56 



The Gentle Art of Angling. 



which all anglers are supposed to 

 be gifted, the difficulties will be 

 surmounted in the majority of 

 cases. Practice, too, will work 

 miracles, and it is encouraging to 

 notice how each attempt will be 

 an improvement upon the last, 

 until there will not be much to 

 choose between the work of the 

 amateur and the professional. 



Tying depends upon a few 

 definite instructions, which it is 

 the object of this article to supply. 

 They are accompanied by photo- 

 graphic examples of each stage in 

 the process, from the unmounted 

 hook, to the fully equipped fly. 

 Every tier has his own particu- 

 lar method, and to him it is 

 naturally the best. My experi- 

 ence covers twenty years, and the 

 flies I have made have a fair 

 record behind them. There is no 

 secret in their manufacture be- 

 yond what is stated in these 

 pages. 



The tier's outfit is simple and 

 inexpensive. It can be purchased 

 for a few shillings. A pair of 

 angler's scissors, watchmaker's 

 tweezers, and hackle pliers, are 

 all that are necessary as far as 

 tools are concerned. For small 

 trout-flies, vices and other imple- 

 ments are required. The best 

 salmon-fly tiers 1 know never 

 use a vice, and as the examples 

 I give concern large flies, I con- 

 fine myself to the essentials. The 

 principle of tying is the same 

 whether the flies be small or 

 large. The hackles, fur, twist, 

 &c., involve a larger outlay. 

 Golden pheasant crests, Indian 

 crow, jungle cock, and suchlike, 

 are expensive, but when a stock 

 is laid in the number of flies that 

 can be made makes the cost per 

 pattern very slight. 



The number of elements in a 

 salmon fly amount to from fifteen 

 to twenty-five ; all these from first 

 to last are tied with a single piece 



of well-waxed silk, varying in 

 thickness according to the size of 

 the hook. If the thread breaks, 

 it must not be knotted, but 

 reattached by one or two coils, 

 catching the end underneath on the 

 shank of the hook. Constant 

 rewaxing is important, especially 

 where any of the elements, such 

 as twist hackle or wing, are 

 finished off. A little turpentine 

 or methylated spirit should be 

 used to keep the fingers free from 

 wax, as the delicate flosses and 

 feathers are easily stained ; in- 

 attention to this precaution will 

 spoil one's best work. 



I have chosen the simplest flies 

 as examples to tie for an obvious 

 reason ; more complicated pat- 

 terns may be tried when the 

 beginner has mastered the prin- 

 ciples upon which these are built 

 up. 



The orange goshawk is the first 

 example. In Galway it is called 

 the goldfinch, in other places the 

 sun fly. 



The hook is held between the 

 finger and thumb of the left hand, 

 point downwards, the waxed 

 thread is attached to the bare 

 shank close to the end, but leaving 

 sufficient room for the floss, 

 twist, hackle, and wings, which 

 are finished off at this point. In 

 attaching, the end of the waxed 

 thread must be caught by one or 

 two close coils underneath and 

 drawn tight. If it is an eyed 

 hook, the thread is attached op- 

 posite to the point of the hook. 

 If a gut loop is used, the gut 

 should be soaked for a few 

 minutes in warm water, then bent 

 to form the loop, which projects a 

 little below the end of the shank 

 where it is to be attached to the 

 casting line. The two loose ends 

 of the gut are laid along the top 

 of the shank and carried up to- 

 wards the finger and thumb where 

 the hook is held. The thread is 



