THE COMPLETE ANGLER, 



CHAPTER VII. 



FISHING-AT-THE-TOP. Flies for the Months of Ja- 

 nuary, February, March, April, and part of May ; 

 including, under May, particular Directions how 

 to bait with the Green-Drake. 



VIATOR. 



COME, Sir ; having now well dined ; and being 

 again set in your little house, I will now challenge 

 your promise, and, intreat you to proceed in your 

 instruction for fly-fishing : which that you may be the 

 better encouraged to do, I will assure you, that I have 

 not lost, I think, one syllable of what you have told me ; 

 but very well retain all your directions, both for the 

 rod, line, and making a fly. And now, desire an ac- 

 count of the flies themselves. 



Pisc.-Ju. Why ! Sir, I am ready to give it to you : 

 and shall have the whole afternoon to do it in, if nobody 

 come in to interrupt us ; for you must know, besides 

 the unfitness of the day, that the Afternoons, so early 

 in March, signify very little to angling with a fly; 

 though with a minnow or a worm, something might, 

 I confess, be done. 



To begin then where I left off: My father Walton 

 tells us of but twelve artificial flies only, to angle with 

 at-the-top : and gives their names : of which some 

 are common with us here ; and 1 think I guess at most 

 of them, by his description : and I believe they all 

 breed, and are taken, in our rivers, though we do not 

 make them either of the same dubbing or fashion : 

 And it may be in the rivers about London, which I 

 presume he has most frequented, and where it is likely 

 he has done most execution there is not much notice 

 taken of many more : but we are acquainted with 

 several others here, though perhaps I may reckon 



