The North Country Angler. Q 



and this is one advantage we may have, by 

 drawing the hairs and cutting off the small ends, 

 and ail that are tainted or weak. 



I shall, in this place, give some directions how 

 to make links with one, two or three flies, to 

 loop on to the low end of the line. How and 

 of what materials to make the flies, I have shewn 

 in another place. There is more judgment and 

 nicety required in this, than some fishers take 

 notice of. 



For your finest fly line, your link must be all 

 of single hairs ; of which you must choose the 

 smallest and weakest for the end fly, and dress 

 it to the thick or root end of the hair ; it will 

 last twice as long as it would do if dressed to the 

 small end : This fly should not be a hackle fly, 

 but a dubbed one; because it will be often un- 

 der water, and will resemble the fly in a sitting 

 posture, better than a hackle would do, which 

 looks as if upon the wing. I generally dress it 

 a half fly only, with a bristle to keep on a grub 

 or maggot. 



The second fly should be a hackle, dressed to 

 the small end of the second hair, at which if you 

 hook a fish that is too strong for you, it will 

 sooner break, and so you will only lose the fly. 

 When you have dressed this second fly, put the 

 small end of the first hair to the fly end of the 

 second hair; draw the fly about three inches 

 beyond the end of the other hair, and make the 

 common fisher's knot, which will make the 

 second fly hang down perpendicular from the 

 line ; dress your third fly a hackle, to the small 

 end of your third and strongest hair, and knot it 



