ARTIFICIAL FLIES 53 



the point of the hook is camouflaged by 

 dressing, the better. Obviously, too, the 

 point should be as sharp as possible, so that 

 it pays to examine your flies at intervals, and 

 if the points have become blunted, a small 

 jeweller's file should be used to resharpen 

 them. 



6. Dry flies : The Jiaclde and hook. 

 Wet flies, whether winged or spider shaped, 

 are dressed with soft hackles or " legs." Soft 

 feathers give a much better appearance of 

 life to a fly under water than stiff ones. A 

 dry fly, however, i.e. one that 

 is used solely on the surface, 

 where it floats in an upright 

 position, should be dressed 

 with a stiff hackle, which FlG i 4 ._ UpBIGHT 

 imparts buoyancy. Many DOUBLE -WINGED 



a- A 1,1 / DRY FLY. 



dry nies are double winged, 

 the theory being that such wings give a 

 parachute effect and so aid the fly to drop 

 lightly on the water. Wings of this sort add 

 weight, however, and so put more strain on 

 the hackle, which consequently sinks deeper. 

 Lightness of build is as necessary in the dry 

 fly as the wet ; and it is therefore preferable 

 to have one's dry flies without wings and 

 hackled with a sharp cock's hackle at the 



