Swarbrick

[Traditionalist]

List of Wharfedale Flies by John Swarbrick (of Austby) 1807: 30 Patterns: 22 Soft-hackles.

( I have not cross referenced these flies to materials etc. many of them are not soft hackle spiders as such, but "transitional" flies with wings and hackle separate. I am still working on an article about this. MC)


NOTE: all of the punctuation and capitalization is mine. Some very minor phrasing changes have been added to make the text more accessible. This was done very judiciously however, leaving the oddity of the presentation of the patterns by Swarbrick intact.

No. 1: Winter Brown:

About the 26 of Feb you may begin fly fishing.

Make the winter brown. It is made from underneath the Woodcock wing on of the large feathers which covers the quill feathers. You must make this a hackle fly. You must make the body with red silk and a little peacock hurl in the head.

No. 2: Little Black:

This is a small black fly, either winged or hackled. It is winged from a quill feather of a Black Bird and leg it with a Starling feather. Take this feather from the neck. It must be made with purple silk. Hurled at the head with a Magpie tail feather only two turns or the feather and lapped down the body with black Ostrich feather only one turn. When a hackle it does without wings.

No. 3: Large bloo: (Large Blue)

This is a larger fly resembling a clock take the feather from a hen moor game neck. The feather must be mixed well with black and orange hurled at the head with peacock feather only one turn the body with orange silk.

No. 4: Blo Fly:

This is the blo fly made from under wing on a water hen. Sometimes make it of a large feather. sometimes of the small. Not hurled at the head. It is a hackle made with yellow silk and not very large.

Fish these four last mentioned flies till about the 15 or 20 of March when you will see the large march brown come out.

No. 5: March Brown:

The large March Brown she is a large fly winged form a Partridge tail feather. Use one of the freckled feathers and not the dun. Leg this fly with a Tomtit tail feather or you may make it of the knuckle of Woodcock wing. Made with orange and yellow silk twisted together and a little of the brown dawn of a fox ear. Always fish it at the end, the Moor Game next, and no 6 above and no 12 the hackle fly.

No. 6: Large Blo:

This is a Large Blo that comes on with the March Brown. It is winged of a Phelper (Fieldfare) take a feather out of the middle of the wing and make your wings and leg it with a gray Plover feather taken of the neck much the same color as the winged. You must make this fly with yellow silk.

No. 7: The Snipe Blo:

Take a feather from under the Snipe wing. It is a small feather not to put the white part of the feather into the wings yellow silk and a little Water Rat** dawn (down) in the body.

No. 8: Wood Owl:

This fly is called the Wood Owl. Take a small feather out of its wing about the middle part. Use orange silk and hurled at the head with Peacock hurl.

No. 9:

This fly resembles a Little Gray Clock. It is a hackle fly taken from the Partridge back. Drab-colored silk at the head with Peacock hurl.

Now it is about the 12 of April look for the Swallows coming and the few days after you must take particular notice if the dark day and you will see no 10.

No 10: Watchet:

This is a very small fly a dark iron color and blo which cocks up her wings. The feather is taken form between a Jackdaw's shoulders. Made very small with orange and purple silk twisted together Water Rat** down in the body. This fly is called the Watchet.

No. 11: Partridge:

This fly is called the Partridge. The feather is taken from between the shoulders of a Partridge hurled at the head with Peacock feather and orange silk a little hair face for the legs.

No. 12:

This resembles a Clock. The feather is taken from a Pheasant back cut the black ends of the best feathers is upon the top of the neck a Cock Pheasant orange silk hurled at the head with a Peacock feather.

No. 13: Spanish Needle:

This fly should be called the Spanish needle. The feather is taken from the Wood Owl. Wing the darkest feather next to the body made very small orange silk waxed well hurled at the head with peacock feather and fished at the end.

No. 14:

This fly is very small light colored blo winged of a Jay wing, using the bottom part of the quill feather. Leg with a gray Plover feather. Use straw colored silk. When a hackle, its feather is taken from under a Jud Cock wing very small. A Jud Cock is the smaller kind of a Snipe.

No. 15:

This fly is made very small as a hackle fly. The feather is taken from a black hen. Any other color if the feather suits the body. The feather must be a good black and tipped with orange at the end. Sometimes I have found a blue hen with the best feather upon her neck. This fly is fished one bright day as it resembles a Clock as the Clocks are flying most on such days. It is hurled at the head with Peacock hurl the body is dressed with orange silk some times down the body with black Ostrich hurl.

Sir as soon as you see the Willows begin to leaf you must take note and you will see No. 17 flying in great abundance. She flutters very much when she flies. She will be out about the first of May or sooner if the weather be fine and warm.

No. 16: Green Tail:

This fly is made rather larger than most of the flies at this time of the season. Its feather is taken from under the wing of the Woodcock wing it is hurled at the head with Peacock hurl light drab colored silk and a little of the down of a hair face in the body cut the bottom part of the down off and then it will resemble the legs.

No. 17: The Sand Fly:

Sir if you take notice upon the sand beds about the 10 of May you will see these flies in great abundance as they bred in the sand. She is a winged fly, the feather is taken of Mallard what we call a Drake. The feather must be of a sandy brown, much the same color as a feather of a Partridge feather, some times of a Silver Pheasant wing. Sir, it must be made very small. When I say small, I mean hurled at the head with a Magpie hurl and purple silk wrapped down the body with one turn of the feather of a Hearing Saw (Heron Sheugh – a name still used in Yorkshire for the Grey Heron). The feather comes black legged with a black hen neck feather. Sir, fish this fly at the end.

No 18: Knotted midge:

This fly is very small as a hackle. The feather is taken from a Tuit's (Lapwing or Teewit) wing. The feather lays near the body. It is hurled at the head with Magpie feather with drab colored silk. The dark down of a Hair Skut in the body.

No 19: The Stone Midge:

This is a very small fly as a hackle. The feather is taken from a Green Plover breast, what we call a Tuit. Purple silk hurled at the head with Magpie feather and the body wrapped with Crane feather. Fish this no ?? with the sand fly.

No. 20: The Grey Midge:

This fly is a small a hackle the feather is taken from the wood cock breast or one of the small feathers from under the wood cock wing hurled at the head with magpie tail feather orange silk.

No 21: Orange Black:

This fly is very small as a hackle. The feather is taken from a Starling neck and hurled at the head with Magpie feather using orange silk.

No. 22: The Aunt Fly:

This fly is winged very small. The feather is taken from the quill feather of a Piper (Redwing). This bird flies with the Phelpears (Fieldfares) in the winter nearly resembling the Throsal (Thrush). The quill feathers have a dun color in them. This fly is hurled at the head and tail with Peacock hurl with the feather of a Tomtit tail. It is made a hackle using the feather of a Tomtit wing, both sides of the feather. One side answers for the wings and the other for the legs. Use the same colored silk.

TL
MC