford expresses some regret at the

FIG. 15.

Hackle referred to by Mr. Halford as "geometrically
perfect."

impossibility of obtaining what he calls the
geometrically perfect hackle (i.e., one whose fibres
taper regularly and to an infinitesimal length
from root to point) ; but, for my part, I have no
such quarrel with nature, and venture to think
that for ordinary flies, hackled at the shoulder
only, the advantage of such feathers would be
expressed by a minus quantity, while, for flies
hackled all down the body, it would be of doubtful
existence, and merely conventional at the best.

Having collected our materials, the next problem
is how to store them. Our requirements are as
follows. The materials must be kept clean and
free from mites, &c. They must also be kept
separately classified, so as to be reached at a

44

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

moment's notice ; and, as is equally important,
the stowing away of them should be made as
simple as possible, otherwise all attempts at

1

1

II

j

1

J

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1 il

1

1

i

1

I

ii

1

1

1!

FIG. 16.

proper classification will probably, after a time, be
abandoned altogether. All this being considered,
a nicely-made cabinet, with some sixty good
sized drawers, and stained with some very light

ON MATERIALS. 45

colour, will be acknowledged as hard to beat. I
do not possess such an article myself, but I have
a very fair substitute for it. The essential features
of this are illustrated. (Fig. 16.)

The framework is simply a shelved box, with a
lid that can be raised upwards, and adjusted at a
suitable angle by means of a piece of string, so
that it can be used as a reflector if desired ; and
stout cardboard boxes, of the shape illustrated,
take the place of properly made wooden drawers.
It will be seen that the lids of the boxes may be
reversed, so that the latter can be used as open
drawers ; and the labels should be arranged as
shown in the figure, so as to be easily read when
*the lids are in this position.

The boxes should fit the shelves exactly in an
up and down direction, but sufficient lateral room
should be allowed for the fingers to be inserted
on either side of any box so as to remove it
easily. Of course, the other boxes on the same
shelf are first to be pushed on either side, so that
less than one inch of extra space in each shelf will
suffice. This space can be padded when one is
travelling with full paraphernalia.

For the above design I am largely indebted to
a Fishing Gazette correspondent of some five
years ago.

CIIAPTEE V.

DYEING, BLEACHING, AND OTHEE
EECIPES.

who have studied the older books on fly
dressing will have noticed that, with regard to the
subject of the present chapter, one of two alter-
natives was generally adopted. Either the author
abjured dyes altogether, asserting them to be
wanting in permanence, or destructive to material,
or he would find it necessary to give such a large
number of recipes as would take up more than
half of the space devoted to his entire subject.

The modern writer fortunately has no need to
adopt either course. There are now many ex-
cellent dyes in the market, made in a great
variety of tints, and free from either of the
objections mentioned ; so that a hackle dyed the
correct colour is, as being dyed, in no way inferior
to a self-coloured one, except that its natural
grease must generally have been partially re-
moved. This disadvantage, however, is of lesser
account now that it is customary to oil the hackle
of a floater.

The dyes of which I have had most experience
are those made by Messrs. Crawshaw, Fann-street,
Aldersgate-street, London. Theirs is the only
firm which has catered specially for the wants of
fly dressers, having produced a set of " Special
Dyes " for our purposes. Our thanks, also, are
more immediately due to Mr. Halford for having
proposed this idea to Messrs. Crawshaw, and
furnished patterns the special colours. Each
dye has received Mr, Halford's approval, and

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 47

therefore may be fully relied upon. They are
sold in bottles, Is. each, and the following is the
list of colours : Green olive, medium olive, brown
olive, green drake, grannom green, slate, iron
blue, canary, and red spinner. With this set,
and say, a claret and a brown from the ordinary
list, the trout fly dresser should be in a position
to dye any shade that he will require.

Of course, in dyeing, as in the other processes
of the art, it is a mistake for the amateur to tie
himself down to too hard and fast rules. The
end aimed at should always be in view. If a
clear idea of the desired colour be in the mind,
all is likely to go well. The manner of attaining
to this idea is tentative for the amateur at least.
Blending is often useful, even at a late stage of
the process ; at the same time, it is only fair to
add that Messrs. Crawshaw's " Special Dyes "
are so well and accurately compounded as to
remove all necessity for blending, as far as it is
possible to do so.

The directions issued with the dyes are as
follows : —

Thoroughly wash all the feathers, &c., before dyeing,
in a weak solution of ordinary washing soda in boiling
water, so as to remove the grease ; then rinse well in
cold water to remove all traces of the soda. Dissolve
the dye in boiling water, using for a quart of water
about the quantity of dye that can be taken up on the
point of an ordinary penknife, stir thoroughly until
dissolved, then put in the material to be dyed, and keep
stirring until the required shade is obtained. All the
colours, with the exception of the canary, will require
a little vinegar or other acicl to be added to the dye
bath, in order to fully bring out and fix the colour. The
acid should be added after the feathers have been in the
dye -bath for a short time.

When fully dyed wash the feathers in cold water, and
dip them for a few minutes in a weak solution of alum
— say, about ^oz. to a quart of water. This last pro-
cess will fix the colours, and make them fast,

48 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

For the acetiser, instead of vinegar, I some-
times use very dilute vitriol ; and, as often as not,
instead of using the alum, as directed, in a
separate mordant bath, after the dye bath, I use
it in the dye bath itself. This change may not
be an improvement, but I have not found it in
any way detrimental, and as it is often important
to be able to dry hackles at short notice, any
simplification or shortening of the process will
be welcome.

With this very end in view, I have devised a
simple centrifugal machine and colander com-
bined, which I have had in use for some time,
and which I should not care to be without. It
consists of a somewhat heavy colander of per-
forated galvanised sheet iron, with a bottom of
sheet tin not perforated. The latter is overlaid
outside with sheet lead, and the whole colander
weighs about Jib. A steel shaft, pointed at the
lower end, protrudes a short distance through the
centre of the bottom, and is soldered to it. It
also rises an inch or so above the level of the rim
of the colander.

The frame in which the colander revolves
resembles a large tin mug, a vessel as common in
Ireland as it is rare in England. The bottom of
this is also weighted with sheet lead, and it is
mounted on three small legs. The middle of one
side of this " mug " is cut away, a,s shown in the
figure. Inlaid in the bottom of this frame is a
small, hard steel step, in which the lower end of
the shaft revolves ; and a bearing, also of steel,
and detachable as shown, keeps the shaft in an
upright position. A perforated tin lid, fitting
inside the colander, and having a hole in the
centre just large enough to allow the shaft to
pass through it, is also added, to prevent the
shaft from rising out of the step, and also to
relieve the colander and shaft, when revolving

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 49

Sectional drawing. Machine complete— showing

open side of frame.

Steel step
(shown in sec-
tion)and pointed
end of shaft.

Bearing

detached from

machine.

FIG. 17.
D

Perforated tin lid to
fit inside colander.

50 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

rapidly, from any strain that could be caused by
imperfect balance. A piece of stout thread or
fine twine, waxed for preference, with a knot at
either end, to keep it from untwisting, completes
the apparatus.

Since the first publication of these pages in the
Fishing Gazette, the manufacture of this machine
has been taken up by Messrs. Holtzapffel, of
64, Charing Cross, London, from whom they may
now be purchased. They can be had to order,
either in copper or japanned tin, the price in the
first named metal being fourteen, and in the latter,
nineteen shillings.

The feathers to be dyed are placed in the
colander, which is then successively immersed in
the soda bath, dye bath, and mordant bath, and
washed under the tap when necessary. After the
mordant bath and final washing, the lid is fitted
on the colander, the colander placed in its frame,
with the shaft accurately inserted in the step,
and, finally, the bearing rod slid into place. The
closed-in side, or shield, of the frame should be
turned towards the operator, and the handle
should then be on his left side, and partially above
the lid of the colander. It should be grasped in
the second, third, and fourth fingers of the left
hand, leaving the thumb and forefinger free for
other work.

One end of the string should now be taken
firmly in the right hand, and held more lightly a
few inches lower down, between the finger and
thumb of the left. A quick turn of the right
hand round that part of the shaft which protrudes
through the bearing now passes the string firmly
once around it. The end of the string held in the
right hand is then pulled — slowly at first, and
rapidly at the finish — the string being allowed to
slide through the finger and thumb of the left
hand, but a small tension being all the while sus-

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 51

tained. This will put the machine into rapid
motion, which can be kept up as long as is desired,
in the same manner as it was begun. The
greater part of their moisture will be immediately
thrown off the. feathers, and after a short time
they will be completely dried. If convenient, the
machine should be placed closely in front of the
fire while it is spinning. The rapid rotation will
prevent the feathers from being scorched, and
they may be thus dried in about three minutes.
The tin shield on one side of the frame serves
both to reflect the heat back on the feathers, and
to prevent the drops of water, which at the first are
thrown off profusely, from reaching the operator's
clothes. Without a fire feathers may be dried
perfectly in about ten minutes. My machine runs
for six minutes, and at a high speed for about
four. When the feathers are dry, the colander
should be removed from its frame, and turned
upside down in the hands. The operator should
then blow round the side, so as to cause the
feathers to fall loosely into the perforated lid,
whence they can be easily removed to their
proper destination. It is no easy matter to
remove small feathers from the colander while
they are wet, so that in many ways my invention
will be found a great saving of time and labour.
The common method of drying feathers is to
shake them up in a band-box in front of the fire.
A single hackle may be quickly dried by stroking
its fibres alternately backwards and forwards.

For vessels in which to use the soda, dye, and
alum, I generally employ common 21b. jam pots,
partially immersed in a saucepan of boiling water.
A few folds of paper should be placed beneath the
jam pot, to guard against the possibility of
its cracking, by preventing the heat from passing
directly to it from the bottom of the saucepan,
and steam from collecting beneath it, should its
D 2

52 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

bottom not be perfectly flat. The colander of
my centrifugal machine is of such dimensions as
to fit loosely into the jam pot. For a stirring rod,
a piece of stick will do, but I find a large pair of
watchmaker's tweezers about as handy a thing as
one could use for this purpose. With them a
pinch of dye of the correct amount can be easily
taken from the bottle and stirred into the bath,
and a hackle can at any time be readily removed
from the colander to be examined. The simplest
way to dissolve any of the substances used in
dyeing in their various baths is to place them in
the colander, and then to raise and lower it
in the water after the manner of churning.
A similar plan may be adopted to thoroughly
saturate the feathers if any difficulty is found in
this matter.

White or grizzled hackles should almost in-
variably be selected for dyeing, though those of
other colours have often been successfully treated.
It is a fortunate circumstance that plain white
hackles are about the most common of any.

When dyeing peacock herl quills, the whole
" eye " part of the feather is treated entire before
the herls are scraped. To examine the quills at
any time, press the feather, close to its shaft, flat
between the finger and thumb, or hold it on
a level with the eyes.

Bleaching is, fortunately, not a necessary
adjunct to fly dressing, except, perhaps, in the case
of peacock herl quills, and straw for the bodies of
May Flies. The following is a good bleaching
mixture for either of these :

Peroxide of hydrogen (H2 O2) ... ... 10 parts

Liquid ammonia 1 part

Water ... 10 parts

In bleaching quills, the whole " eye " should
be immersed for at least twenty-four hours,
and then allowed to dry slowly, when the effect

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 53

of the bleaching will appear. The solution does
not keep, so it should be mixed freshly before
use. Even the peroxide of hydrogen unmixed
with ammonia is apt to lose its bleaching pro-
perties— to become plain water, in fact — from too
much exposure. The solution of peroxide of
hydrogen in ether is said to be much more stable,
but I have not any experience of it.

