98 



FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 



When tying a very small fly, take a length of fine 

 silk and wax it well, then double half its length ; whip 

 the gut on to the hook with this doubled part, leaving a 

 single strand hanging to tie the fly with. 



Always be very careful to get the very best hooks. A 

 great many bought flies are tied on very bad ones. For 

 very small flies the hooks should always be fine in the 

 wire ; and for all sizes of trout and grayling flies, too 

 heavy hooks are a mistake. For all the smaller sizes, 

 that is from No. 9 and upwards, I prefer the sneck-bend, 

 and for larger sizes, the Carlisle bend. The hackle 

 should be fastened in at the same time as the gut is 

 whipped on the hook, except in the case of a fly with a 

 silk body, when it may be fastened in at the same time 

 as the silk is wrapped on for the body. 



To prepare a hackle, snip the fibres 

 on both sides for a short distance^at the 

 thin end, slightly damp the feather, and 

 give the fibres an inclination in a con- 

 trary direction to their natural lay as 

 shown in fig. 7. 



As regards the materials for dressing 

 flies, the best plan is not to adhere 

 quite closely to any particular stuffs, 

 Flg>7 furs, hackles or feathers, but to make 



