Tod

[Traditionalist]

Wet-fly fishing, treated methodically   Ewen.M.Tod 1907

Before I close this paper, I wish to add, in connection with the appeal which I have just made for a universal numbering of hooks : another much-needed reform.

I allude to the different dressings (and each one different) confidently given as " the correct pattern " of any of the natural flies.

This opens up rather a large field for speculation. Many men, as has been proved, are quite colour-blind; whilst even more are partially so. Again, men may be able to recognize all the primary colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, etc., who would be wholly at sea if examined upon the gradations with which chemistry has of late years made us all so familiar.

I suggest that this fact has possibly got something to do with the many and varied hues which are occasionally given to the " body," " wings," or " legs," of the various artificial imitations of any one fly.

But it does not stop here. It goes much further than this; and I think that the day is not very far off and the sooner it comes the better when fly-dressers will be compelled to possess more than a mere rule-of-thumb knowledge, so as to direct their beautiful operations with something approaching to scientific accuracy. Those, in particular, who dress "floating" flies ought to be obliged to pass a judiciously restricted examination in entomology, before they are considered recognized experts, capable of imitating with precision, the natural ephemeridae.

How to set about such a reform, I really do not know. It seems a problem far more difficult to bring to a practical solution, than the renumbering of the hooks upon which our artificial imitations are dressed. In fact, it seems to be simply honeycombed with difficulties. As a matter of course, the candidate would be tested as to colour-blindness which, I imagine, is a comparatively simple matter, in the hands of a specialist.

I prophecy that these are the directions in which Progress will make her inevitable advances, in the near or distant future.


TABLE I.

SOME USEFUL WINGED FLIES FOR WET-FLY FISHING, AND HOW THEY ARE DRESSED.

I. GREENWELL'S GLORY.

Body. The yellow tying silk, waxed with cobbler's wax, to impart to the body a greenish-yellow hue. This is ribbed over with yellow gimp, or finest gold wire.
Hackle. Coch-y-Bonddhu.
Wings. Blackbird, tied in a bunch, and split.

Season. April, May, June, and September ; in fact, it is the most valuable and generally useful of all the wet flies known to the author, who obtained the pattern direct from the Rev. Canon Greenwell himself, so that it is authentic.



II. MARCH BROWN.

(MALE AND FEMALE.)

Male.

Body. Hare's ear, ribbed with yellow gimp.
Tail. Two strands of mallard feather.
Hackle. Dark partridge feather.
Wings. Taken from the tail of the pheasant
Season. April.

Female.

Body. Light fur of hare's ear, ribbed with yellow gimp.
Tail. Two strands of cock's hackle,
Hackle. A red hen's hackle.
Season. April chiefly.



III. RED SPINNER.

Body. Reddish-brown silk, ribbed with yellow gimp.
Tail Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen's hackle.
Wings. Taken from the wing of the starling.
Season. April and May.


IV. THE COW-DUNG FLY.

Body. Olive-green wool.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen's hackle.
Wings. From the snipe.
Season. April and May.

V. THE BLUE DUN.

Body. From the fur of a rat, ribbed with silver gimp or wire.
Tail. Two strands of dun hackle.
Hackle. Blue-dun hen hackle.
Wings. From the snipe.
Season. March, April, and May.

This is the pattern generally used in Scotland, and pretty nearly resembles the natural insect when it first makes its appearance.


VI. THE OLIVE DUN.

Body. Pale yellowish-olive floss-silk, or a quill dyed the
same colour.

Tail. Two rabbit's whiskers.
Hackle. Stained olive.
Wings. Taken from the wing of the starling.
Season. April and May.

This fly is by entomologists said to be identical with the Blue Dun, and only a later gradation of that fly.


VII. THE YELLOW DUN.

Body. Lemon-coloured silk, waxed with cobbler's wax, and then untwisted so as to show alternate dark and light ribbing.
Hackle. Stained olive.
Wings. From a young starling's quill-feather.
Season. May and June.

This is Jackson's dressing, which Mr. Walbran seems to have copied in his good little book, " The British Angler." It is only one more gradation of the Blue Dun.


VIII. THE IRON BLUE.

Body. Mole's fur, spun on with reddish-brown silk.
Tail. Two strands of Yellow Dun hackle.
Hackle. Small Yellow Dun hackle.
Wings. From the breast of the water-hen ; some prefer the tail of the tomtit.

