42 FISHING TACKLE 



The obtaining of a good collection of materials is a 

 work of time, as the items used are varied and not 

 always available at the same, time of the year. 



Poultry provide good feathers and hackles, the best 

 feathers being obtained from small birds and also 

 from common small birds of the hedgerow. When 

 neck and scalp feathers are required, the skin should 

 be peeled off and the skin and feathers well washed 

 in carbolic soap before being dried. 



Materials for bodies include quill, which is fibre 

 taken from the peacock, condor or turkey feathers. 

 Raffia, mohair, and silk are largely used. Tinsel can 

 be employed to advantage, and may be either flat, 

 braided or wire, in gold or silver. Good tinsel, 

 practically untarnishable, may be bought, and it is 

 best obtained through a tackle dealer or fly maker. 



Ordinary silk is of no use for fly tying. It should 

 be extremely fine and strong and (as many dyes have 

 a deleterious effect) undyed. Yellow and orange silks 

 have been found the strongest. 



MAKING THE FLY. 



As there are at least a dozen entirely different types 

 of artificial flies, it is only proposed to give the general 

 principles of applying the dressing. 



A hackled fly is the simplest to dress, (i) Trim the 

 hackle at one end, keeping it distant from the eye of 

 the fly to allow sufficient room to tie it on and wrap 

 it off. (2) Tie the point of the hackle to the hook 

 (which is held in the vice) by means of a half-hitch 

 and three turns of silk well waxed (see Fig. i). It is 

 very important that this be firmly done and the silk 

 not allowed to loosen. (3) Tie on the body herl of 

 tinsel with a few turns of silk to keep it in position, 



