FLY-FISHING. 



BY 



COL. E. Z. C. JUDSON. " NED BUNTLINE." 



FISHERMEN are born such not made ! That is my 

 private opinion, publicly expressed. It is founded upon 

 the experience of full half a century on ocean, lake, 

 river, and brook. I have taken a mature man with me 

 on a fishing trip, who had never cast (( a line in pleas- 

 ant places," lent him rod and tackle, made a few casts 

 in his presence, caught perhaps a half a dozen trout, and 

 then watched his imitative power combined with the 

 tact lorn in him. If he was one of the right sort he 

 would go right on improving every hour, and in a little 

 while begin to fill his creel with the best of us. 



My personal knowledge of fish and fishing began 

 early. My father had few superiors as an angler, and 

 trouting was his specialty. He made his own rods, 

 lines and flies. The first was a tapering ashen pole 

 generally about ten feet long scraped, oiled and var- 

 nished till it was as smooth and bright as glass. The 

 line was made from horse-hair and braided with a care 

 and patience that used to be a wonder to me. 



The blue-jay, the red-headed woodpecker, the pheas- 

 ant and wood-duck were shot for fly-feathers. When I 