Season. April and May. This, on the whole, is the best dressing I know.


IX. THE QUILL-GNAT.

Body. Dark peacock quill from moon-feather of peacock.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. A red hen's hackle.
Wings. Snipe.
Season. April, May, and June.

This is a grand fly on the Deveron and Tummel, and is Mr. Forrest's own pattern, from which he has always dressed the fly for me.


X. THE GINGER QUILL.

Body. Quill from moon-feather of peacock.
Tail. Two strands of red cock's hackle.
Hackle. Ginger-coloured hen's hackle.
Wings. From starling's wing.
Season. May and June.

I found it an excellent fly on the Deveron and elsewhere.



XL THE SAND-FLY, OR "GRAVEL-BED."

Body. Reddish fur from a hare's neck, ribbed with brown silk.
Hackle. Ginger hen's hackle.
Wings. From the ruddy mottled feather inside of the hen pheasant's wing. Some authorities dress it with corncrake wing.
Season. April and May.

This is Jackson's dressing of the fly.


XII. "WOODCOCK AND HARE'S-EAR."

Body. Dubbed from the speckled grey part of a hare's ear, picked out with a needle so as to form the legs of the fly.
Tail. Two strands of mallard wing.
Wings. Inside of woodcock wing-feather.
Season. April and May. A generally useful fly.

N.B. The " Woodcock Wing," dressed with the body of " Greenwell's Glory," is a very killing fly, but must never be named " Greenwell's Glory." The same wing is not unfrequently dressed with black or red hen hackle. It is regarded as a good all-round fly for Scotch rivers and "waters.'

XIII. BLACK-GNAT.

Body. Black silk.
Tail. Two strands from black hen's hackle.
Hackle. Small black hen's hackle.
Wings. From the wing feather of the starling.
Season. April, May, and June.

Jackson gives the dressing of this fly. Mr. Forrest, I see, almost repeats his dressing. It is a capital fly for border rivers.


XIV. YELLOW SALLY.

Body. Pale yellow silk.
Tail. Strands of dun hackle.
Hackle. Olive or buff-coloured hen hackle.
Wings. Pale yellow dyed starling feathers.
Season. May and June.

Many years ago, on the Tummel, I found that a " Yellow Wing " was not taken so well as the buff colour to be found on the inside of a fieldfare's wing.

Fieldfare is a fly of my own dressing, which is worth a trial when the " Yellow Sally " is about.


XV. GRANNOM.

Body. The light fur from a hare's face or ear, tipped with green silk.
Hackle. A ginger hen's hackle.
Wings. Taken from the partridge wing, and made rather full.
Season. April and May.

I give the dressing of this fly because it is a favourite well known. I very seldom use it myself.


XVI. THE RED QUILL.

Body. Quill dyed in Crawshy's No. 9 dye (see Mr. Halford's work, " Floating Flies, and how to dress them ").
Tail. Two strands of game-cock's hackle.
Hackle. Red game-cock's hackle-feather.
Wings. Starling, but somewhat pale.
Season. May and June.

Mr. Walbran's dressing. I found it a favourite at Bad Boll, when fishing the Wutach.


XVII. AUGUST BROWN.

Body. Of brown floss-silk, which must be ribbed distinctly with yellow silk thread.
Tail Two rabbit's whiskers.
Hackle. Red hackle stained brown.
Wings. Feather from a brown hen's wing.
Season. August and September.

This is a good September fly in Scotland, and is recommended by the authors of "How to catch Trout," by Three Anglers.


XVIII. THE PARTRIDGE TAIL, OR "FROG-HOPPER."

Body. Yellow tying silk.
Hackle. Hen's hackle light ginger.
Wings. The mottled feather from the tail of the partridge.
Season. June.

A good fly on the Clyde, and given by Webster in his book, "The Angler and the Loop Rod."


XIX. THE TOD-FLY.

Body. Striped quill from the moon-feather of the pea-cock, not dyed.
Tail. Two strands of game-cock's hackle.
Hackle. The soft and somewhat light mottled feather taken from the inside of the wing of the woodcock.
Wings. Mavis wing, inside of feather.
Season. I look upon it as a good, generally useful fly, and an excellent companion to Greenwell's Glory, to which it forms a nice contrast.


TABLE II.

