40 ANGLING. 



the size of the fish, but a No. 6 will usually be small 

 enough. In fly-fishing for chub you may use artificial 

 beetles, humble bees, wasps, chafers, &c., &c., &c. The 

 flies used are chiefly palmers,* red, black, and green of 

 large size, with peacock herl, black or yellow bodies, and 

 with a silver twist on the bodies ; and, if a bit of wash- 

 leather is used as a tail it is more attractive, while if you 

 can keep three or four gentles on the bend of the hook it 

 adds greatly to the value of the fly. I have found a silver 

 tinsel body, with brown turkey wing, and a furnace hackle 

 kill well. A sandy red palmer with a yellow orange body 

 kills well, too ; all the flies should be of grilse size, or 

 even small salmon size. 



A strong rod is wanted to fly-fish for chub, as the 

 sport is chiefly pursued under boughs, among stumps 

 and roots, and in holes among rushes where weeds 

 abound, and if you get hold of a 41b. chub, as you some- 

 times do, it wants a strong rod and strong tackle to 

 prevent him from getting into the weeds or roots. I 

 always use a grilse rod and grilse tackle; that is, a 

 double-handed rod of about fifteen or fifteen-and-a-half 

 feet, and No. 2 salmon gut ; and I hardly ever remember 

 losing a fish by hanging up in weeds ; whereas, I have 

 heard of persons losing them by the dozen with single- 

 handed tackle, and they are always the largest fish. 

 Another thing, too, is, if you get hung in a flag or rush, 

 you can break it without going in with the boat and 

 spoiling the cast. In casting under the boughs it wants a 

 capital sculler, one who is an adept at whipping the 

 boughs himself, and who knows just where the fisher 

 wants the boat put without telling. It does not require 



* For how to dress a palmer, see " red palmer " or " hackle " 

 in " Trout Flies." 