A large glass-stoppered bottle is a convenient
vessel in which to use the bleaching fluid. The
ammonia fumes have a very potent effect on the
eyes and nostrils, so it is well to keep them
within bounds.

Sulphurous acid (not sulphuric) is another
bleaching fluid especially good for straw, and
used by manufacturers both for it and feathers.
It is a saturated solution of sulphurous acid gas
in water, and obtainable from all chemists. The
straw or other material is simply steeped in it till
bleached to the degree required. Bright gimp,
immersed in the same fluid, may be dulled as
much as may be desired, without damage to its
floss silk core.

The next recipe on my list is one for a liquid
and transparent wax. It is of my own invention,
and I believe it to be the simplest in existence.
I leave my readers to judge for themselves
whether it is not also the best. In the matter of
wax every fly dresser appears to be something of
a faddist, and, from what I have written, it may
be inferred that I do not claim to be an exception.
My recipe is as follows :

Melt together in a jam pot, or other vessel, im-
mersed in boiling water (and safeguarded from
cracking in the manner I have already described),
some of the best and purest white or amber resin
with about the same volume of turpentine. Voila
tout ! The wax is made. It should not be poured
into water, or pulled about with the hands, as is.

54 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

recommended in other recipes, but should be
poured direct into whatever receptacle is chosen
for it. In my own experience I have found none
so convenient as the collapsible tubes in which oil
paints are sold. These may be obtained from
Messrs. Windsor and Newton, artists' colourmen,
Rathbone Place, London. The price is Is. 6d. per
dozen, postage extra. The advantages of these
tubes are, that when closed they are perfectly air-
tight, and that even when they are open a very
small surface of the liquid is exposed. The tube
may be laid open upon the table without fear of
spilling, and the amount of wax taken on the tip
of the finger may be controlled with the greatest
nicety, Immunity from breakage is another
advantage which the tubes possess.

The advantages which I claim for the wax are,
that it is more transparent than any other at
present known, that it is free from the faults of
many other waxes— brittleness, hardness, and the
like, and that it is quite insoluble in water, and
holds well, even when the fly is saturated with
paraffin, a test, by the way, which, since the
introduction of eyed hooks, few flies are called
upon to bear.

To clean the vessel in which the wax has been
prepared, the following mixture will be found
useful :

Paraffin oil 3 parts

Washing soda 2 parts

Water 5 parts

This should be shaken well round the inside,
and rubbed on the rim and outside of the vessel.
If this is done before the wax has time to harden,
all traces of the latter may be easily removed.
The above mixture, which is in reality a liquid,
soap, is very good for scouring purposes generally.
Being perfectly soluble in water, it does not leave
the taint of paraffin behind it.

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 55

To cleanse the fingers after waxing the tying
silk, a drop of turpentine is as good as anything
else. I keep a collapsible tube filled with
turpentine in the same box with that containing
the wax.

Of recipes for preserving material from moths,
the number is as great as the greater number
are useless. Taxidermists wash the skins they
set up with a weak solution of corrosive sub-
limate, and Mr. Halford recommends fly dressers
to follow the same plan. It is probably the
most permanent and efficient preventative known,
but great care must be exercised in using it,
as the corrosive sublimate (bisulphide of mercury)
is a most virulent poison, in whatever way it is
introduced into the system. It was formerly
used for washing sheep, but this practice,
I believe, has been abandoned as too dangerous.

Albo-carbon (naphthaline) is mentioned by the
Kev. Theodore Wood as a good preservative. It
should be kept in the boxes along with the
feathers.

" Benzine Collas," as a destroyer of the moths
at whatever stage of life they may be — from the
egg to the perfect insect — has the authority of the
same eminent entomologist ; also that of the late
Mr. Frank Buckland. A little should be poured
on a pad of cotton wool, the latter placed in the
box with the feathers, and the lid closed tightly
over it. The operation should be repeated at
intervals of a few months.

In several portions of "Curiosities of Natural
History " I find Mr. Buckland strongly and
unreservedly recommending an herb called
"feverfew." He says that moths "will not go
near it." At the time he wrote it was sold at
Covent Garden, but I cannot say whether it is
still to be obtained. Perhaps some London
reader will make the experiment. I learn from

56 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

the "Materia Mediea" that it is akin to the
chamomile, and am therefore trying the virtue of
chamomile flowers, but up to the present time
I cannot say whether they would be of use or no.

The last recipe with which I shall deal relates
to the last process through which a dry-fly goes —
that which so markedly increases its powers of
staying above water, and which is commonly
referred to as the "oil tip." The ordinary
process, which was first made public in the
Fishing Gazette by the late Mr. Andrews, of
Guildford, is to soak the fly in paraffin oil,
or to brush the wings and hackle with the
same. I will not say that I have made any
improvement on this process, but from a priori
considerations, and from a few experiments which
I have made, I venture to think that such is
possible. Let me first, by way of preface, attempt
an explanation of the theory of the " oil tip/'
which may be new to many readers of this paper.

Imprimis, it is necessary to understand that
there is a great difference between the molecular
structure of the particles at the surface of a fluid
and that of those beneath the surface. The
cohesive power of the latter is practically nil,
whereas that of the former is such as to cause the
surface of the liquid to assume all the properties
of an elastic skin. This will explain the well-
known fact that it is possible to cause a dry and
well polished needle to float on water. If the
needle be pushed through the skin, it will at once
sink to the bottom. Also, if the surface of the
needle be rough, the water will creep entirely over
it and the supporting skin beneath give way. The
needle being thus brought again beneath the
surface, will again sink. The case of the dry fly
not paraffined, and made of feathers which have
lost their natural oil, is similar to this latter. The
stretched elastic skin creeps over the feathers, and

DYEING, BLEACHING, ETC. 57

pulls the fly beneath the surface. Oiling the
feathers simply prevents the water from spreading
itself over them — since the surface of water and oil
will not adhere — and so enables the fly to float for
a much longer time. Thus, the "oil tip/' impor-
tant as it is in aiding the angler to dry his fly
when it is off the water, plays an equally
important part when the fly is on the water.

In physical laboratories paraffin wax is generally
used instead of paraffin oil to baffle the clinging
properties of water, and it was this fact that first
suggested to me the following slight modification
of the method in vogue among fly fishers,

Put a few pieces of paraffin wax into a small
but wide-mouthed bottle, and add about twice the
volume of paraffin oil. Place the bottle in hot
water, and shake it now and then till the wax and
oil are thoroughly mixed together. Now immerse
the flies for a few minutes (under the exhausted
receiver of an air pump, should such be available),
then take them out, and press them gently between
the folds of a cloth to remove the superfluous
dressing.

This method, so far as I can judge, seems to
produce a more permanent result than does the use
of the oil alone, and not to be inferior in any other
respect. I fancy it would also be a good way to
increase the floating powers of the line.

It may be worthy of mention that where dis-
tillery refuse is thrown into water, it has the
property of so diminishing the strength of the
latter's elastic skin, that it may be found almost
impossible to keep the fly afloat — the " oil tip "
notwithstanding.

D 3

CHAPTER VI.

ON THE VICE AND TOOLS.

As I have already had occasion to remark, it
will be a mistake on the part of the amateur to
neglect to avail himself of such mechanical aids
as may be within his reach. Of these, the vice is
especially useful, indeed, in the more difficult

FIG. 18. The Tacklemaker's Vice.

ON THE VICE AND TOOLS.

59

styles of fly dressing, well-nigh indispensable, so
that to purchase a suitable vice is one of the first
steps that the beginner is recommended to take.

There are three vices offered for his choice. The
first is known as the " tacklemaker's vice"
(Fig. 18), and is a good serviceable article for
all-round work, but the shape of the jaws, though
excellent for holding the hook firmly, is not the

Front View. Side View.

FIG. 19. Upper Portion of Mr. Halford's Vice.

best calculated to give freedom to the fingers.
The second is Mr. Halford's vice (Figs. 19 and 21 )
which combines all the best features of the tackle-
maker's vice with a few important improvements,
the details of which will be readily comprehended
from the figures. It is particularly to be noticed
that the height of the vice is adjustable, and that
attention has been given to the important feature
of portability.

60

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

For trout fly work alone, however, Mr. Hawks-
ley's vice (Figs. 20 and 21) will probably be found
the most convenient of all. Mr. Halford himself
was, I believe, the first to publicly profess this
opinion.

As will be seen from the figure, the Hawksley
vice is virtually a fixed pair of pliers — which, by
the way, remind one unpleasantly of those used
by the dentist — with a sliding collar (A) to hold

Front View. Side View.

FIG. 20. Upper Portion of Mr. Hawksley's Vice.

the jaws firmly together. To fix the hook in the
vice, place it in position with the right hand,
and with the left grasp the pliers and take hold of
the hook after the ordinary and improved fashion.
The collar will descend automatically by its own
weight, and jam at the sticking point. A very
strong permanent grip will result if the wire of
the hook be fine. When the hook is too big,
and the wire consequently too thick, it will be

ON THE VICE AND TOOLS. 61

obvious to those of a mechanical turn of mind,
that the jaws will not be able to close up suffi-
ciently, or make a sufficiently small angle with
each other to obtain a good hold. When it is
desired to release the hook, the pliers should once
more be tightly grasped in the four fingers of
the left hand, and the collar pushed upwards
with the thumb ; the hook, or completed fly, is
then removed with the right hand, the grip of the
left hand on the pliers being simultaneously
slackened. The spring (B) will now keep the
jaws of the pliers open and ready to receive
another hook. Altogether it is scarcely conceiv-
able that any arrangement for holding a hook
firmly and in a convenient position could be
quicker and simpler in its action than Mr.
Hawksley's. Of course, there would be no diffi-
culty in making a vice of this kind for use in
salmon fly dressing, but I have thought it right
to explain that one suited for trout fly work
might not be well adapted for this and other uses
to which the purchaser might wish to apply it.

It is now more than two years since I advocated,
in the Fishing Gazette, the use of rubber clips to
keep the tying silk taut and out of the way at such
stages in the dressing of a fly where it is convenient
to do so, and my experience of them since then
has tended only to strengthen my conviction that
they are exceedingly useful. The form of fitting,
however, which I originally recommended, though
serviceable enough as a home-made article, is now
superseded in my estimation by the stronger and
more compact form illustrated below, and which
Messrs. Holtzappfel, of 64, Charing-cross, the
makers of both Mr. Half ord's and Mr. Hawksley's
fly dressing vices, are prepared to fit at a small
cost to any pattern of vice, old or new. (Fig. 21).

As will be seen, the fitting is adjustable, and
occupies such a position as never to be in the

62

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

way, but to be readily reached when it is to be
brought into service. The silk should first be
pulled down taut, so as to press against the metal
slide, and then pulled steadily to the right. The

a

FIG. 21. Clamp of Halford or Hawksley Vice, with Athenian
rubber clip fitting, lower portion of vice pillar and hook
for use in looping, &c. A B— Lower portion of vice
pillar. X Y — Metal slide of rubber clip fitting. S — Screw
to secure vice pillar. N— Nut to secure metal slide.
Y— Rubber clip. T T— Tying silk. H— Hook turning
freely around pillar of vice.

The position of the metal slide may he readily changed
from the horizontal to the vertical, and clamp and slide thus
rendered conveniently portable without being detached.

ON THE VICE AND TOOLS.

63

latter action will force it beneath the rubber clip,
when it will be held firmly between the rubber
and the metal.

The tools necessary in fly dressing are few and
simple. A small pair of scissors and a pair of
watchmaker's tweezers (both with sharp points),
a dubbing needle, and a pair of hackle pliers are
all that will be required.

FIG. 22. The Fly Dresser's Tools. A— Hackle pliers.
B — Dubbins1 needle. C — Straight-bladed scissors. D —
Curved-bladed scissors. E— Watchmaker's tweezers.