Acting upon second thoughts, I have felt it desirable to change my plan, giving four tables of artificial flies instead of three, as I had originally intended.

Before doing so, I desire to record my sincere indebtedness to Mr. George Forrest, of Kelso, as well as to his sons, for so kindly and readily sending me the dressings of the various flies I asked them to furnish me with. I am also much indebted to Mr.Turnbull, of 60, Princes Street, Edinburgh.

The following patterns, with a detailed description of each, Messrs. Forrest & Sons have supplied, in the kindest and most obliging manner.

I. HOFLANDS' FANCY. (AN OLD FAVOURITE ON THE TWEED.)

Body. Light claret floss silk.
Tail Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen hackle.
Wings. From the inside of the woodcock wing feather.

HOFLANDS' OWN DRESSING OF THE FLY.

Body. Reddish dark brown silk.
Tail- Two or three strands of a red hackle.
Hackle. Red hackle.
Wings. Woodcock's tail.


II. PATERSON'S FAVOURITE.

Body. Brown tying silk, dubbed with the fur of the water-rat.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen's hackle.
Wings. From the quill feather of the water-hen.



III. OAK FLY (OR DOWN-LOOKER).

Before I give the dressing of this fly, I desire to make a few observations thereon.

The first pattern which I ever remember having in my fly-book, I got a good many years ago from Messrs. Carter & Peek, of London. It had a straw- coloured silk body, and has occasionally done good work. During a few days on the Cumberland Eden, the trout took it so well as a dropper, that I placed a second on my cast, to my very great advantage. I find it in the stock-book of Messrs. Turnbull & Co. dressed in this way. Now, Mr. Forrest gives it with the orange silk body. It would seem as if he had good authority for so doing, since he is supported by Francis Francis, whose book was published in 1867, and also by Ronalds, in 1832. I confess that I prefer the body to be straw-coloured, as given by Messrs. Carter & Peek, and Messrs. Turnbull & Co. And now I shall give Mr. Forrest's dressing of the fly, which would seem more like the insect.

Body. Orange floss silk.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Cock-y-bonddhu hackle.
Wings. "Woodcock, wing feather.


IV. DIGBY CALEY.
(A GOOD SPRING PATTERN ON THE TWEED.)

Body. One-third of yellow wool to two- thirds of rat fur intermixed, and ribbed with yellow tying silk.
Tail. Two strands of olive dun hackle.
Wings. From the hen pheasant.
Hackle. Blue dun hen hackle.

V. THE PROFESSOR.

Body. Yellow silk ribbed with brown tying silk.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen hackle.
Wings. Mottled feather of the mallard.



VI, FLIES FOR NIGHT FISHING ON THE
TWEED.

Mr. Forrest says that the bustard wing, with the " Professor" body and hackle, is very popular as a night fly.

He also furnished me with another, and the last fly, upon this list. It is ages since I fished at night, so I am quite out of it there.


VII. THE CORNCRAKE.
(A VERY FAVOURITE NIGHT FLY.)

Body. Brown fur, tipped with gold lace.
Tail. Two strands of red hackle.
Hackle. Red hen.
Wings. Wing of the landrail.


TABLE III.

SOME SIMPLY-DRESSED SINGLE-WINGED FLIES.

This style of fly, my preceptor, Mark Aitken, made me familiar with well over forty years ago. They
are nameless flies, known amongst fishermen merely by the description of their various and very simple dressings, which I am naturally familiar with, and the method of dressing which, I found quite recently described in that valuable work, " Blacker's Art of Fly-making," published in London in the year 1855, and headed (at page 3) thus : " An Easy Method to make the Trout Fly." His mode of dressing such flies is almost identical with mine, save that Blacker dressed his fly with two wings, which neither I nor old Mark Aitken ever thought it necessary to do, finding as we did, that flies tied with a single wing, in a bunch, but sparely, and set upright, killed quite as well as the most elaborate flies in any fishing- tackle shop. I shall begin with a few of " Mark's " simple patterns.

Permit me to say that the " body " (unless I specially name it) will be neither more nor less than the tying silk, used in making the fly itself, and that I for one prefer yellow to any other colour, especially when it is waxed, more or less, with cobbler's wax, for the body of a wet fly.


Hackle. From any small dun feather, taken from the lark. " Mark " called it " the Laverock Hackle." At times a cock-y-bonddhu hen hackle is used instead.
Wing. Corn-bunting.
Season. April and May.

