12 ANGLING. 



department of the craft, is to get some friend who understands 

 making artificial flies to instruct Mm in the business. Any one 

 may soon acquire the requisite degree of knowledge ; and a little 

 patient practice will speedily render him an adept. To those who 

 nave witnessed professional fly-makers, nothing so strikingly shows 

 the power gained by having the mind and fingers confined to one 

 set of thoughts and actions. The rapidity of movement, the facility 

 of handling the small and delicate materials, and the general wind- 

 ing up, and polishing off the entire fly, however small and compli- 

 cated its shades and colours, seem to uninitiated persons as the 

 effect ol magic. 



But in conformity with the general practice observed in con- 

 structing treatises on fishing, we shall here subjoin a few directions 

 in detail for making artificial flies. We take the account from 

 Captain Richardson and others, because anything like originality is 

 quite out of the question in an operation so purely imitative and 

 mechanical. 



The surest way to complete^ number of flies is to have every 

 necessary material arranged immediately under your eye; every 

 article separate and distinct so as to be grasped in a moment ; and 

 all the hooks, and gut, or hair, wings, Tiackies, dubbing, silk, and 

 wax, neatly assorted, and prepared for instant use. The hooks 

 require to be sized for different flies ; the gut demands the most 

 careful examination and adjustment the hackles must be stripped, 

 and the dubbing well waxed; the silk must be carefully assorted, 

 and of the very finest texture ; and the wings must be tied the 

 length of the hook they are to be fastened to, in order that the 

 fibres of the feathers may be brought into the small compass of the 

 hook. This previous care and trouble not > only save time in the 

 process, but ensure a degree of neatness in the execution that is 

 otherwise almost unattainable. 



The tying of the wings is thus performed. A piece of \tell 

 waxed silk is laid in a noose on the forefinger of the left hand- 

 the wings, or feathers, are put in the under part of the noose, and 

 at the distance of the length of the wing required ; the thumb is 

 then applied closely to the feather, and with one end of the noose 

 in the mouth, and the other in the right hand, the noose is drawn 

 quite tight, and the silk is then cut within an inch of the knot, 

 thus leaving a handle by which to hold the wing. If the thumb be 

 not firmly pressed, the feathers will be pulled away, and the article 

 mil be useless. 



First Method. How to make a fly with the wings in the natural 

 position in the first instance. 



Hold the hook by the bend, with the point downwards, between 

 the forefinger and the thumb of the left hand. With your waxed 

 silk in your right hand, give one or two turns round the bare hook, 

 about midway, lay the end of the gut along the upper side of the 

 hook (if tied on the under side the fly will not swim, but contin- 

 ually revolve), and wrap the silk firmly until you get within a few 



