CHAPTER II. 



MATERIALS, IMPLEMENTS, ETC. 



HE following materials, implements, 

 etc., are used for making salmon flies. 

 Tying silks, floss silks, seal's fur, pig's 

 wool, mohair, chenilles, tinsels, feathers, 

 scissors, hackle pliers, stiletto, penknife, cobbler's 

 wax, varnish, vice, methylated spirit, and gut. 

 To assist the beginner in his selection when 

 buying and collecting them, the following hints 

 are given on the above-mentioned items in turn. 



Tying Silks. The best are those known as 

 ' Pearsall's gossamer fly-tying silks.' They are 

 sold on reels in different colours, of which claret 

 and orange are stronger than any of the others, 

 the reason for this being, I fancy, that the dyes 

 used in colouring the others weaken them. 

 These silks are very fine, and should always be 

 used doubled. They are then stronger, but take 

 up less room when wound on the hook than the 

 ordinary fly-tying silk sold in the tackle-shops. 

 The beginner will probably break these pretty 

 often at first, but he should not blame them and 

 try some which are coarser : practice will soon 

 teach him how much strain the gossamer will bear. 



