FLIES AND FLY FISHING. 99 



the fly of anything that strikes you as likely to imitate it 

 best. This advice is only intended for amateurs. Pro- 

 fessional fly-tyers ought to turn out their flies always 

 exactly the same as to pattern. The dressings of the 

 different flies, given in this book, are what I nearly always 

 myself use ; but it occasionally happens that one chances 

 on a piece of stuff or a feather exactly what you want to 

 imitate some particular fly on a river where that fly is of 

 a darker or lighter shade than usual. 



Flies intended to be used as droppers should always be 

 tied on stouter gut than those for stretchers. A vice to 

 hold the hook I have never found of any use, it is 

 always better to tie with your fingers only. All you re- 

 quire are a small pair of spring tweezers and a pair of 

 sharply pointed scissors. 



And now to tie a fly. 



1st. To whip the gut on to the hook. Having notched 

 the end of the former between your teeth, take two turns 

 of the tying silk round the shank of the hook, then lay 

 the gut along the shank, and take two or three turns 

 round both, remembering to leave as much of the end of 

 the shank bare as you will require to finish off your fly 

 on. Twist the gut right round the shank of the hook. 

 This prevents its drawing. Whip on to the bend, 

 and finish with one knot, leaving the end of silk with 

 which to tie the fly hanging ; varnish and leave until quite 

 dry before proceeding any farther. 



H2 



