44 PRACTICAL FLY-FISHER. 



Rye. The Yellow Dun, gravel bed ; the Hawthorn Fly ; the Oak 

 Fly ; the Fern Fly, particularly in hot bright weather, and as an 

 evening fly, especially the Alder Fly, which is very abundant on 

 the Rye, and kills well during the time the Green Drake is on : I 

 have found it the most destructive fly on the river. The Grey 

 Drake kills well in the evenings ; but from the difficulty of obtaining 

 good imitations of the Drakes, I generally fish the Alder Fly, using 

 the different sizes on the same bottom. Another large fly is very 

 destructive in the Rye I allude to the Dark Mackerel, which kills 

 the largest Trout, especially in the evening. The Rye now becomes 

 a meagre river for sport, until August, when the Silver Horns is an 

 excellent fly, particularly in showery weather. 



The Autumn flies in the Rye are the Whirling Blue Dun, the 

 Dun Cut, and Blue Gnat (Ephemera's), the Orange fly, and the 

 Willow fly. On the 15th October, 1853, I took fifteen brace of 

 good sized Grayling with the Whirling Blue Dun, the Dun Cut, the 

 Willow fly and the Blue Gnat. The Blue Gnat was the most 

 destructive. The Palmers, with one exception, the Black Palmer, 

 with silver twist, seldom kill so well in the Rye as I have found 

 them in other rivers. I commence using it in May, and find it very 

 killing in the evening especially, up to September. The Red 

 Palmer, so great a favourite with most country anglers, does not 

 kill well in the Rye. In speaking of the Rye, during twenty years 

 experience in fly fishing, in which period I have had an opportunity 

 of fishing some of the best rivers in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Cumber- 

 land, Northumberland, and even the Tweed itself ; I have found no 

 river yield so much sport for the whole season as the Rye ; and 

 unlike the Yore and Wharfe, a tyro may have amusement in the 

 Rye, when he can obtain it nowhere else. It is, however, not so 

 good as it used to be owing to the low state of the river ; that is, a 

 large quantity of water passes along its subterranean course than 

 was wont some few years ago. 



In the foregoing remarks, I have avoided saying anything on 



