120 HINTS TO DRY-FLY FISHERMEN. 



The second point, or production of good imita- 

 tions both as to size and colour of the various flies 

 frequenting the streams, has, I venture to submit, 

 been sufficiently treated of in previous chapters. 



The third point, viz. : that of presenting this 

 good imitation in a natural position, that is, floating 

 on the surface with its wings up or " cocked," will 

 require some space to consider in detail. As 

 to floating, it will be noticed that the methods of 

 dressing and patterns given in preceding chapters 

 are specially contrived for that purpose, and hence 

 the flies are all much fuller in hackle (and the 

 winged ones in wings also) than those generally in 

 use by North Country fishermen. A word, too, 

 " en passant." Do not imagine that hackle flies are 

 not good floaters ! This is a delusion : when dry 

 they float as well or even better than winged ones, 

 and there is besides one very decided advantage 

 in their use, viz. : that, in whatever position they 

 fall on the water, they are never on their backs or 

 sides, but invariably floating in the natural position. 

 In all flies, whether winged or not, the active agent 

 in keeping them afloat is the hackle, and hence the 

 advice to put plenty of turns of hackle on all pat- 

 terns for use by the dry-fly fisherman. 



When new, the fly, of course, floats naturally, 

 and the first throw with a new fly should accord- 

 ingly be made with the greatest care, as the most 

 likely one to tempt the fish, and also because at 

 each subsequent cast the probability of his suspicions 



