Part 5 (1/2)

OCTOBER.

1. House Fly,--lark's quill feather,--light brown silk,--ribbed with dark Ostrich herl for body,--legs grizzled hackle. 2. Small Olive Blue,--wings Starling's feather stained with onion peelings,--yellow silk for body,--legs olive stained hackle. 3. Dark Grey Midge,--wings dark grey feather of a Partridge,--body brown silk,--legs grey Partridge hackle.

RED PALMER.

Body greenish herl of Peac.o.c.k,--ribbed with gold tinsel,--wrapt with red silk,--red hackle over all.

BLACK PALMER.

Body dark Peac.o.c.k's herl,--ribbed with gold tinsel,--green silk, black, brown or red hackle over all.

MAY FLIES.

THE YELLOW, GREY, AND GREEN DRAKES.

These flies, which are known as May flies, afford great sport. Trout and Greyling are so partial to them that they refuse all others during the time they are on the water, but they are not common to all rivers.

The Driffield, Derwent and other Yorks.h.i.+re streams, have them in great abundance. The best chance with the artificial May fly, is when there is wind stirring sufficient to cause a pretty considerable curl on the water. The _Yellow Drake_ may be made in this way,--a Mallard's back feather dyed yellow; for wings, c.o.c.k's hackle dyed yellow; underneath the wings to make them stand upright, yellow camlet, ribbed with brown silk for body; tail, two hairs from Squirrel's tail. _Grey Drake_,--wings from Mallard's back feather, black c.o.c.k's hackle underneath; body sky blue camlet ribbed with copper coloured Peac.o.c.k's herl; tail from Squirrel. _Green Drake_,--same as yellow except the wings, which must be from a Mallard's feather dyed a yellowish green.

I have not deemed it requisite to introduce any ill.u.s.trations of flies, because I cannot conceive that any really beneficial results are obtainable by merely showing the difference on paper between natural and artificial flies. Catch the natural fly, imitate it as closely as possible; put your made fly into a tumbler of clear water, then if the size and the prevailing colours as to body and wings resemble your copy, you are all right. This appears to me the best comparative ill.u.s.tration.

I beg to suggest to those who have opportunity and leisure, that they might at the cost of a little trouble, make a collection of all the flies that come on the waters, where they are accustomed to angle. They are easily caught and preserved, and if cla.s.sed according to the months during which they were found, would be useful and interesting to themselves and friends, if only to refer to when manufacturing flies.

HOW TO MAKE A HACKLE FLY.

Take a hook of the required size, between the finger and thumb of your left hand, with the point towards the end of your finger, place the gut along the top of the shank, and with the silk bind them tightly together, beginning half way down the shank, and wrap the end, take two turns back again which will form the head of the fly; lay the feather along the hook, the point towards your left hand, and take three turns over it with the silk, clip off the points of the feather, and bind it neatly round till the fibre is consumed, bring the silk round the root of the feather to bind to the end of the tail of the fly. Cut off all superfluities and fasten off by the drawn knots, then with a needle trim the fibres and your fly is made.

TO MAKE A WINGED FLY.

Have your materials ready, wings silk &c., of the colour you require, then take a hook between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand, with the point towards your forefinger, place the gut at the top of the shank, and with the silk bind them tightly together, bind all tight within two or three turns of the shank of the hook. Take the feather for wings, lay the feather's point the proper length between your finger and thumb along the hook, and take two or three turns over it for the head of the fly, and bind the gut between the second and third fingers of your left hand, and with the scissors clip off the root end of the feather, wrap the silk back again once under the wings, setting them upwards; with the point of the needle divide equally the wings crossing the silk between them. Lay the hackle for legs, root end towards the bend of the hook, wrap your silk over it and so make the body of your fly, then take the fibre end of the hackle, rib the body of the fly neatly with it, till you reach the silk hanging down, wind the silk twice or thrice over the hackle, fasten with the usual knots, and your fly is complete.

MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR MAKING WINGED AND HACKLE FLIES.

In the manufacture of winged flies a great variety of feathers are required. Procure those of a Mallard, Teal, Partridge, especially the tail feathers; also, the wings of a Starling, Jay, Landrail, Waterhen, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Pheasant Hen, Pewitt's Topping, Peac.o.c.k's Herl, green and copper coloured, black Ostrich herl, Snipe, Dottrel, Woodc.o.c.k and golden Plover's wings, the tail feathers of the blue and brown t.i.tmouse, and also Heron's plumes. Dubbing is to be had from old Turkey Carpet, Hare ears, Water Rat's fur, Squirrel, Mohair, old hair cast from young cattle, of a red, blue, brown, black and fawn colour from behind a Spaniel's ears, and from the fur of a Mouse, and note, Martin's fur is the best yellow that can be had. In regard to Silks be careful to suit the colour of the silk (at least as much so as you possibly can,) to the hackle you select for dubbing with. Thus with a Dun hackle, use yellow silk; a black hackle, sky blue; a brown or red hackle, red or dark orange do.