218 THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



The short fibres along the body, by intercept- 

 ing some light and permitting some to pass 

 through, will help to produce the effect of trans- 

 parency or translucency of the natural insect, 

 which effect would be particularly noticeable 

 upon flies where quill is used for the body. The 

 use of this hackle can be dispensed with in the 

 case of those flies where fur or mohair is used for 

 the body a few fibres picked out with a needle 

 producing much the same appearance and effect. 

 It may be the experience of other anglers who 

 have experimented with the artificial fly in at- 

 tempts to produce one that would cock read- 

 ily and maintain a good balance on the water, 

 that one tied with the wings leaning rather 

 more forward than is the present practice, 

 offers the nearest solution to these difficulties. 

 My own experience is that flies tied in this 

 manner sit beautifully upon the water, but I 

 cannot say that they cock any more frequently 

 than those tied with upright wings. I would 

 suggest that the angler tie a few flies with the 

 wings tilted forward at an angle of about 120, 

 and try them. If nothing else is accomplished, 

 the experiment may lead to a development in 

 the form of the fly which will enable us all to 

 some day take the one "big fish/' 



