FLY FISHING. 51 



gnat, made with an ostrich herl body and small short wings of a star- 

 ling's feather, or a light grey hackle to make it buz, as a dropper, 

 are the best flies you can employ at the commencement of the 

 season. As the spring advances, the two former flies may be 

 ribbed with gold or silver twist, what they are intended then to 

 represent I cannot pretend to say, but in that form they prove 

 very attractive, and are as sure killers in a full water as almost 

 any flies that can be met with. These, and most other flies (due 

 regard being had to something like a happy medium) should be 

 larger or smaller in proportion to the clearness and fulness of the 

 waters. A small fly being best adapted to a clear and tranquil 

 river, with an increase of size as it approaches the contrary extreme. 

 I have myself indeed, and so to my certain knowledge have many 

 others, found that in a very limpid stream it was better to sacrifice 

 a little proportionate size, making the artificial less than the 

 natural fly, than to disturb the tranquillity of the water by splash- 

 ing a too bulky copy into it. 



Another good early fly is the hare's ear : so called from the 

 body being made with the dark fur of that part of the animal. 

 The wings should be close to the body and made with the quill feather 

 of the woodcock. The body should be rather slight, particularly to- 

 wards the tail, and somewhat full just behind the head: some of the 

 dubbing being picked out with a needle to give it that appearance. 

 Another way of tying this fly, and perhaps after all the best, is to 

 make it buz by winding round hackle fashion the mottled feather of a 

 wren's wing or tail ; and if these are not at hand, the small mottled 

 feather which closely resembles them that is found in the woodcock's 

 wing, used in the same manner will answer the purpose. This 

 fly may be fished with all through the year, and is one of the best 

 we have. 



Then there is the common red palmer, in which all the anglers 

 of the West of England put their trust ; the body of which is 

 made of the dark peacock or black ostrich herl, with a deep red 

 hackle over all. So great a favourite is this of a fishing friend of 

 mine who lives on the borders of Devon and Cornwall, and who 

 can catch as many fish as any man in that neighbourhood when he 

 troubles himself to make the attempt, will never use any fly but 

 this and the blue hackle, only varying the size in proportion to 

 the colour and magnitude of the waters he fishes in ; but notwith- 

 standing this, and good as we are ready to admit these flies to be, 



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