II.

Body and Hackle. Formed by hare's ear spun round with the thread, and then picked out with a needle to form the "legs "of the fly.
Wing. Inside of the woodcock wing.

Season. April, and for general use.

m.

Hackle. Cinnamon hen hackle.
Wing. From the back of the hen pheasant.
Season. May.

IV.

Hackle. Soft black hen starling, or dun hackles from the feathers of small birds.
Wing. Inside woodcock wing.
Season.A generally useful and killing fly.

V.

Hackle. Neck feather of cock starling.
Wing. Wing feather of starling.
Season. March, April, and May.

VI.

Hackle. Hen (red or black).
Wing. Mavis.

VII

Hackle. Dun hackle, or cock-y-bonddhu.
Wing. Inside of quill feather of chaffinch.
Season. April, May, June, and September.


VIII.

Hackle. Black, or cock-y-bonddhu.
Wing. Inside of feather, blackbird's wing.

Season. April, May, June, September.

When this simple fly is dressed with a cock-y-bonddhu hackle, it is so near to Canon Greenwell's famous fly, that I feel almost inclined to withdraw it, and to apologize.



IX.

Hackle. Black hen ; the body formed of black tying silk.
Wing. The speckled feather of a teal drake.
Season. A good April and May fly on some rivers.


X.

Hackle. Corncrake ; the body dressed with dark brown silk.
Wing. Dark portion of mavis wing, or the corncrake's wing.

Season. A good all-round fly.



XI

Hackle. Badger like, grizzled hen hackle.
Wing. Inside of woodcock wing feather.
Very useful fly, especially in dark weather.

XII.

Hackle. This hackle, which is my own suggestion, is taken from the beautifully tapered hackle feathers on the head and cheeks of the Himalayan pheasant, the green-sheen feathers being more killing than those with the beautiful red-bronze sheen, in my experience.
Wing. Inside of starling or water-hen wing.

Remarks. These simple flies may be regarded as general "types" of the various ephemeridae, etc., without in any way posing to be close imitations of any single one of them. I may add that, with the assortment of flies given here, I myself would feel confident to go all over Scotland and hold my own. Much of their virtue, in my humble opinion, consists in their extreme simplicity, and also in the fact that they are feathered with a sparing hand. There would not seem to be much need, in our wet-fly work, for dressing our flies in an elaborate way and with two wings, if, as I maintain, flies dressed with a single upright wing kill quite as well.

I have noticed, whenever I gave my old preceptor a few flies, dressed in Edinburgh by the late Mrs. Hogg, the wings tied in a bunch, but divided into two by means of the silk thread used while tying the fly, that he would give vent to his opinions by muttering to himself, " One-half owre muckle wing ; " and off one of these two wings would go before he would use the fly.

He was never tired of preaching the superior virtues of soft feathers as against hard hackles, such as are usually associated with the barndoor cock, and above all other feathers, he seemed to be of opinion that the small feathers sometimes taken from the outside of the wing, sometimes from the inside, were the best feathers that could possibly be used for the legs of a fly, and, when you think of it, he was right, for they have infinitely more movement ; which surely is an important matter. Try the experiment of placing two flies, one dressed with a hard cock hackle, and the other dressed with a hackle such as I have described j in a tumbler of water, and then move them up and down. The cock hackle remains unsympathetic and rigid, while there is decided "movement" in the softer hackle. The only objection to the soft hackle that I can see, is, that it does not last long ; and the man who makes this objection, need not expect my sympathy, if he is not so successful as he might be, when trout need some catching.

Finally ; the thinness of the body, consisting as it does only of the tying silk, is a feature vastly in its favour, in wet-fly fishing.


TABLE IV.

SOME USEFUL HACKLED FLIES (" SPIDERS ").

I. WATER-HEN BLOA (SCOTTICE "BLAE").

Body. The yellow tying silk, dubbed with water-rat (or mouse) fur, sparingly put on and ribbed over with the same silk.
Hackle. From the inside of wing feather of water-hen.

Season. A generally useful fly all through the season,
and the best fly of its kind, in my opinion, for the fishing
of " Waters." Very valuable also in river fishing.

II. STEWART'S BLACK HACKLE (OR "SPIDER").

Body. The brown tying silk with which the fly is dressed. A reddish-orange silk makes a capital body.
Hackle. The small tapered feather from neck of cock starling.

