FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   >>  
they are not common to all rivers. The Driffield, Derwent and other Yorkshire 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, Cock'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 Cock's hackle underneath; body sky blue camlet ribbed with copper coloured Peacock'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 illustrations 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 illustration. 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 classed 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 yo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53  
54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   >>  



Top keywords:

feather

 

yellow

 

Mallard

 

ribbed

 

natural

 

finger

 

camlet

 

Squirrel

 

artificial

 

underneath


hackle

 

interesting

 

fibres

 

needle

 

manufacturing

 

friends

 

months

 

accustomed

 
waters
 

trouble


collection

 
easily
 

caught

 

preserved

 

classed

 

required

 

tightly

 

beginning

 

points

 
neatly

fasten
 

superfluities

 

HACKLE

 

consumed

 
upright
 
copper
 
coloured
 

yellowish

 
Peacock
 

Yellow


Yorkshire

 

streams

 

abundance

 

Derwent

 

common

 

rivers

 

Driffield

 

chance

 

pretty

 

considerable