The scissors may either be of the ordinary
straight bladed pattern, or they may have blades
curved, so as to be capable of cutting in a curved
line. The latter kind is especially used for trim-
ming May Fly wings into shape, and is perhaps
to be preferred for all the ordinary purposes of
fly dressing.

64 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

The watchmaker's tweezers will be found
extremely useful for picking hooks out of the
box in which they are kept, for splitting the
wings of a floating fly, and for a variety of other
purposes. Their usefulness in dyeing has already
been mentioned.

The dubbing needle is simply an ordinary
sewing needle stuck eye foremost into a suitable
handle. The latter may be bought at any hard-
ware shop, and the needle fixed by means of a
pair of pliers.

The hackle pliers are illustrated in Fig. 22.
They are generally made of brass or steel wire,
and are constructed on a principle contrary to
that of ordinary pliers ; for in order to open their
jaws their sides are compressed, and when the
point of the hackle is admitted the pressure is
removed. The jaws then automatically close and
take a very firm grip of the hackle, so that, in
effect, the hackle and hackle pliers become tem-
porarily united. Thus a small hackle may be
wound as easily as a large one.

CHAPTEE VII.
HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

AT the outset of the present chapter it may be
pardonable to reiterate the truism, that it is im-
possible to dress a fly true to nature without
either a present model from which to work, or an
accurate recollection of an absent one. The
former alternative is, of course, the better ; and
before the latter can be employed the fly must
have been studied, both as a whole and as a
structure of parts — studied, in fact, with a view
to imitation.

In " The Story of Ung" a short ballad by Mr.
Eudyard Kipling, an old " maker of pictures/'
sings of the aurochs that : —

' ' Men have not time at the houghing to count his curls
aright."

And it is likely that, due to a similar cause,
there may be much unsuspected " haziness "
among fly fishers, as to what a natural fly is
really like.

The fly dresser is, then, advised to avail himself
of every opportunity of studying the form and
colouring of flies, and to have always living
models when they are obtainable. Meanwhile,
the figures below may suffice to give a rough,
general idea of some of the principal forms of
insect life with which we shall have to deal.

In the following descriptions of the various
methods of trout fly manufacture, I shall assume
that the beginner (to whom I address myself) is
right-handed. If the case be otherwise, it will not

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

be difficult to make the necessary modifications
in my directions.

The vice should be screwed to the bench or
table in such a position as to receive plenty of
light. If possible, table and vice should be so
arranged that strong light, as from a window,
should come from behind the operator; while
plenty of diffused light — i.e., that coming from

FIG. 23.

white or light coloured objects — should fall on
his work in other directions. If a white car-
penter's apron be worn, it will be found a great
convenience in many ways, and will be of assis-
tance in the matter at present under consideration.
I suppose that most persons understand the
difference between what is known as "right-
handed " and what as " left-handed " winding ;

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 67

also what is meant by winding "towards the
right/' and what by winding " towards the left."
As, however, these terms are likely to be of great
use to us in the near future, I have thought it
well to explain them by means of the illustrations
below.

Let us now begin the dressing of our wet fly,
which some may think has been too long deferred.

METHOD No. 1.

Our first exercise will be to dress an upwing
dun or spinner. Fix the hook (No. 2 will be a

£

•S3SEHHHHHf222£UZZZSiB

in^^>"u

I I , 5

pi' ^ure^r^ &b* -r^ylc

FIG. 24.

The shorter end of the tying silk is marked E. The arrows
indicate the directions in which the winding progresses.

good size to commence with) in the vice, in the
position shown in Fig. 25, and, if such a further
aid to the eyesight be felt desirable, lay a piece
of white paper on the table, so that the hook
may be outlined against it.

Wax a length of about lOin. of tying silk by
taking a little liquid wax on the tip of the fore-
finger and drawing the silk slowly several times
between forefinger and thumb. Cleanse the finger
and thumb with turpentine and wipe them on a

68 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

cloth, which should be kept for the purpose, or on
the apron referred to above.

Now, commencing from a point about Jin. from
the end of the shank, wind right-handed,* about •
six turns towards the left, then back over the
same six turns towards the right. Fasten silk in
clip, and cut away end (E).

FIG. 25.

If dressing flies to gut, take a length of the
latter, being careful that it is perfectly round and
otherwise of good quality, and flatten one end
between the teeth, so that the length of the
flattened end may be about one-half that of the
shank of the hook.

Lay the flattened end horizontally beneath the

FIG. 26.

shank (Fig. 26). Eemove silk from clip, and
wind towards the left, till the straight part of the
shank is entirely covered (Fig. 27). Fasten silk
in clip.

T&ke the two fibres to imitate the whisks of the
fly between the finger and thumb of the right

* I say right-handed only to fix the ideas. Of course, the
left-handed method of winding may be adopted if it be
preferred.

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

69

hand, the tips of the fibres pointing in the same
direction as the forefinger. Lay them with the
roots touching the left-hand portion of the upper
side of the shank, and the points projecting to
the left (Fig. 27).

FIG. 27.
Whisks tied in, and ribbing tinsel about to be tied in.

Carefully adjust the length of the part to be
allowed to project, according as the fly to be
imitated is a Dun or a Spinner (Vide Fig. 23, A.
and B., also note, page 79). Now press the shank

FIG. 28.
Whisks and ribbing tinsel tied in, and floss about to be tied in.

of the hook, together with the fibres, placed in posi-
tion as above, between the forefinger and thumb of
the left hand. Eemove the silk from clip with right
hand, and take two more turns towards the left,

70 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

bringing the silk up and down between the tips
of the left thumb and forefinger. Now remove
the left hand from the hook, and take another
turn of the silk towards the left, this time
bringing it not over, but behind the fibres (Fig.
27). Then fasten silk in clip, and trim root ends
of fibres.

Next tie in the ribbing tinsel (if any) by another
turn towards the right, and then (Fig. 28) the
floss, or other body material, by a few more turns
in the same direction. During these operations
the tinsel, or body material, if soft, should be
held close to the shank of the hook, between the

FIG. -29.

left forefinger and thumb, just as were the
whisks at the preceding stage of our present
piece of work.

Fasten silk in clip, and cut away slantwise the
exposed end (K) of the body material. Then
continue winding towards the right, till the
original starting point is reached. Fasten silk
in clip.

Now, with the right hand, wind the strip of
body material over the foundation of tying silk,
changing for the moment to the left hand, to
pass the strip between the pillar of the vice and
the length of tying silk, held taut by the rubber
clip.

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

71

During- the winding, the second, third, and
fourth fingers of the left hand should hold the
vice lightly, a few inches beneath the jaws, so as
to allow the left finger and thumb to rest a little
below the shank of the hook, one on either side

FIG. 30.

of the vice, in readiness to receive the body
material from 'the right hand once in every turn.
When the tying silk is covered, hold the body
material above the shank with the right hand
(Fig. 30), and with the left remove silk from clip,

FIG. 31.

and take a turn over the body material and
towards the right. Change tying silk into right
hand, and take another turn towards the right
and over the body material. Fasten the silk in
clip, and cut away hanging strip of body material.

72

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Wind ribbing tinsel carefully in open spiral
turns, fasten with tying silk and cut away end,
by same procedure as was used in fastening and
cutting away end of body material. Fasten silk
in clip.

Now select a wing or tail feather from which

FIG. 32.

to prepare wings. Cut away a piece of the
feather web, about three-eighths of an inch broad,
i.e., of twice the breadth of which the wings are
to be. Hold the severed web in both hands in
the position shown (Fig. 32), and move either
hand very slightly in the direction indicated by
the arrow placed next it. The pressure of the

HOW TO DRES$ A WET FLY.

73

fingers on the web should be very light during
the movement, and at the end of the movement
one hand should be removed. Then take hold
again with this hand and repeat the process, this
time removing the other hand. Continue in like
fashion, occasionally pausing to stroke the fibres
out straight, until from the form A (Fig. 32) the
web assumes the form B.

FIG. 33. The lower half of the figure illustrates the position
of the lines A B and X Y on the left forefinger. It will
be understood that the portion of the forefinger is not
shown in its proper position nor, of course, in its proper
relative size.

The fibres should be carefully stroked together,
where they threaten to separate.

Now double the web as shown in the figure,
leaving the light or dark side outermost,
according to choice.

The wings are now ready to be tied in. They
should be taken by the roots between the finger

74 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

and thumb of the right hand, and laid on edge
along the upper side of the shank of hook, so that
their length may be correctly apportioned.

Then place the tips of the left finger and
thumb on either side of the hook-shank and
wings, so as to hold the latter in position.

Eemove silk from clip with the right hand.
Then, opening the left thumb and forefinger a
little at the tips, by concentrating the pressure on
the line A B (Fig. 33), pass the silk up between
the tip of the thumb and near wing, and hold it
taut for a moment perpendicularly above the

FIG. 34.

shank. Now concentrate the pressure of the left
thumb and forefinger on the line X Y (Fig. 33),
and pass the tying silk down between the off
wing and the tip of the left forefinger. Now,
pressing, with the left thumb and forefinger, on
both tying silk and wings, draw down the tying
silk slowly and firmly with the right hand, fchus
contracting the stumps of the wings, and binding
them on the upper surface of the shank. Pass
the silk two or three more times around the
stumps of the wings, to secure the latter more
completely, before removing the pressure of the
left forefinger and thumb. Fasten silk in clip

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 75

and trim away the exposed stumps of the wings
with the scissors.

When dressing flies to gut or on down-eyed
hooks, this is quite an easy matter, but when
dressing on up-eyed hooks, it is more difficult. In
this latter case the simplest plan within my
experience is as follows : Hold the scissors on the
right forefinger and thumb, but with the blades
pointing inwards towards the elbow. Now set
the points astride the stumps of the wings and

FIG. 35.

upper side of the shank, and, holding the wings
between the left forefinger and thumb, draw the
seissors upwards, at the same time compressing
them, so as to cut away as much of the stumps as
possible. Eepeat the operation as often as may
be necessary.

Remove silk from clip, and continue winding
towards the right, till the end of the shank is
completely covered.

E 2

76

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Then wind back towards the left, as far as the
roots of the wings. Change the silk into the left
hand, and taking the tips of the wings between
the right forefinger and thumb, raise them up

FIG. 36.

from the shank of the hook and pass the silk
behind them. Fasten silk in clip.

Now prepare a hackle of suitable length of
fibre, by stripping off the down on either side of
the root end of the quill.

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 77

Then, holding the hackle by the tip, lay the
bare stem obliquely across the under side of the
shank, pointing "half -right," and the inner or less
glossy side of the fibres facing inwards towards
the shank.

Fasten in hackle, i.e., bind stem to shank,
with two turns of the tying silk towards the left.
Fasten tying silk in clip, and cut away exposed
end of hackle stem. Fasten hackle pliers on
point of hackle.

Now wind hackle two or three turna towards
the right, changing hands, as in winding body
material, and keeping the stem of the hackle taut
during the operation. Bring the turns alternately
behind and in front of the strained length of
tying silk, always, however, pulling the point of
the hackle a little to the right when it is passing
underneath the shank. Now, holding the un-
wound part of hackle taut, and pointing " half-
right," fasten down the wound part with two
turns of the tying silk, towards the right and in
front of the wings. Fasten silk in clip. Cut
away closely the unwound remnant of the hackle.
Eemove silk from clip.

The next step is to fasten in the tying silk by
means of what is called the " whip finish."

All kinds of lapping, whether on rods, cricket
bats, or any other such- articles, are finished by
this neat and secure fastening. The manner of
making it is a little difficult to describe in words,
but perhaps it will be understood from the figures
below. These are intended simply to illustrate
the whip finish, and have no other relation to the
figures which have preceded them. Thus a
portion of the shank of the hook is shown bare,
though, in the method of fly dressing with which
we are now dealing, the whole shank is covered
with tying silk, before the time for making the
whip finish is reached.

