54 



could not take another fish with it, when I introduced my 

 floaters, and I am confident I am the originator of 

 Floating Flies, having introduced them forty years ago, 

 and, up to the present time, have proved them very 

 deadly. A great favourite of mine is dressed as follows : 

 Body made of buff-coloured chenile, ribbed down at 

 intervals with gold or silver tinsel, below the ribs of chenile ; 

 a ginger hackle, rather long in fibre, wrapped down the 

 body by the side of tinsel; wing, two dyed mallard 

 feathers, set in very upright, back to back for floating 

 wings ; tail, three strands of cock pheasant tail feather. 

 This fly is an excellent floater, and kills well amongst 

 large trout at Hungerford. I do not approve of dressing 

 May flies cock-tail fashion, as the tail frequently comes in 

 contact with the nose of the fish, and will not stand as 

 those dressed on the hook only. Of late years I have 

 dresssed my floating Green Drakes as follows, and which 

 I shall fully describe, as I consider they are the best 

 floating May flies the angler can make : Hook, No. 6, 

 not too large or too long in the shank I prefer bright 

 hooks for May flies, not too heavy in the wire ; shape, 

 according to fancy, as some prefer the sneck to the round 

 bend. I always test my hooks first, to see if they will 

 straighten out or break. Fix it in the fly vice, put three 

 or four wraps of the tying silk, well waxed (which may be 

 any light colour), round the shank of the hook, leaving 

 sufficient bare hook to wing upon ; select a strand of good 

 round undrawn gut, according to the size of the hook ; 

 test it well by drawing it through the hands till it is 

 perfectly straight, lay it underneath the hook, and wrap 



