OR WALTONIAN CHRONICLE, 91 



preference to my fly ; this has happened to others, as 

 well as myself. 



Your flies should be neatly made, and upon Nos t 

 9, 10, or 11 hooks, according to the size of the fish 

 you expect to take, and the brightness of the stream ; 

 in cloudy water, a larger fly may be used with success. 



I am not of opinion that such an extraordinary 

 quantity of flies are necessary ; on the contrary, half 

 a dozen varieties are quite sufficient : in fact, I know 

 a gentleman (a respected old acquaintance), that can 

 make and throw a fly with any compeer that only 

 uses red, black, grey or grizle, and these not winged 

 flies, but hackles or palmers ; in fact, my friend po- 

 sitively asserts, that he can take as many fish with 

 these as when his book was crammed with all the 

 hues of the rainbow ; and I must say, I am deci- 

 dedly of his opinion, I think palmers certainly pre- 

 ferable to winged flies. The red hackle with peacock 

 herle, do. with gold twist, black hackle with ostrich 

 herle, do. with silver twist, the grizzle, or grey hackle, 

 and the sooty dun or blue, dubbed with a little 

 blue rabbit fur; the above varied with yellow, or 

 scarlet silk, will answer all the purposes of any fly 

 fisher. At least this is my opinion, but many ex- 

 cellent fly fishers would still wish this art to be 

 shrouded in all the long prevailing nonsensical com- 

 plication, some asserting that a certain fly on such a 

 day of the month, in such a stream, at such an hour, 

 will alone take fish ; and at two hours after, another fly, 

 most minutely described, is the only one that will do 

 