Season. Generally useful all the season.

III. STEWART'S RED HACKLE (OR "SPIDER").

Body. The yellow silk with which the fly is dressed.
Hackle. From small feathers outside wing of the landrail.
Season. A specially good fly when the water is discoloured.


IV. PARTRIDGE HACKLE (OR "SPIDER"),

Body. Orange silk. When dressed with this colour, it is known as the " Orange Partridge." Likewise, when with yellow, it is called the "Yellow Partridge." One of the very best bodies, however, is the striped peacock quill.
Hackle. Taken from the brown mottled feather from back of a partridge.

It is indeed, with its various bodies, a fly of the greatest importance in the fishing of " Waters," and even of rivers.


V. "LIGHT PARTRIDGE" (OR "GREY
PARTRIDGE").

Body. Yellow tying silk, waxed with colourless wax, and tipped with flat tinsel or gold lace.
Hackle. A light (almost white) feather, with narrow black bars across it, taken from the breast of the partridge.

Season. I have frequently done excellent work with this
fly, particularly in April and May. It is one of my favourites.


VI. "THE TOD FLY" HACKLE.

Body. The striped quill from moon feather of peacock.
Hackle. The soft, pale, mottled feather from the inside of a woodcock's wing.

Remarks. This will be found generally useful, but
especially so in dull, cloudy weather.


VII. DARK SNIPE AND PURPLE.

Body. Purple floss silk.
Hackle. Small feather from outside wing of the snipe.
Season. A good fly, especially in early spring.
One of Pritt's patterns.


VIII. DARK NEEDLE.

Body. Orange tying silk.
Hackle. A small feather taken from the darkest portion of the wing of a brown owl.

Season. Especially good in cold and windy days. One of Mr. Walbran's patterns.

IX. SNIPE BLOA OR BLAE.

Body. Straw-coloured silk.
Hackle. A feather taken from the inside of a snipe's wing. Pritt's pattern.

X. GROUSE AND ORANGE.

Body. Orange tying silk.
Hackle. Freckled brown feather from the grouse.
A useful fly always, but especially so in a dark " porter-
colour water."

XI. CURLEW.

Body. Orange or yellow tying silk.
Hackle. A small feather taken from the outside of a curlew's wing.

Especially good in a clear and low state of river.



XII. HIMALAYAN HACKLE.

Body. Yellow tying silk, ribbed with yellow gimp or extremely fine gold wire.
Hackle. Taken from the green feathers on the head and top of neck of the Himalayan pheasant.

This fly was unknown till I introduced it, many years, ago, in the pages of the Fishing Gazette. I have found it at times, an excellent fly.


XIII. SEA SWALLOW AND YELLOW.

Body. Pale yellow silk, waxed with colourless wax.
Hackle. The pale and delicate feather from the outside of a sea-swallow's wing.

This fly may be used when the skies are full of dazzling
white clouds, and fishing requires skill. Mr. Pritt and Mr. Walbran give somewhat similar


XIV. DOTTEREL AND OEANGE.

Body. The orange tying silk.
Hackle. A small feather from outside of the male dotterel's wing.

SOME GENERAL REMARKS ON " HACKLED "

FLIES.

When dealing with the fishing of "Waters" with the wet fly, had I been asked to name one particular class more suitable than any other for this purpose, I should certainly have named hackled flies, the " Spiders " of Stewart's book. I do not mean for a moment that in doing so I should have necessarily excluded winged flies altogether. But, if I were asked to choose between the exclusive use of " winged " or " hackled" flies, I should then give my vote in favour of wingless artificials (call
them how you like) for the fishing of tributary streams that is, Waters. They are very often deadly, even in large rivers, and, I need hardly say, are particularly suitable for the fishing of burns, but in the fishing of Scottish " Waters," from the time of Stewart, down to the present day, these "hackled" flies "take a lot of beating." Even before Stewart wrote his book, the value of the " hackled " fly was known and appreciated.

I will now suppose that I am asked which of all the hackled flies I would place at the head of the list for general wet-fly work?