78

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

To make the whip finish : —

Raise a part of the silk above the shank, as in
Fig. 37, and fix the end in the rubber clip.

Form the loop as in Fig. 38.

Pull the gut through this loop, and wind with
the part of the silk marked ABC, one turn

FIG. 37.

FIG. 38.

Fig. 39.

FIG. 41.

towards the right. Repeat this operation a
few times. The work will now appear as in
Fig. 39.

Insert the point of the dubbing needle in the
loop, and hold it taut, as in Fig. 40.

Remove from clip and pull silk home, as in

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 79

Fig. 41, and finally cut away as closely as possible
the loose end of the tying- silk. In fly dressing,
four turns of the tying silk are sufficient to form
the whip finish. When the fly is dressed to gut,
the last turn of the whip finish should not reach
the end of the shank. It will then be almost
impossible for it to come undone, and, when the
head of the fly is varnished, the abrupt ending of
the outermost layer of silk lapping will not be
noticeable.

Our fly is now complete, save for the varnishing
of the head and the final adjustment of the fibres
of the hackle and wings. Coachbuilders" copal
varnish is the best kind to use, but it requires at
least twenty-four hours to harden properly.
Shellac varnish, made by dissolving orange shellac
in rectified spirits of wine, dries almost instan-
taneously, and is excellent when the fly is wanted
for immediate use. A tiny sable hair brush is
perhaps the best thing with which to apply the
varnish, but the dubbing needle or a wooden
match pointed at the end will do very well as a
makeshift.

In giving the fly its finishing touches, whether
at the worktable or at the riverside, many
amateurs are inclined to forget that it is intended
to be a copy of a natural insect, rather than of a
shop-made artificial. They should not endeavour
to bring the hackle fibres into a compact bunch,
in the same plane with the hook, but should
rather spread them out, pointing fore and aft and
on either side, as do the legs of the natural fly.

NOTE. — I append sketches of a dun (the last state but
one of the up wing fly familiar to us all) and of a spinner
(the complete and reproductive state of the same
fly). The two sketches (A and B, Fig. 23) appearing on
page 66 are unsatisfactory, as they do not illustrate the
chief distinctive features, nor the correct proportions of
duns and spinners.

80

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

The wings of a dun are more or less opaque, and are,
for the most part, well imitated by the feathers usually
employed. The wings of a spinner, on the contrary,

are, as a rule, like films of crystal, either smooth or
frosted (asit were), to give an effect which might perhaps
be described as " c*nn'l*r a^^n-n^-nnao "

To the best of my judgment, the proportions impor-
tant to fly dressers of these upwings appear somewhat
as follows :

Of both dun and spinner, the length of the wings from
base to tip is equal to»the total length of head, thorax,
and abdomen (body).

Of a dun, the length of the whisks is to the total length
of head, thorax, and abdomen, as 7 to 6, approximately.

In a spinner this same ratio is, approximately, as 7 to 4,

CHAPTER VIII.
HOW TO DEESS A WET FLY.

Method No. 2.

THE following method of dressing a wet fly is
that commonly used by professionals. Male
hands, as a rule, dispense with the vice, holding
the hook at the bend tightly between the left
forefinger and thumb j but whether a vice be

FIG. 42.

used or no, the method, in its essential details, is
always the same.

I trust that I may safely use, from now on, a
shorter and more technical slyle of description.

Commence as before, and continue till body is
formed and secured. Tie in hackle as before by
two turns towards the left-, and clip away bare
E 3

82

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

stem. Wind two or three turns of hackle, the
first in front of silk, the second behind, and the
third (if there be any) in front. Fasten off
hackle by two turns of silk towards the right.
Clip away unwound tip. With dubbing needle

FIG. 43.

adjust hackle fibres, coaxing some of those which
stand out above shank of hook to lie on either
side. Press the fibres back. Prepare and tie in
wings, and finish as before.

FIG. 44.

This same method is used in dressing down-
wing flies, the hackle fibres left on the upper side
of the shank after treatment with the dubbing
needle should, in this case, be clipped away. The
following methed, however, is to be preferred .

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

83

HOW TO DBESS A DOWNWING.

Commence as before, but a little nearer the
bend of hook, and, of course, omit whisks. Form
body as before. Prepare and tie in wings. Clip

FIG. 45.

stumps and continue winding to end of shank,
tying in feelers at head, as whisks 'were tied in, in
preceding example. Wind back again to roots of
wings as before. Split the two wings apart with
the watchmaker's tweezers, and, taking the tip of
either wing separately between the left forefinger

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

and thumb, draw it down a little on its own side
of the shank. Now place the hackle in the
position indicated in Fig. 43, and holding both
wings, hackle, and the shank of the hook between
left forefinger and thumb, fasten the wings in a

FIG. 46.

lie-down position, and tie in hackle by means of
two turns of the tying silk towards the left.
Wind hackle and finish as before.

How TO MAKE A BUZZ-FLY.

Commence as in method No. 2, but leave less of
the end of the shank bare. Continue as in method
No. 2 till hackle is wound and secured.

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 85

Clip unused tip of hackle, and wind silk
towards the right to end of shank. Wind back
towards the left till hackle is reached, and then
form whip finish as before.

How TO DRESS A PALMER.
The term palmer, as Eonalds tells us, applies
primarily to the caterpillars of certain moths,
notably to that of the Arctia caja, or garden
tiger moth. They are well known in most districts
under the name of woolly bears, and are frequently

FIG. 47.

to be seen crawling on the footpath. They are
said to make long wanderings, and hence their
name, palmer being the term originally applied to
pilgrims returned from the Holy Land in the
days of the crusades. In fly dressing, however,
the term palmer is used in a general way, to denote
wingless artificials, hackled all down, or half-way
down, the body. Mr. Francis Francis shows, I
think, convincingly enough, that the natural
palmer cannot be regarded as having a place
among the staple foods of the trout, and that the

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

artificial imitation must therefore be relegated to
the list of fancy patterns.

Eonalds and Foster seem to be of quite a
different opinion, but we need not enter on the
controversy here. The important fact for us is,
that both the large woolly bears and the small
palmers are often very killing lures.

The following is a good method of dressing a
palmer : Lay on the silk and tie in gut as usual.
Select a hackle, long in the quill and relatively

FIG. 48.

short in the fibre. Stroke back all its fibres
except those at the point. Tie it in by the point,
before tying in body material.

Tie in ribbing tinsel, if any, and body material.
Wind tying silk to shoulder. Wind and fasten
body material and ribbing tinsel.

Wind hackle, keeping it well on edge, in open
spiral coils, close behind, and touching ribbing
tinsel. Fasten down hackle with two turns of
tying silk. Cut away stem of hackle.

If desired, another hackle may now be tied in,

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

87

and the fly finished as a buzz-fly, or both hackle
and wings maybe added as in No. 2, thus making

FIG. 49.

the fly what we may term a winged palmer. The
third alternative,^, of course, to form the head
and finish " right 'away."

CHAPTER IX.

HOW TO DEESS A WET PLY— (continued).

IT may here be well to consider the proper
method of winding a spiral, since there seems to
be a prevalent idea, even among authors on fly
dressing, that it is impossible to wind the hackle

Spiral incorrectly wound.

Spiral correctly wound .

Method of winding— observe the angles.
FIG. 50.

of a palmer in such a manner that it is not after-
wards liable to slip, when fastened only at either
end.

To wind a non-slipping spiral (of thread, say)
round a cylindrical surface (say that of a pencil),

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY. 89

the thread must always, during the winding, be
strained at the same angle to the direction in which
the pencil points. For suppose the pencil to be
covered exactly with a rectangular strip of paper,
and suppose the thread to leave a mark on the
paper ; then, when a spiral has been wound and
unwound, suppose the paper to be removed and
flattened out. It will appear as illustrated by the
shaded portion of the figure (Fig. 50). A marks
extremity of the spiral and B the other.

Now, from the dotted portion of the figure it is
easily seen that the length of any spiral reaching
from A to B must be equal to the length of some
line reaching from A to B', B' being perfectly
determinate from the position of B and the
number of turns in the spiral. But the shortest
of all lines reaching from A to B' is the straight
line AB'. Therefore the shortest spiral reaching
from A to B is that wound in accordance with the
above-mentioned conditions.

If, now, the ends of this shortest spiral be bound
fast to the pencil, it is clear that, unless the
thread forming the spiral stretches, it is quite
impossible for any part of it to slip.

We see, then, that to dress a palmer properly
it is necessary, both to wind the hackle as has
been directed, and to fasten it with the tying silk
as soon as it has been wound as far as the shoulder.
The wrong method is, after having wound the
hackle in open turns up the body, to proceed at
once to wind it in a few close turns at the
shoulder, without previously making it fast. I
trust that I have made this point very clear, for
it involves an important principle which is often
disregarded.

When there is any considerable degree of taper
in the body, the considerations by which we
determine the shortest spiral must undergo some
modification.

90

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

It will be clear from reasoning, analogous to
the above, that in this case the hackle or ribbing
tinsel should be held at a slightly smaller angle
to the shank as the winding proceeds. Thus the
turns of the spiral will, for two reasons,* be more

FIG 51. Types of wet flies. A— Upwing dressed by method
No. 1. B— Upwing dressed by method No. 2. C— Fly
with thickly dubbed body and dubbing for legs . D — Buz z
fly. E— Palmer. F— Winged palmer. G— Fly with
tassel-like tag. H — Fly with tinsel tag.

widely spaced near the shoulder than near the
tail. If the hackle be held taut during the

* The first reason being that, even if the angle were not
gradually lessened, the thickening of the body would occasion
a corresponding and proportionate widening of the spaces
between the successive coils.

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

91

winding, it will, of course, have a tendency to
take up its proper position automatically.

ANOTHER METHOD OF DRESSING A WINGED
PALMER.

Commence as before, tying in hackle, ribbing
tinsel (if any), and body material in succession.
Wind tying silk, body material, and ribbing
tinsel to shoulder, fastening in the two last as
before. Tie in wings as in method No. 1. Wind
body hackle and finish as before.

TAGS.
Two kinds of tags are illustrated in Fig. 61.

FIG. 52.

The one (G), a short tassel-like appendage, is
formed by a piece of floss silk or a bunch of
feather fibres, tied in at the end of the body, as
whisks are, and afterwards trimmed squarely
across at the proper length. The other type (H)
may be described as a short joint or section at
the tail end of the body, and of a colour different
from that of the remainder of the body. Let us
now suppose that it is desired to make a tag of
tinsel in front of the whisks.

Commence as usual, and having reached the

92 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

stage illustrated in Fig. 27, tie in a length of fine
flat tinsel. Wind the tying silk some four or five
turns towards the right, and fasten in clip.
Wind tinsel over these four or five turns, and
fasten by one turn of the tying silk. Before
cutting away unwound tinsel, tie in body material
with two more turns of tying silk towards the
right, which should be made over the end of the
tinsel, so as to further secure it. Cut away tinsel
and end of body material, and proceed as before.

It is obvious that when a fly has whisks, a tag
may be formed either before or behind the whisks.
It is clear, also, that by a device similar to that
just described, may be made a winged palmer,
hackled only halfway down the body. The
hinder half of the body may be. made as a tag of
one strip of material, and after this is wound and
secured by one turn, the hackle, ribbing tinsel,
and another strip of body material may be tied
in, and the fly completed as before. Parti-
coloured bodies of any number of joints may be
made on the same lines. The following applica-
tion of the same method may also be noticed.

