60 ANGLING FOR GAME FISH. 



In Continental streams, tlie best Englisli flies will always kill, 

 but the angler should be careful to have them dressed in 

 different sizes, to suit the various states of the water. I doubt, 

 indeed, if more flies are necessary than the following : Red 

 Spinner, Red Palmer, G-overnor, Blue Dun, Yellow Dun, 

 Coachman (some with starling- wing), March Brown, Black 

 Gnat, Hare's Ear with Silver Twist, Sedge, Sandfly, Alder, and 

 Furnace.* 



This short list of flies would not be a bad selection for a boy just 

 commencing to fly-fish. And as regards boys, on whose pocket- 

 money the purchase of fishing-tackle makes serious inroads, let 

 them not be deterred from fly-fishing by the expense. Several 

 of the cheaper London tackle-shops sell fly-rods for half a 

 guinea (I have noted some in Mr. Walbran's list) which are 

 quite good enough to learn with; a small wooden reel, with 

 a check, can be bought for half a crown, and about 35yds. 

 of one of the Manchester Cotton Spinning Company's un- 

 dressed, twisted lines, or dressed snooding used in sea-fishing, 

 will make a good cheap casting-line. A youngster can thus 

 be rigged out with rod, reel, line, casts, and flies, for some- 

 thing under £1. A landing-net is easily made at home, by 

 lashing a thick wire, or wooden or cane hoop, on to an old 

 walking-stick. The net also can be made at home, or bought 

 for a few pence. 



As flies on gut are much used in moorland streams, it will be 

 useful to tell of a plan by which gut can be tied to a fly which 

 has no eye. It often happens that we have only one fly of the 

 right pattern left in our book, and when the gut to which it is 

 attached is on the point of breaking, the fly is useless unless 

 we can put a fresh piece of gut to it. An old moorman on 

 Dartmoor showed me this little-known plan, which at times 

 is very valuable. First, tie a knot at the extreme end of the 

 gut, and tie the gut once round the bend of the hook. Then 



* Excellent North-country flies are tied by F. Walbran, of Station Road, Leeds, 

 who is a good all-round fly-dresser ; Hardy, of Alnwick ; J. Emmott, of Kilnsey, 

 Skipton ; H. Esson, Virginia Road, Leeds. For Derbyshire, there is Foster, of 

 Ashbourne. For the Welsh streams, J. Ogden, of Cheltenham. For Devonshire, 

 Bowden, of Exeter ; Prickman, of Exeter ; Clarke, of Newton Abbott, and 

 Mudford, of Tiverton. For Scotland and Ireland, the makers of salmon-flies 

 mentioned in Chapter IX. 



