Fig. 57. How to Tie Lake Flies. 



1. Portion of breast-feather of a mallard, doubled, to form wing. 



2. The hackle, taken from neck of a black cock. 



3. Having taken two turns round hook with well-waxed silk, take two turns 



round wings and end of hackle (or hackle only, if wings are put on last, 

 as is very commonly done). 



4. Cut off the waste end of wings, and bind silk round shank nearly to bend 



of hook, where lay, under the last two turns of silk, the ends of three fibres 

 of mallard feather (to form a whisk) and a piece of silver tinsel. 



5. Take two turns of silver tinsel under the whisk, and bring the end under 



" the tying-silk. Take one turn of tying-silk over end of tinsel. Cut oflE 

 the remainder of tinsel (unless, of course, the body is to be ribbed with it), 

 rub a little extra wax on to silk, hold end of silk in right hand, and, with 

 the thumb and a finger of the left hand, spin or twist on to it a little 

 seal fur or pigswool (called dubbing) of the colour desired. 



6. Wind the silk bearing the dubbing round the shank, back and close to the 



wings, and clear the end of silk of any dubbing which may be upon it. 



7. Take end of hackle in tweezers, and twist hackle a few times under wings 



of fly, then once in front of wings, and take a turn of silk over the end 

 of hackle. 



8. Finish off by laying the end of the silk (A) along the fly, and taking two turns 



of the silk at B round the neck of the fly ; then pull the end A tight. 



9. Cut off any untidy ends, loosen and pick out wool or fur of body, and arrange 



hackle with a darning-needle— the eye of which is stuck in a cork— and 



varnish the silk at neck of fly. 



Note.— If gut is to be whipped on the hook, commence as in Diagram 3, but omit 



the wings, and lay the end of gut along the shank, first biting the end of gut to keep 



it from slipping. Then proceed as in remaining Diagrams, but put the wings on 



last of all. 