When a particularly large Palmer, or woolly
bear, is to be made, it may sometimes happen
that a hackle sufficiently long to cover the whole
length of the body cannot be obtained. In this
case, the simplest plan is to make the body in two
sections, finishing off one before tying in hackle
and body material with which to form the other.
If the work be done neatly, the join will not be
easily visible.

How TO MAKE A DUBBED BODY.

Commence as usual, and having tied in the
ribbing tinsel (if any), hold the tying silk taut
with the left hand, and taking a little dubbing of
the proper shade between the finger and tlmmb
of the right, spin it smoothly on the well waxed

HOW TO DRESS A WET FLY.

93

tying silk close up to the shank of the hook.
Twist the tying silk a few times in the same way,
" right handed " or " left handed/' as that in
which the dubbing was spun. Wind the tying
silk, now covered with dubbing, towards the right
as far as the shoulder. Remove the unwound

FIG. 53.

dubbing from the tying silk with the nails of the
right forefinger and thumb.

In dressing some flies, the dubbing that has
been wound on the body should now be picked
out with the dubbing needle, so as to soften the
outline of the body and give it a more woolly
effect.

Wind the ribbing tinsel, and fasten it off as
usual. Tie in wings as usual, and add hackle ;

94 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

or, having brought the tying silk behind the
wings, spin a little more dubbing on it, and wind
a turn or two of this behind the wings. Finish
as usual, and when dubbing is to serve for hackle,
pick it out carefully at the shoulder.

Of course, the hackle or " shoulder dubbing "
may be put on before the tying in of the wings
according to method No. 2, if it be so preferred.

GHAPTEE X.
HOW TO DRESS A DKY FLY.

DRY-FLY fishing being a development of wet-fly
fishing, it follows almost of necessity, that the
artificial lures used in the newer style shonld be
developments of those used in the older ; and fact
confirms the inference.

It is in the hackle and wings of the dry fly that
the results of the developing process are chiefly
noticeable. The special object served by the
seemingly excessive number of fibres in the
hackle is, firstly, to afford greater support when
the fly is in contact with the surface of the water ;
and, secondly, to afford greater resistance to
descent, and thus decrease the impetus with
which the fly strikes the water. The split wings,
acting like a parachute, also contribute to
produce the same result.

Now, it is well known that in almost every case
of practical importance, a body which does not
sink to the bottom of a fluid displaces a quantity
of the fluid equal in weight to itself. But,
strange as it may seem, the Archimedean rule,
almost universal in its application, is of but minor
importance to the dry-fly angler. A simple
experiment will decide the matter.

Place a dry fly carefully on the surface of the
water, and in an upright or " cocked " position.
Its " displacement " is very small indeed, fittle
more than the bend of the hook being under
water. Then sink the fly, pressing it well under
the surface. On the pressure being removed, it

96 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

will (if a typical dry fly) rise rapidly, till the tips
of its wings touch the surface, when it will
remain still, entirely immersed — held down by
the elastic skin of the water, to which reference
has already been made. Before, when the fly
was floating properly, it was the elastic skin that
held it up.

It is true, indeed, that this elastic skin of the
water is capable of sustaining such a small
weight, that, in all ordinary questions of buoyancy,
its presence may be altogether ignored, but its
influence in dry-fly fishing is supreme.

A good dry fly, then, should be constructed : —

1. To fall in the correct position.

2. To fall so gently on the skin of the water as
not to break through it.

3. To distribute its weight so evenly on the
skin as to be easily borne up.

4. To prevent the skin from "creeping" over it.
In Chapter V. the last condition has already

been discussed. We shall now examine some
forms of dry flies, and discover how far they fulfil
the remaining conditions.

Forms A, B, and C (Fig. 54) are those most com-
monly used, but all have a tendency to fall with the
shank of the hook pointing skywards, unless there
is just sufficient tension at the end of the gut cast
to keep it horizontal. When this is the case, the
line of descent being vertical, it follows that the
wings should be perpendicular to the shank (as in
Form B), if the maximum advantage is to be
taken of their parachutic action. Now, while
Form A is the truest to nature, Form C is the
most evenly balanced when floating in its correct
position, and therefore conforms best to the third
condition above laid down, so that, on the whole,
it would seem that Form B, being a compromise
between the two, and having, as has just been
demonstrated, a special advantage of its own, is

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

97

the best of the three, that have, so far, been
considered.

Forms D and E, however, seem, when judged
by the standards proposed, to be far nearer to
mechanical perfection than any of the others.
In Form E, for instance, a form of my own in-
vention, for the first time publicly .described in the

FIG. 54. Types of dry flies. A, B, C— Ordinary upwings
D — Reversed winged up wing. E, F — Detached bodied
flies. G— Ordinary downwing. H— Fly with "rolled"
wings. I — Reverse winged downwing.

Fishing Gazette in 1897, it will be noticed that the
centre of gravity is just beneath the wings. This
means that the natural tendency of the fly is to fall
upright on the surface of the water, and with the
minimum of speed. Besides this, the hackle,
being the first part of the fly to touch the water,
serves to break the force of the fall. When the

98 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

fly is floating, it is supported both by the shank
of the hook and the detached body, so that it is
the hardest to sink (as well as the easiest to
ft cock ") of all the types illustrated. It also, I
think, compares favourably with Form F as
regards the consideration of the hook being
hidden, especially when it is remembered that
any part of the hook that is under water must be
seen by the fish much more distinctly than the
part above the surface ; and, more than this, that
the part beneath the water will often be seen
double owing to reflection.

Form D has its centre of gravity almost
beneath its wings, and, therefore, possesses
advantages similar to those of Form E, which it
even excels in effective concealment of the hook.
With Pattern C, however, it shares this disadvan-
tage, that, when it is in use, the wear and tear on
the wings is somewhat excessive, owing to the
slope of these towards the point of the rod.

With regard to the " set " of the hackle of a
dry fly, the advantage of having the fibres as well
spread out as possible is more than ever apparent.
Indeed, to stroke and pull them out into a com-
pact bunch, is not merely to go out of one's way
to avoid a resemblance to nature, but it is to act
almost as. foolishly as would a furniture maker,
who would place the four legs of a table in a
straight line ; for some of the hackle fibres of a
dry fly should help to support it on the skin of
the water, much as the legs of a table support
the table. It is one of the advantages of cocks'
hackles for dry-fly dressing over the softer hackles
of the hen, that the fibres of the former do not
get drawn together as easily as do those of the
latter.

Having now attempted to explain the general
principles upon which a dry fly should be con-
structed, and discussed the advantages of the

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

99

various external forms of the finished article, I
may proceed, without . further delay, to the
description of the various methods of its
manufacture.

DRY FLY. — METHOD No. 1.

Commence at shoulder and wind towards the
left to bend. Tie in whisks and form body as in
wet-fly methods.

FIG. 55.

Now prepare two pieces of feather web of the
Form B, illustrated in Fig. 32, and of the same
size. Place these on the table, dark side upper-
most. Slightly moisten the tip of the right fore-
finger and press it gently on one of the feather
webs so as to cause it to adhere. Eaise it from
the table and lay it, light side to dark side, exactly
F 2

100

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

over the other. Moisten the forefinger again and
press it on the two thicknesses of feather, so as to
cause both to adhere to the finger in their proper
positions. Then, using both hands, fold the
double thicknesses of feather in half, leaving the
dark side facing outwards. The four thicknesses
of feather thus obtained are to be the double
wings of our dry fly. I shall refer to the process

FIG. 56. Hackle being brought between the wings.

just described as the first method of winging, or
preparing the wings (vide Fig. 57). Single wings
are in durability and general utility much inferior
to double ones. They are prepared, as is obvious,
by doubling one thickness of feather dark side
outwards.

Tie in wings. Clip stumps, and continue
winding towards the right to end of shank.

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY. 101

Wind back towards the left, and, when the
roots of the wings are reached, take one turn
behind the wings. Fasten silk in clip.

Prepare and tie in hackle as in wet-fly methods,
but with three turns towards the left. Clip stem
of hackle.

Fasten silk in clip, and wind hackle about four
turns towards the right, remembering to make
the turns alternately before and behind the
strained length of tying silk. Leave hackle
strained taut by suspended hackle pliers.

Split the wings apart with the tweezers. Take
hold of the hackle pliers with the left hand, and
the near wing (a double thickness of course)
between the right forefinger and thumb. Now
wind the hackle one more turn towards the right,
passing it between the wings, and again leave it
strained taut by suspended pliers.

Then, again, take hackle pliers in left hand, and
the off wing between forefinger and thumb of
right hand, and wind hackle yet another turn,
but backward towards the left, again passing it
between the wings.

Secure hackle by two turns of silk taken close
behind the wings, and by one or two more taken
in front of them. Form whip finish.

Adjust hackle fibres, &c., and varnish head.

A second method of preparing wings for a
dry fly is as follows : —

Lay the two thicknesses of feather fibre (each
of the width of two wings) dark side to dark side,
and then double both together. The result is
illustrated sectionally in Fig. 57.

After some practice the beginner will be able to
" square up " a sufficiently broad piece of feather
to form all four thicknesses of the two wings. It
will then be sufficient to double this piece twice
when it is desired to prepare wings according to
the method just described.

102

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

It is to be observed that in a fly, winged by the
first method given, the dark side of the winging
feather is exposed, and vice versti by the second.

Wings prepared after the second method may,
when the fly is complete, be converted into
" rolled " wings by their tips being twirled. The
modus operandi is familiar to owners of moustaches.
Personally, I do not admire " rolled " wings.
They wear well, but this seems to be their
only advantage. It is, however, sometimes
convenient to "roll" the wings of a fly when,

FIG. 57. Sections of wings. A— As prepared by first
method. B — As prepared by second method. The
thick lines indicate the dark side of the feather.

after continued use, they become somewhat
draggled.

Sometimes the four thicknesses of the wings
are accurately paired. That is to say, that of the
two outside thicknesses one is taken from a
certain part of some particular feather of the
right wing of a bird, and the other from the
corresponding part of the corresponding feather
of the left wing of the same bird ; and the
two inside thicknesses are, of course, similarly
obtained. This plan may have its advantages in
securing perfect symmetry, but I do not find it
easy to carry out in practice, nor, indeed, to give

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

103

appreciably better results than the other methods
described.

There is, however, one fact which may be noted
concerning it, which may possibly commend it to
the beginner. The four thicknesses are put
together just as they are cut from the quill

Fia. 58. Illustrating the preparation of wings by the
"pairing" method. X — Feather from right wing.
Y— Feather from left wing. A, B— Pieces of feather cut
from X. C, D— Pieces of feather cut from Y. W— The
wings ready to be tied in. S — Sectional view of same.
F— Fly winged by " pairing " method. To form W : B is
laid on A, C on B, and D on C.

(Fig. 58), so that the "squaring up" process
illustrated in Fig. 32, is not essential. As this
process is a somewhat delicate one to execute
properly, albeit occupying a very short time, I
would recommend the adoption of the " pairing "
plan as a good means of evading it. Under
these circumstances it will not be necessary to

104 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

pair with absolute accuracy. It will effect the
purpose in view, if the right wing of the fly
is made from a right wing feather of the bird,
and vice versd,. But the " squaring up " method
must be learnt before the amateur can be
considered proficient, and when once learnt it
is really quite easy.

CHAPTER XI.

HOW TO DEESS A DEY FLY.
METHOD No. 2.

COMMENCE at the end of the shank, winding six
or seven turns towards the left.

Take wings between the left forefinger and

FIG. 60.

thumb, but with the tips, instead of the stumps,

pointing in the same direction as the forefinger.

Hold wings in position illustrated in Fig. 59, and

F 3

106

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

tie in by a few turns towards the left. Fasten
silk in clip, and cut away stumps slantwise.
(Fig. 60).

