210 ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 



It is now the general opinion that trout are in the 

 best condition during and immediately after the May- 

 fly season. Bowlker considered that they were best 

 before they had gorged themselves with that fly, as 

 it made their bellies thin and their flesh flabby. 



Bowlker fully describes in turn each of the flies 

 included in his list of most useful flies. I append 

 below his description of the blue dun, the granam, 

 and the red spinner : 



The Blue Dun Fly comes down in the beginning 

 of March, and will kill Fish in the forenoon till the 

 middle of April : He is made of a Blue Duck's 

 Feather or Starling's wing with a blue Cock's hackle, 

 the Dubbing yellow Mohair mixed with the blue 

 Furr of a Fox : As he swims down the Water, his 

 Wings stand upright on his Back : His tail is forked, 

 and of the colour of his Wing : He comes down 

 about ten o'clock and continues till twelve in great 

 quantities : He is always thick on the Water in 

 Cloudy, Gloomy Days. 



The Granam Ffy, or Green Tail comes down about 

 a Week in April, if the Weather be mild ; they 

 appear upon the Water in great quantities in Bright 

 Mornings ; but in cold stormy Days there are few 

 of them to be seen : Then is the time to use the 

 Brown Fly. This Granam Fly is a tender Fly and 

 not able to endure the Cold. The time of its con- 

 tinuance on the Water is not above a Week or ten 

 Days. This fly is made of a Feather out of the 

 Wings of a Pheasant, which is full of fine Shades as 

 the Wing of the Fly is, which lye flat on his Back 

 as he swims down the water : His Body is made of 

 the black part of Hare's Furr, with a Peacock's 

 harl over it, and the grizzled Hackle of a Cock 

 wrap'd twice round under the butt of the Wings. 