If I were asked the same question in connection with well-known winged flies, I should name " Greenwell's Glory " without a moment's consideration; so I shall now name a " hackled " fly which is at present not so universally known in Scotland as it deserves to be, I mean the " Waterhen- bloa." The Yorkshire word " bloa," is the equivalent of our good old Scottish word blae. The " Water-hen Bloa " is, as I have remarked, a Yorkshire fly, but is fast find- ing its way into Scotland. Many years ago, I gave the pattern to Mr. Forrest of Kelso, and urged him to get his clients to try it. I also asked his sons, who are, of course, good fishermen; to give it a practical trial.

Since I have named " Greenwell's Glory " as the best all-round winged fly for wet-fly work that I have ever used, and have likewise named the " Water-hen Bloa " as probably the best for the fishing of Scottish or North of England " Waters," I think it will be interesting to see, if we cannot discover why it is that these two flies take such a very prominent position on my lists of "winged'' and " hackled" flies.

Just let us examine these two flies in detail, with the view of comparing their respective dressings, their " buskings," as it used to be called in Scotland, and still is by old-fashioned people.

I begin with " GreenwelTs Glory." The wings are made from the quill feather of a blackbird, tied in a bunch and split that is, they are divided by the thread used in tying the fly itself. A soft hen's hackle of the kind known to fly dressers everywhere as a " Cock-y-bonddhu," forms the " legs " of the fly. The " body " is quite simple, and is formed of the yellow tying silk with which Canon Greenwell always got the late old Jamie Wright, of Sprouston, to dress the fly. The yellow tying silk is waxed with cobbler's wax, which imparts to it a greenish-yellow look. Finally, the body is ribbed over with the thin wire which can easily be unrolled from a piece of ordinary yellow gimp, and, failing that, with very thin gold wire. That is the correct dressing of " Greenwell's Glory." Many use the wing of the water- hen instead of that of the blackbird. It makes an excellent fly, and I have never discovered that the trout are sufficiently educated to notice the difference.

Now let us examine the dressing of the "Water-hen Bloa," that splendid hackled fly.

I see that some angling authorities, when describing the hackled varieties of artificial flies, gravely put down the dress- ing of each fly thus Wings, and here the name of that particular hackled fly is
given. Body, so and so. Now, this is ridiculous ! One might as well (in a Police Court case) describe a prisoner who had been caught red-handed in his shirt- sleeves as "wearing a frock coat of gray" (or blue).

I propose to adopt another plan, the plan of calling a spade a spade, and a hackle a hackle.

The body of the "Water-hen Bloa" is made thus.

It is tied with yellow tying silk, waxed with colourless wax, dubbed very sparingly with fur from the water-rat or the water-mouse. Even the fur of the mole may be used when the other is not procurable. The two main points are, To lay on the fur with a very sparing hand, and if you do this, the second point almost follows as a natural consequence, that you always can see plainly the yellow tying silk, running in ribs down the body of the fly. It makes a unique and splendid body. In fact, without the body, I should regard the fly itself, as being less worthy of the high place I have accorded it in my list of " hackled flies, " misnamed spiders in Scotland.

The Hackle.

This is taken from the small soft feathers inside the wing of the water-hen.

Practical fishermen and fly dressers will see at a glance, that there is a great deal in common between these two flies, and I think that you have only got to look at the natural " Blue Dun " when it first makes its appearance, leaden and dull of hue ; and, again, when the little "Iron Blue" puts in an appearance, to account for the fact that, as during the whole fly-fishing season, one or other of these flies are generally to be found on our " Waters " and " Eivers ; " these imitations, therefore, should always have a place on the fly-cast of every practical wet-fly fisherman. If this be done, the result will not be found disappointing, provided, of course, that the lure is presented to the trout with skill, and that the angler possesses " watercraft," a most essential element in the making-up
of any wet-fly fisherman.

Having named the " hackled " fly which, I think on the whole, probably deserves the topmost place, I will now name its formidable rival, which is much better known and more frequently used in Scot-
land. I mean the black Spider of Stewart's book, and which that most famous fisher of Scottish " Waters' 7 thus describes.

" The Black spider."

" This is made from the small neck feather of the cock starling, dressed with brown silk;" and, he adds, "it is, upon the whole, the most killing imitation we know."

Pritt's "Dark Snipe and Purple" is another fly of similar characteristics.

And here I would point out the sig- nificance of the fact that, the last-named are, all of them, dark flies ; and, that each of them is more or less famous. How far the trout are able to choose between these flies, especially when they are used under water, as wet flies are, who can say ? When we try to speculate on such matters, it is " but shrewd guessing."