Continue as usual till body is formed and
secured behind wings. Tie in hackle, and finish
exactly as in method No. 1 (dry fly).

By the method just described a fly of form C,
(Fig. 54) is produced.

To DRESS A DRY FLY WITH Two HACKLES.
When, in any of the dry-fly processes described,
the stage at which the hackle is tied in is reached

FIG. 61. The inside of this hackle faces the operator.

wind a couple of turns towards the left, close
behind the wings.

Then tie in the " fore " hackle in the position
shown (Fig. 61), with two more turns towards
the left ; and next, the hinder hackle, in the
usual position, with another two turns in the
same direction (Fig. 62).

Wind the hinder hackle three or four turns
towards the right, alternately before and behind

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

107

the strained length of tying silk, as usual. Fasten
off hinder hackle with two turns towards the right.
Fasten silk in clip, and cut away waste point of
hackle just wound.

Now wind "fore" hackle one or two turns
towards the right, alternately behind and before
silk. Then bring hackle, as before, forward and
backwards between the wings, and finish as
usual.

The bringing of the hackle of a dry fly forward

FIG. 62.

and backwards between the wings is, so far as I
know, a method of my own. I find that it
effectually checks the tendency of the split wings
to close up together, when wet or in any way
compressed.

If it be preferred, the hackle (or " fore " hackle
when two are used) of a dry fly may be wound
and secured in precisely the same manner as are
the hackles of wet flies, and the wings split
afterwards.

108 HOW TO TIB FLIES.

The bringing of the hackle alternately before
and behind the strained length of tying silk, and
thus interlocking the stem of the hackle and the
tying silk, is also a method of my own invention.

How TO DKESS A DOWNWING DKT FLY.

Commence as in method No. 1 (dry-fly), but
leave more of the end of the shank bare than

FIG. 63.

when dressing up wings. Form body, and tie in
wings as usual. Clip stumps. Wind to end of
shank and back again till within two turns of the
roots of the wings. Tie in hackle (root pointing
half-right) with two turns towards the left in
front of the wings, and one turn behind them.
Split the wings, and bring the first turn of the
hackle forward between them, and in front of
strained length of tying silk ; the second turn

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY. 109

back between them again, and, of course, also in
front of the silk ; and the third behind strained
silk and forward between the wings.

Wind the next two or three turns all towards
the right in front of the wings, and alternately
before and behind tying silk. Fasten off hackle
and finish as usual.

How TO DRESS A DRY FLY Buzz.

Commence at shoulder and wind towards the
left to bend. Continue till body is wound and
secured. Tie in hackle (root pointing half -right)
on the under side of the shank, with three turns
towards the left. Wind hackle as usual some
half dozen turns, stroking the fibres into position
when needful. Fasten off and clip point of hackle,
and wind to end of shank. Wind back to roots
of hackle fibres. Form whip finish, and complete
as usual.

To DRESS A DRY FLY HACKLED OVER THE BODY.

This type of fly differs from an ordinary
dry fly only in having a body hackle, which
is added as part of the body material, after
the manner described in the chapter on wet fly
dressing.

How TO DRESS A DETACHED BODIED DRY FLY.

The advantage of detached bodied flies has
long been a moot point among fly fishers. The
majority of those who object to them content
themselves, perhaps wisely, with the simple
statement of their objection, occasionally, it
may be, backing their remarks, by saying that
they themselves have tried these flies without
success.

I should be the last to deny the satisfactory
nature of this argument, if it did not appear that

110 HOW TO tflE FLIES.

the trials are, as a rule, most desultory ; accorded,
perhaps, under unfavourable conditions — " when
things are slack," as the saying is — and not so
much to make a test, as to excuse a condemna-
tion. At any rate, in the face of the success
of Mr. Halford and others with detached bodied
flies, it cannot be said that those who urge
the uselessness of these lures have the honours
of the* experiment argument all on their own
side.

Inviting theoretical criticisms, we are told that
the stiffness of a detached body, made on a
foundation of bristle or gut, at once betrays its
delusive character to the fish. But until we are
enabled to dispense with a hook of tempered steel
as an essential portion of our fly, it would seem
that we are not in a position to press this
objection very far.

Be this as it may, the flies of which I am about

FIG. 64.

to describe the method of manufacture have
bodies as soft and flexible as those of the natural
insect, and are in another particular, already
indicated,* so different from other detached bodied
flies as to entitle them, according to their
advocate's opinion, to a separate trial before the
general sentence is passed upon them.

It will at least be granted that they can be

* Vide E, Fig-. 54 (page 97), and accompanying text.

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

Ill

much more easily and rapidly made than those
which are at present more in vogue.

Fix a fine needle — the finer the better, so as it
be strong enough — horizontally in the vice, the
point of the needle towards the right.

Cut a small wedge-shaped piece of cork with a

FIG. 65.

slit made transversely across the sharp edge. A
small notch may also be cut to form, as it were,
an estuary of the slit, and thus clearly indicate
the latter's position. Take the fibres to imitate
the whisks of the fly, and pull them carefully
into the slit (Fig. 64).

FIG. 66.

Then set the wedge astride the needle in the
position shown in Fig. 65.

Take a finely cut strip of pure unvulcanised
indiarubber, and, having moistened the forefinger
with turpentine, roll the strip (pressing lightly)
between forefinger and thumb, till it begins to

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

feel "tacky," which it does almost immediately.
Stretch it out slowly, extending it to some five or
six times its original length.

Take one end of the strip in either hand, and
stretch it across the needle and over the root
ends of the fibres. Wind towards the left with
the right hand, easing the tension of the india-
rubber as the winding proceeds, so as to taper
the body.

FIG. 67.

Remove the wedge of cork from the needle,
and then the indiarubber body, by pushing it off
with the nails of the left forefinger and thumb.
The body will in a few minutes be, to all intents
and purposes, a solid piece of rubber — soft,
flexible, transparent, and durable.

Remove the needle from the vice, and fix in the
latter an eyed hook of the proper size.

liOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

113

Wax a length of tying silk, and, commencing at
a point close to the bend, wind about half a dozen
turns towards the left.

Hold the indiarubber body just made, in the

FIG. 69.

position shown in Fig. 67, and tie it in firmly, but
not too tightly, with a few turns towards the
right. Fasten silk in clip.

Now separate the two ends of the indiarubber.

114

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Stretch one of them out, and cut it away as
closely as possible. Then pull out the other end
as far as it will stretch without breaking, and
wind it tightly towards the left over the tying
silk.

Then wind back again towards the right to
form the thick shoulder of the fly. Fasten off
with two turns of tying silk towards the right,

FIG. 70.

and fasten silk in clip. Stretch out the waste end
of the rubber and cut it away.

Tie in wings and finish as in method No. 1 .

A detached bodied fly of form F (Fig. 54) can
be made exactly as described above, except that
the rubber body should be tied in at a point
nearer the end of the shank.

If desired, a number of the rubber bodies may

HOW TO DEESS A DRY FLY. 115

be made at a time, and kept as stock for a long
period. They should be protected from exposure
to the light, as should all un-vulcanised rubber,
which is otherwise apt to resinify at the surface.

Detached bodied flies, made as described above,
have killed well used as wet-flies. When intended
for such use, the half-complete fly illustrated in
Fig. 70 may be finished as a wet-fly, viz., lightly
hackled and with unsplit wings.

Detached bodied buzz-flies, wet and dry, will
also be favourites in many quarters.

CHAPTER XII.

HOW TO DEESS A DRY FLY— (Continued).

To MAKE A DETACHED BODY RIBBED IN
Two SHADES OF COLOUR.

FOR this purpose we require two very fine
strips of rubber, one (A) dyed the lighter colour
(say yellow olive), and the other (B) dyed,
half its length the lighter colour, and the other
half the darker (say, green olive). The latter
strip is obtained by half immersing a strip,, already
dyed the lighter colour, in dye producing the
darker shade. An effective, if somewhat recondite,
way of doing this is as follows : Place a handker-
chief on the table — the kitchen table for choice —
and place a handful of flour in the centre. Take
up the four corners and twist the four ends
tightly together, compressing the flour into a
ball. Dip the ball into a basin of hot water, then
remove it from the water and squeeze it tightly
over the basin. Repeat this operation till all the
starch that is in the flour is dissolved and passes
into the water, and there remains in the handker-
chief nothing but the grey indiarubber like sub-
stance known as gluten. Collect the gluten into
a ball.

Now take a number of finely cut strips of
rubber, dyed yellow olive, and bury half of each
in the ball of gluten, leaving the other halves
sticking out of it. Mould the gluten thoroughly
round the indiarubber, and immerse the whole in
the green dye. When the exposed indiarubber is
sufficiently deeply coloured, pick the strips from
the ball of gluten. It will be found that the

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY. 117

part of the rubber protected by the gluten is
quite unaffected by the dye.

To make the ribbed body : Moisten the two
strips (A and B) with turpentine, lay them to-
gether, and stretch them out. They may then
be wound on the needle as one strip. The parti-
coloured end (E. Fig. 71) should be held in the
right hand, the light-coloured end (L. Fig. 71) in
the left, and the middle (M) should be laid across
the needle, so that, in effect, a parti-coloured
piece of rubber is wound over a piece of one colour
only.

To impart to un vulcanised indiarubber an olive

FIG. 71.

green colour, it should be treated with ordinary
aniline green dye, labelled simply " green " by
the makers. The indiarubber has a reddish
colour of its own, which just corrects the too
metallic shade which the dye naturally produces.

How TO DKESS A REVERSE WINGED FLY.

Fix the hook in the vice as usual, and, com-
mencing close to the end of the shank, wind two
or three open spiral turns towards the left Wind
back over these (setting in the gut if dressing
flies to gut), and continue till within three turns
of the end of the shank.

Tie in the whisks with two more turns towards

118

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

the right, bringing the next and last turn towards
the right under the whisks. Tie in body material
with a few turns towards the left, and wind silk
to middle of shank.

FIG. 72.

Flatten one end of a stout piece of hog's bristle
(such as a shoemaker uses instead of a needle).
Tie it in on the upper side of the shank, winding
almost as far as possible towards the left, and

FIG. 73.

being careful to keep the bristle on the upper side
of the wire. Fasten silk in clip, and wind body
material, fastening off when the tying silk is
covered,

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

119

Now hold the left forefinger a few inches from
the hook, and pass the tying silk round the fore-
finger and between the bristle and hook. Bring

FIG. 74.

the end of the tying silk from left to right
through the loop held open by the forefinger.

FIG. 75.

Then insert the dubbing needle into the loop in
the place of the finger, and draw the loop tight.

Now remove the hook from the vice, and fix it
in the position shown in Fig, 75. Take two or

120

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

three turns of the tying silk towards the right,
round the bristle, and tie the wings on the
bristle.

Cut short the bristle and the stumps of the
wings, and form the head of the fly.

Wind back to roots of wings, tie in and wind
hackle, and finish as usual (Fig. 76).

How TO DRESS A MAY FLY.

The bodies of most of the standard floating
May Flies are made of straw. This being a too

FIG. 76.

stiff and brittle material to permit of its being
wound in the ordinary way, the following special
method of using it, first published, I believe, by
Mr. Francis Francis, is usually adopted :_,

Commence to make the fly, and continue as
usual till whisks, ribbing hackle (if any), and a
strong piece of ribbing tinsel have been tied in j

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY.

121

and the tying silk wound to shoulder. Fasten
silk in clip (Fig. 77).

Now cut a narrow piece of bright straw of the
length of the body and tapered, and make a small
nick at either end (Fig. 78).

Cover the silk lapping neatly with the straw, so
that the seam lies uppermost ; and, holding the
straw in place, fasten it, by winding the ribbing
tinsel spirally over it.

. FIG. 77.

