1 68 MODERN SEA FISHING 



flies or Belgian grubs (see p. 139) instead of hooks and baits. 

 This arrangement is trailed behind a boat, and the little fish are 

 often caught half a dozen at a time ; it is a case of quantity 

 rather than quality. This I hardly call fly fishing. I am now 

 more concerned with casting a bait of some kind by means of 

 a fly rod. 



On many parts of the Scotch coast small pollack and coal- 

 fish swarm during the summer months, and take a white fly 

 greedily in the evening. The whitebait fly is killing. There 

 are few flies which, if large enough, they will not take, but they 

 appear to have a weakness for a white wool body and a white 

 wing, the size depending on size of fish. If a little red tail and 

 some gold or silver tinsel ribbing for the body are added, the 

 fly will be none the less killing. The sole-skin and imitation 

 sand-eel baits already described are very attractive to pollack, 

 which will also take large feather baits or flies as you may 

 please to call them. 



Mr. Moodie-Heddle, of Orkney, sent me the following 

 dressing for a cheap and effective fly on a large-sized cod hook. 

 Tie on a body of orange and black, well barred in strips of half 

 an inch in width, and lay over the back of the body a few strands 

 of peacock harl, or two whole feathers tied down at the tail. 

 Wings either white swan's feather, two sides tied over one behind 

 the other, or two whole speckled turkey's or drake's feathers. 



The two larger patterns illustrated, which are also strongly re- 

 commended by Mr. Moodie-Heddle, can be made in the follow- 

 ing manner. No. i, brown or grey turkey feathers for wings (tied 

 down at head), two feathers being placed face to face. Curlew 

 feathers, one or two further back, and peacock feathers on head 

 and tail of the bait. Beads for eyes ; red worsted at gills ; blue 

 worsted for back ; pale yellow or greenish-yellow on belly. 

 No. 2 is made in much the same style. Body red and black 

 worsted with gold or silver tinsel ; tail of heron's feather, cut 