My own feeling is, that trout take them as imitations of one or other of the insects I have named already, viz. the Blue Dun, as it at first appears, with leaden-coloured wings : the Iron Blue. I have frequently felt, though it is impossible to prove, that trout may occasionally feed upon the natural fly y as it is ascending to the surface. At other times I have imagined for who can observe what is invisible to himself ? that, in early spring, when the temperature of the water is nearly down to freezing-point, and the wind seems blowing from an iceberg, that the flies may make an honest effort to rise to the surface ; but, losing vitality through becoming benumbed, may be carried help-
lessly down stream, being thus picked up by any hungry trout.

My reasons for thinking so are, that, many and many a day, when no flies have been visible on the surface and, as a direct consequence, few or no trout break the surface in the welcome " rise " a fisher- man, if he only understands the secret of fishing with a sunk fly, can, even then, often get a large basket of trout.

Under such circumstances a "pull," instead of a "rise," is what the fly-fisher- man looks out for and receives.

During the first week of May, in 1877, I was busily fishing " the Tummel," with frost and snow all round me, and I experi- enced this in a very notable degree.

Curiously, even now, I remember that my best fly was one I dressed with the neck hackle-feather of the cock starling, but with the addition of a mere dot of " peacock herl," placed immediately under the hackle itself. I presume that it gives additional lustre to this imitation, and so attracts the trout, especially in cold dark days, when he is not inclined to show his nose on the surface of the water.

For the fishing of " waters," Hackled flies (spiders) are proverbally valuable. But they fill a very useful place, at times, in the fishing of larger rivers.


CONCLUSION.

WHEN I look back, I thank the good fortune which made me a wet-fly fisherman, in my early youth. Over and above its pleasures, who can ignore the value of a recreation, so wholesome, in every way.

My angling holidays have been more than delightful and their retrospect ever makes me grateful.

This may seem to be nothing, and yet it means much.

To me, a holiday spent in a country where good river fishing was not possible, was like some flavourless dish, pleasant to the eye; but, a thing wherein we know there is some hidden want : as Shelley puts it.

For many years I had to be gladly contented with one yearly holiday of (say) three weeks or so, and I was lucky to be able to take it, angling for trout !

I could imagine nothing more aimless and uninteresting than my holidays would have been had I spent them otherwise.

Of course, I write, not only as an angler, but as a professed enthusiast.

The interest the keen interest which fly-fishing has always aroused in me, has often given me fresh life when run down by ill-health and, I am bound to add, that I owe a debt to it, which I can barely
appreciate, and, certainly, never can repay.

But I must say no more of this.

I have touched upon the fascinations of burn fishing I have written about waters, and rivers; and, I have endeavoured to show how much interest there is to be got from the patient study of fishing with the wet fly.

I hope, and I believe, that I have not laboured wholly in vain.

At times I have felt a consciousness of not always being able to recall the little one knows, a gentle reminder that a man's memory "hath bounds and stays " at sixty- four !

The more we know of any subject we seem to appreciate how much more there is still hidden from our ken.

We pride ourselves on knowledge,

Yet the little that we know Seems like the mist ascending

From the great world below ; Which storms, with voice of thunder,

Sweep onward into space. The Earth stands fast its vapour,

Once scattered who can trace !


I have now placed the flies under four separate Tables, hoping in this way to avoid confusion. A few words of explanation will, I think, be advisable.


Table I. contains all the flies which I think will be found necessary, and especially for the fishing of rivers. Most of them belong to my own select list.

Table II. contains a list of seven flies, some of them of famous repute ; and I should fail in my duty did I not give their respective names and dressings.

Table III. contains a list of winged flies, without any particular name, or designation. They are dressed in the very simplest way. I do not wish it to be thought, that I place them above the winged flies in Tables I. and II., but, I maintain that they are (in capable hands) able to take care of themselves, when it comes to the only real test.

Table IV. contains a comprehensive list of " hackled " flies (spiders). These are specially recommended for the fishing of "Waters" but they are not a bit "out of it," when our larger Rivers get low.


I look forward to a day, which I myself shall never see ; and I am full of pathetic wonderment as to what it may bring forth.

Thank Heaven ! I have lived to see a close time for trout throughout Scotland. Yet this is only (in my opinion) the first stage, in a much-needed and far-reaching reform.

And now I must conclude, for " Time is up."