Secure the straw and ribbing tinsel with the
tying silk at the shoulder, and wind and secure
the body hackle (if any).

FIG. 78.
G

122

HOW TO TIE FLIES.

The wings of a May Fly are usually made of two
spoon-shaped feathers, taken from the back, breast,
or sides of a drake or of a guinea-fowl. They are
generally tied in, back to back, by their quills,
and cut into shape, when necessary, after being
tied in. This is the manipulation : —

Stroke back some of the lower fibres of the two
feathers selected (Fig. 80).

Tie them in with a few turns towards the right.

FIG. 79.

Set the stumps out at, right angles to the shank,
and take a few more turns • of the tying silk in
front of them to form the head. Wind back
again to roots of wings, tying back the stumps

Fio.

HOW TO DRESS A DRY FLY. 123

en route. Clip these away as closely as possible,
and proceed as usual.

The method of winging that I have just
described is due to Mr. Halford.

The body of a May Fly may be made thicker,
and, therefore, more natural looking, if some
padding (indiarubber, wool, floss, or dubbing) be
put under the straw. The padding is tied in and
wound as body material.

A very natural looking body is made of straw,
set in as already described, and covered with a
thin strip of transparent rubber wound over it.
This is of my own invention.

I have also made good bodies of a narrow
strip of gardener's rofia grass twisted before
being wound, and varnished afterwards with clear
varnish. When the body is fastened off, secure
the tying silk with a single half hitch ; varnish,
and remove from vice till varnish is dry. There
is, of course, no reason why one should be idle in
the interval.

CHAPTEE XIII.
PABTING OBSEBVATIONS AND HINTS.

THE earnest seeker after truth was advised by
a certain great philosopher — Descartes, I think —
to begin his quest knowing nothing.

Literally construed, the advice has been found
impossible to follow ; while, broadly construed, it
has been followed by many, and has led to much.

There are, doubtless, many fly dressers who
would give similar advice. " Know nothing of
stereotyped dressings," they would say ; " look
upon the plumage of all birds, mark and learn,
learn thoroughly ; look then upon the fly, and
name the feather which shall counterfeit wings
or legs. Thus will you gain the knowledge of
nature which you require direct from Nature
herself."

But the practical man, as is his wont, will steer
a middle course. He will approve of the methods
just sketched out ; but. recognising the impor-
tance of his labour becoming at once productive,
will gladly welcome any suggestions which
others may be able to give him. Seeing, however,
that theories, as well as facts, have their part in
regulating and fixing the " standard dressings "
of flies, he will receive no information on this
head as final, till he has tested it by his own
experience.

It had originally been my intention to attempt
a more or less complete list of the dressings of
the commoner flies ; but on looking closely into
the matter, I have decided, with some reluctance,

PARTING OBSERVATIONS AND HINTS. 125

to leave this branch of fly dressing untouched.
I find that the comparatively few novel features
discoverable in my dressings have, with one or
two unimportant exceptions, already been broadly
indicated in my chapter on materials and else-
where throughout the present series of articles.
Novelty is often a doubtful virtue, but it may be
safely assumed that a spicing of it should not be
lacking in anything that one aspires to set down
in print, and by this assumption I must for the
present be guided. It seems to me also that
the task of reviewing the different flies in their
order, and pointing out how they may be identi-
fied and imitated, cannot be adequately performed
without the aid of colour printing.

B/onald's "Fly Fisher's Entomology" long
held its place as the standard work on "flies"
and their dressings, and will still be found a
capital work of reference ; but Mr. Halford's
latest book, " Dry Fly Entomology," must now be
regarded as the highest modern authority on the
subject. Though published but a year or two
ago, it has already on many occasions been used
as the supreme court of appeal by disputants,
on questions relating to the very numerous,
yet closely connected matters with which it
deals.

I feel, therefore, that I may safely leave the
student of fly dressing to draw upon that store-
house for such information as he needs, as to the
life history, classification, and characteristics of
the insect upon which the trout feeds.

There remain only one or two miscellaneous
matters upon which I desire to touch before
bringing these papers to a close.

As I have indicated, it is of the first importance
that the fly dresser should go direct to Nature for
his model ; but though dozens of the natural fly
be on the water and in the air, it is often a matter

126 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

of difficulty to catch a specimen, and it is espe-
cially difficult in the case of flies which do not
rise far from the surface of the water, but appear
to skim about upon it. An ordinary landing net
is of little use. But by procuring a small muslin
net, specially prepared to withstand the water,
and fixing four or more watch swivels at equal
distances round the mouth, by which the muslin
net can be affixed when requisite to the meshes
of the landing net, the difficulty may be substan-
tially overcome. Suitable nets in all sizes may
be obtained from Messrs. Watkins and Doncaster,
naturalists, of Holborn Viaduct.

In imitating flies which, like the up-winged
duns, float upright on the water, and present their
under sides to the inspection of the trout, it is
specially desirable to reproduce successfully the
colouring and appearance of the under side.
Perhaps the best method of achieving this is to
place the fly in its natural position either on a
small, flat mirror, or else upon the surface of
water, in a basin at the bottom of which lies such
a mirror. It will often be found there is an
appreciable difference of colour between the upper
and under sides of the body. It may be fairly
objected that the mirror throws upward upon the
under side of the fly more light than would be
reflected by the bottom of a river or pond ; but
the surface of the water in sunlight itself reflects
no little light upon the insect; and, further,
the general tendency of the dresser is to dress
rather more darkly than the colour and natural
luminosity of the fly warrants. The fault induced
therefore, if any, is likely to be on the right
side. This method will enable comparisons to
be made between the natural fly and the artificial
while in progress, comparisons which should be
especially valuable in the case of indiarubber
bodies.

PARTING OBSERVATIONS AND HINTS. 127

Indiarubber bought in blocks and unvulcanised
is of a red colour, and when cut in very fine
narrow strips makes admirable bodies for flies.
The best way to cut it fine is to use a razor which
has been moistened with cold water. It is, how-
ever, made in layers, which can be separated
without difficulty, and the cutting need only be
in one direction.

The strips of rubber are specially good for
dressing Red Spinners ; in fact, nothing else will
imitate the natural body so well.

For winging Red Spinners, Jenny Spinners,
and other clear-winged flies, the best material
that I know is a very thin tough skin, which is
obtained from the outside of the quill of an
ordinary rook's wing feather by the following
method : Clip off the quill stump, and steep it in
water for a few minutes. Then slit it up with a
pair of scissors. It will now be found that the
outside of the quill will easily peel off without
tearing. Cut two pieces of this material into the
shape of wings and tie in. The result is a beau-
tiful, almost transparent, wing, which is really
most natural and is very durable. It will take
a dye for such patterns as the Iron Blue Dun.

A common error of the beginner is to try to tie
in too broad a wing. It is best to begin with
narrow wings, and to work gradually up to
greater breadths as experience and knack is
acquired. Of all feathers, thrush, perhaps, works
up most sweetly for wings ; next, perhaps, black-
bird, woodcock, starling, and jay.

For dressing large wet flies with a dark wing,
I always prefer brown mallard to grouse, part-
ridge or woodcock ; but it should be borne in mind
that the fibres of the mallard feathers are harder
and coarser than those of most other winging
feathers, and where four-ply is used they require
to be carefully and more securely fastened in.

128 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

And now I lay down my pen, thankful to have
been permitted to bring my task to a conclusion.
It has been a labour of love, and I give it to the
great angling public, in the hope that it may be
foimd to contain something of service to those
who come after me, and cast their flies upon the
waters which I have loved so well, and may
never see again.

FINIS.

INDEX.

A.

Albo carbon, its use to fly dresser, 55.
Application to fly dressing of Robert Louis Steven-
son's views anent painting, 4.

Analogy between purpose of fly dresser and adver-
tiser, 8.
" Athenian rubber clip," 61-2.

Detached bodies, 109-15.
Drying machine, 48-50.

B.

Barbs, 19.

Benzine collas, its use to fly dresser, 55.
Blackbird, as a fly dresser's bird, 30.
Bleaching agents, 52-3.

Recipes for, 52-3.
Bodies, detached, 109-15.

Detached, ribbed in two shades of colour,
116-7.

Dubbed, 92.

Materials suitable, 32-9.

Of green grass, corn blades, &c., 39.

Of horsehair, 34.

Of india-rubber, 35.

Of quill, 35-8.

Of rofia grass, 35.

Of wool, 33.

Pale ginger, 35.

Pale yellow, 34.

Parti- coloured, 92.

Red spinner, 35.

Rough hairy, 34.

130 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Buzz fly, definition of, 84.
Illustrated, 90.
How to dress, wet, 84-6.
How to dress, dry, 109.

C.

Cabinet, the fly dresser's, 45.

How to make a good substitute, 45.
Chamomile flowers, their use to the fly dresser, 56.
Collapsible tubes, „ „ 54.

Condor, as a fly dresser's bird, 37.
Coot, „ ,, 29.

Corncrake „ „ 30.

Corrosive sublimate, its use to the fly dresser, 55.
Curiosity of trout, how to take advantage of, 8-9.

D.

Definition of " buzz fly," 84.
" Dubbing," 34.
'.' Dun," 80.
" Herl," 33.
"Palmer," 85.
" Spinner," 80.
"Tag," 91.
Design for drying machine, 48-50.

For fly dresser's cabinet, 45.
Downwinge, how to dress, wet, 83-4.
How to dress, dry, 108.
Dry flies, 95-123.

"Athenian's" dressing, 97, 109-15.

Detached bodies, 109-15.

How to dress (method No. 1), 99-104.

How to dress (method No. 2), 105-6.

How to wing, 99-100 ; 102-4.

How to dress with two hackles, 106.

How to dress, down wing, 108.

How to dress, buzz, 109.

How to dress, hackled over the body, 109.

Necessary qualifications, 96.

Types of, illustrated, 97.

INDEX. 131

Drying machine, Athenian's, 48-50.
How to make, 48-9.
Illustrated, 49.
Price of, 50.

Where manufactured, 50.
Dubbing, a body material, 34.

Blending different shades of, 34.
Definition of, 34.
Legs of flies imitated by, 40.
Needle, 63-4.

Dubbed bodies, how to dress, 92.
Duns, characteristics of, 80.

Compared with spinners, 80.
Dyes, Crawshaw's " special," 46.
Dyeing, 46-52.

Directions for, 47.

E.

Exact imitation theory, 5-9.
Examination, post mortem, of fish, 5.

P.

Feeding fish and fish off the feed, 8.
Feelers of downwing flies, 32.
Feverfew, its use to the fly-dresser, 55.
Flies, buzz, 84, 109.

Detached bodied, 109-15.
Dry, types of, illustrated, 97.
Fancy flies, 7.
May flies, 120-3.
Natural, types of, illustrated, 66.
Reverse winged, 117-20.
Wet, types of, illustrated, 90.
See also " Wet Flies " and " Dry Flies."
Floss silk, 33.
Fly dressing an art, 2.

A recreation, 3.

A home employment, 3.

A means of livelihood, 4.

Method to be avoided by beginners, 3.

132 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Fly-dresser's tools, 63-4.

Fur, water-rat, hare'a ear, seal, rabbit, mole, 34.

G.

Gimp, how to dull, 53

Golden pheasant, as a fly-dresser's bird, 31.
Golden plover, ,, ,, 40.

Grass, corn blades, &c., as body material, 39.
Grouse, as a fly-dresser's bird, 40.

Habits of trout as regards diet, 5-6.
Hackles, 40-3.

Dyeing- of, 52.

Hackle pliers, 63-4.

How to prepare and tie in, 76-7.

Of hair, 40.

Of dubbed flies, 40.

Mr. Halford's ideal shape, 43.

Shape of, discussed, 43.

