HOOKS FOR MAY-FLIES. 



41 



favourite fly is one tied on a small hook, by Holroyd, of 

 Gracechurcli Street (2, Fig. 31) * 



Fig. 31, (1) GowLAND's May-fly ; (2) Holroyd's May-fly. 



It is all-important to have 



Fig. 32. Spent Gnat. 

 waters much more useful than 



a good hook for May-flies. It 

 must be long in the shank, 

 light in the wire, and beauti- 

 fully tempered, for it has to 

 float, and must hold the fish. 

 The Pennell hooks are good 

 for May-flies, and I can also 

 recommend for the purpose 

 some patent eyed hooks made 

 by Warner & Sons, which 

 have capital eyes (see Chapter 

 IX.). 



When the Grey Drake has 

 shed her eggs, she quickly dies, 

 and floats down the river with 

 wings outspread, and is known 

 as the Spent Gnat (Fig. 32). 

 The wet fly is now on many 

 the dry fly. The very best 



* The following is a good dressing for floating May-flies : Body, straw, ribbed 

 with brownish-red silk. Run a small red cock's hackle down the body (to help the 

 floating). Wings, Egyptian goose (very durable) or Canadian wood duck dyed a 

 pale green. Legs, speckled Florican hackle. Tail, three whisks of brown mallard. 

 The Grey Drake is little used, except as a Spent Gnat with wings outspread. A 

 good dressing is similar to tbat given for the Spent Gnat, but with undyed Canadian 

 wood duck wings, in lieu of the Andalusian cock hackles. 



