CHAPTER XIX 



HOW TO TIE ARTIFICIAL FLIES 



EVERY trout fisherman should learn to tie flies 

 for himself; for the day will inevitably come 

 when his fly-book will not meet the needs of the 

 occasion. More than once I have turned cer- 

 tain defeat into as certain victory by my skill 

 with thread and feathers. To be able to match 

 any stream-need is a most valuable asset. Now 

 that I have said that, let me hurry and add that 

 most of us nevertheless will be willing to pur- 

 chase our flies from master-craftsmen like Miss 

 Frost and Mrs. Keene; for only after long ex- 

 perience is it possible to produce such perfect 

 specimens of the fly-tier's art. I sometimes 

 think that the fly- tier is born, not made. Some 

 of us can never get the feathers to lie in place, 

 or the finished fly to appear smooth and even; 

 after we have failed again and again, we will be 

 more than willing to pay a dollar a dozen, and 

 more, for our fuzzy-wuzzy lures. Never mind 

 if you cannot produce a perfectly shaped fly; it 



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