Various colours, including- speckled brown,
black, badger, honey dan, stone blue, yellow
dun, red, blue, white, cream, yellow, buff,
red furnace, and white furnace, where
obtained, 40-2.

Wren's tail, &c., 40.
Hair, human, &c., as whisks, 31.

As a body material, 34.

As a hackle, 40.

Horse hair, 34.

Of young puppies and foxes, 34.
Herls, definition of, 33.

Peacock, ostrich, and heron, 33.

The dyeing of, 52.
Heron, as a fly-dresser's bird, 33.
Hooking a fish, ideal inclination of rod, 19.
Hooks, 12-25

A searching point discussed, 13.

" Athenian's " ideal shape, 24.

INDEX. 133

Hooks, adaptibility to form of fly, 22.
Eyed, 23, 25.
Hardy's "harpoon," 21.
Holding power discussed, 19.
Ideal, " a creature of compromise," 12
Inbarbed and outbarbed, 19-20.
Kerbed, 15.
Limerick, 15.

Original suggestions as to shape, 24.
Mr. Pennell's ideal, 13, 18.
Point guard, 23.

Penetration, direction of, discussed, 15.
Penetration and holding power not independent

qualities, 19.

Quick penetration discussed, 15.
Sneck and Kirby bends, 14.
Strength of, 21.
Upturned shanks, 22.
Varieties of, illustrated, 23.
Warning against cheap hooks, 12.
Weakest parts of, 21.
Wells and Pennell controversy, 13-14 ; 1^7 -IS.

I.

Imitation of natural, how far necessary, 11.
India-rubber, a body material, 35.
India-rubber detached bodies, 109-15.
Insects, various, illustrated, 66.
Introduction, 1-4.

J.

Jenny spinner, dressing of, 27.

Jungle cock, as a fly-dresser's bird, 28.

L.

Landrail, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30.
Left-handed winding, 66-7.

134 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

M.

Machine for drying dyed materials, 48-50.
Mallard, as a fly-dresser's bird, 31.
Marten, „ „ 30.

Materials, 26-45.

How to preserve from moths, &c., 55.
May fly, how to dress, 120-3.
Mirror, its use to the fly dresser, 126.

N.

Napthaline, its use to the fly-dresser, 55.

Nature of trout, conservative, 6.

Net, mnslin, for catching natural flies, 126.

O,

" Oil tip," explained and discussed, 56-7.
Ostrich, as a fly-dresser's bird, 33.
Owl, „ „ 30.

P.

Palmer, definition of, 85.

How to dress, 86-7.

Illustrated, 90.

Winged, 90-1.

Parafin wax, its use to the fly-dresser, 57.
Parti-coloured bodies, how dressed, 92.
Partridge, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30-40.
Peacock, „ „ 33.

Peroxide of hydrogen, for bleaching, 52.
Pheasant, as a fly-dresser's bird, 31-33.
Pigeon, „ „ 29.

Plover, „ „ 28.

Prefatory note, v.-vii.
Preparation of quill for body material, 37-8.

Of wing* from rook's quill, 27-8, 127.
Of wings for dry flies, 99-100, 102-4.
Professional's method of dressing, 81-2.

INDEX. 135

Quill, 35-8.

How prepared from herls, 36.

„ ,, wing or tail feathers, 37-8.

Of peacock herl, 36.

Of adjutant, condor, heron, and ostrich herl, 37.
Of long hackles and saddl^ feathers, 38.
Book's quills, for wings, 27-8, 127.

Recipes, 52-7.

For bleaching, 52-3.

For clear liquid wax, 53.

For moth and mite killers, 55.

For scouring mixture, 54.
Resemblance of sunk flies to the newly-hatched

naturals, 7.

Reverse winged flies, 117-20.
Right-handed winding, 66-7.
Rise of feeding fish, how distinguished, 7.
Rofia grass, a body material, 35, 123.
Rouen drake, as a fly dresser's bird, 31.
Rubber clips, 61-2.
Rubber (see " Indiarubber ").

S.

Saddle feathers of fowl, their use, 31, 38.
Salmon, taking fly, theory, 10.
Scissors (see " Tools ").
Scouring mixture, recipe for, 54.
Sea-gull, as a fly dresser's bird, 29.
Sea swallow, „ „ „ 29.
Silk, tying, 26.
„ floss, 33.

Snipe, as a fly dresser's bird, 28-9, 40.
Sparrowhawk „ ,, 31.

Spinners, characteristics of, 80.

Compared with duns, 80.
Spirals, how to wind correctly, 88-90.

How incorrectly wound, 80.

136 HOW TO TIE FLIES.

Starling, as a fly dresser's bird, 29-30, 40.
Straw, for Mayfly bodies, 121.

How to bleach, 52.
Swallow, as a fly dresser's bird, 30.
Swift, „ „ „ 30.

Success of fancy flies, theory of, 7.
Sulphurous acid, a bleaching agent, 53.

T.

Tag, definition of, 91.

How made, 91-2.
Tails, or whisks, how imitated, 31.
"Tailing," 7.

Teal, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30.
Thrush, „ „ 30.

Tinsel, a body material, 39.

As a foundation for bright floss bodies, 39.

For ribbing, 39.

Tom-tit, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30.
Tools, the fly-dresser's, 63-4.
Turkey, as a fly-dresser's bird, 31-3.
Turpentine, its use to the fly- dresser, 55.
Tying silk (bee Silk).
Types of dry flies, 97.

Natural insects, 66.
Wet flies, 90.

U.

Upwing dun or spinner, how to dress, 67-79.

V.

Varnish, it's use to the fly-dresser, 79.

Vice, Mr. Halford's, illustrated and described, 59.

Mr. Hawksley's, illustrated and described, 60.

" Tacklemaker's," illustrated, 59.

W.

Waterhen, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30.
Water-rail, „ „ 30.

INDEX. 137

Wax, " Athenian's " recipe, 54.

How to remove from fingers, 55.
Liquid and transparent, 53.
Paraffin, its use to the fly-dresser, 57.
Wet flies, how to dress (Amateur's method), 65-71).

how to dress (Professional's method), 81-2.
" Whip finish, "how to make, 77.

Method illustrated, 78.
Whisks of rabbits, &c., as tails, 31.
Wings, as a rule made too broad, 127.
May fly, 31, 122.
Materials for, 27-31.
Preparation of (wet flies), 72-3.

„ (dry flies), 99-100, 102-4.
Preparation from rook quills, 27-8.
Eeversed, 117-20.
Rolled, 102.

Various colours, including white tipped .with
black roots, black tipped with white
roots, white tipped with dun roots, stone
blue, iron blue, reddish, dark cinnamon,
olive brown, black, mottled, dark dun.
dingy brown, speckled, "March brown,"
black and white barred, and where each
obtained, 28-31.

Woodcock, as a fly-dresser's bird, 30.
Wool, a body material, 33.
Wren, as a fly-dresser's bird, 40.

A dvertisements .

TO AMATEUR ROD AND FLY MAKERS.

ROD TIMBER,

ALSO TIMBER FOR GOLF STICKS,

Well Seasoned and Selected.

GrREENHEART, HlCKORY, OR LANCEWOOD :

l&in. |iu. |in. ^in. §in. ^in. 2ft. long.
I/- 4d, 3d. 3d. 3d. 3d. per length,
1/6 8d. 7d. 6d. 6d. 4d. 3Jft. long.
And other lengths in proportion.

Ferrules, Winch Fittings, Snake Rings, and every
Requisite for Kod Making. Flies in stock to suit all
waters, or dressed to pattern, I/- and 1/6 per doz. ; Floaters
2/- per dozen. Sample half-dozen to any address on receipt

FLY MATERIALS.— Hackles in Red, Black, White,
Furnace, und other natural colours, Id. per doz. Duns, all
shades, 2d. per doz. Dyed Hackles, l£d. per doz.

WINGS, PER PAIR. — Starlings, l^d. ; Snipe, l£d, ; Wood-
cock, 3d. ; Waterhen, 3d. ; Partridge, l|d. ; Golden Plover,
2d. ; Blackbirds, IJd.

FLOSS AND TYING SILKS, 9d. per doz. hanks, all shades.

WILL CHAMBERS and CO.,

25, MAKKET PLACE, MANCHESTER.

Advertisements.

All the Materials mentioned

in this Work can be got

from Holland.

HOLLAND'S
FLOATING

Devon and Yorkshire Hackles 1/6 doz. •• I ^/\ nic

New Pattern Beetles 2/0 doz. LI I k V ^/b

Hercules Casts 1/3 each I LJLUdOZ.

Cash with order. 29, The Square, WINCHESTER, HANTS.

JT. FIEZCSIBZ «Sc SON*,

Fishing Rod and Tackle Manufacturers,
40, CRAY'S INN ROAD (close to Holborn), LONDON, W.C.

Table Vice, with hook for looping-, 4/6. Fly Scissors, 9d.
and Is. Fly Flyers, 6d. Tying Silks, Id., 2Jd., 3d. per skein.
Floss Silk, Id. Tinsel, 4d. per reel. Golden Pheasant
Crests, 6d., I/-, 1/6, 2/-, 3/- doz. ; ditto FriUs, 3d. and6d. doz. ;
ditto, Tail Feathers, 4d. and 6d. each. Jungle Cock Necks,
3s. each. Bustard, from 6d. to 2/- each feather. Kingfishers,
6d. and 9d. each. Dyed Hackles, 2d. doz. Natural Hackles,
2d. packet. Seal Fur, 2d. packet. Eyed hooks, 4d. doz.
CATALOGUES GRATIS.

THE FISHING GAZETTE,

DEVOTED TO ANGLING, RIVER, LAKE, AND
SEA FISHING, AND FISH CULTURE.

.A. JOT* ma*! for -A-^xg-lors.

Edited by R. B. MARSTON.

Price 2d. weekly, or 10s. 6d. per annum, Post Free.

The " FISHING GAZETTE " contains every week—
Original Articles, often Illustrated, on Angling Subjects.
Reports from the Principal Rivers of Great Britain and
Ireland. Correspondence. Notes and News from Angling
Associations and Societies.

" Under the editorship of Mr. R. J3. Marston the Gazette has
attained a high standing." — Daily News.
" An excellent paper."— The World.

London SAMPSON Low, MARSTON AND Co. LTD.,

St. Dunstan's House, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street.

Can be obtained through all Booksellers and Newsagents.

V List of Works on Angling published by the Company

can be had on application,

Advertisements.

HOLTZAPFFEL & CO.,

, CHARING- CROSS,

LONDON, S.W.,

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LATHE AND TOOL MAKERS

AND

GENERAL MACHINISTS

BY APPOINTMENT TO H.E.H. THE PRINCE OP WALES.

Manufacturers of Halford's, Hawksley's,
and other Fly-tying Vices, with or without
the •' Athenian" rubber clip.

Sets of Tools for making Artificial Flies.

Sole makers of the late Mr. H. G.
McClellancTs apparatus for drying feathers.

Makers of Holtzapffel and Co.'s Barbed
Wire Fence Stjck, and Walking Stick Saws
for Sportsmen, Fishermen, and others.

Yachtsmen's Housewives, containing
Sailmaker's Tools, Twine, Needles, Mar-
ling Spike. &c., &c.

Holtzapffel and Co.'s Sets of Portable
Tools for Fishermen, Cyclists, Tourists,
and others.

LISTS AND CATALOGUES FREE.

ESTABLISHED 1794

14 DAY USE

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

LOAN DEPT.

This book is due on the last date stamped below, or
on the date to which renewed.
Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.

SMay'SOBS

WAV 9 1960

SENT ON ILL

JAN 3 0 1998

U. C. BERKELEY

LD 21A-50w-4,'60
(A9562slO)476B

General Library

University of Californir

Berkeley

VA 01282