32 TO DRESS FLOATING FLIES 



with gut attached, that my previous arguments 

 have failed to persuade him to adopt the eyed- 

 hook, it will be necessary for him to whip the gut 

 to the under-side of the hook with the waxed silk 

 before commencing operations. If flies for the 

 sunk or wet fly style of fishing be required, the 

 quantity of wings and hackle should be slightly 

 decreased, but in other respects the procedure 

 should be identical. 



As the first example, take the case of an ordinary 

 upright winged dun : 



The operating table should be placed in the full 

 light of a window, and the vice securely clamped 

 to the right-hand corner of it ; the height of the 

 vice-head should be regulated to suit the dresser, 

 with the fly-nut for tightening the jaws of the vice 

 on the farther side from him. 



Fix the bend of the hook firmly in the vice 

 with the shank projecting to the right. The 

 temper of the hook should then be tested by 

 pulling the eye-end of the hook-shank sharply 

 upwards with the thumb and forefinger of the 

 right hand. If the hook is soft it will by this 

 action be bent out of shape, and if on the other 

 hand it is too highly tempered, it will snap off 

 short at the bend. In either of these cases the 

 hook should be discarded. If the tempering of 

 the hook has been successfully accomplished, it 

 will spring back to its original shape. Occa- 

 sionally the point of a hook when made is turned 



