420 THE SUIR. 



* I have not fished either Nore or Suir for two years. 

 There has not been a fish up the Nore past Kilkenny this 

 year, after all our trouble and expense, owing to the per- 

 fect system of poaching established on that unfortunate 

 river ; I have, therefore, only a few old patterns to send 

 you. The two flies marked, " My own pattern, best kind," 

 I found to beat every other fly on the Suir, tied to suit 

 the water, large or small, and with the silk body either 

 blue, with blue hackle, or yellow or dark orange, over 

 dark purple or dark mauve-coloured silk ; in this manner 

 it can be varied to suit any taste ; you must use argus 

 pheasant hackle round the shoulders. Both these flies 

 are tied by myself, and have killed many fish. 



4 The little grey fly is also famous on the Suir, and the 

 other flies I have found very good on the Nore.* 



No. 1. Tag, silver tinsel and orange yellow floss ; tail, 

 sprigs of bastard bustard and ibis ; but, black ostrich ; 

 body, red plum-coloured floss ; silver twist ; light orange 

 hackle, argus pheasant hackle at shoulder ; wing, a good 

 bunch of green peacock herl, with strips of brown turkey 

 with dun points mixed, one topping over all ; black head. 

 Hook No. 5. 



No. 2 has a similar body and hackles ; a topping for 

 tail, and lemon tag ; a small tippet feather for under wing ; 

 over it a little green peacock, some brown mallard, and a 

 strand or two of gallina and grey mallard, stained yellow ; 

 blue macaw ribs. See for the varying of these two flies 

 Mr. Staples' letter. Hook No. 10. 



No. 3. The grey fly referred to is not much bigger than 

 a trout fly ; tag, silver tinsel; tail, a topping ; but, black 

 ostrich ; body, a turn of orange floss, and the rest silver 

 grey fur ; very pale yellow hackle at shoulder only ; wing, 

 a few sprigs of small tippet, brown mallard over it, and 

 yellow gallina over that (wing rather thin) ; black head. 

 The size of the flies must be varied to suit the water. 



