1 66 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



wool, lapped about with the herle of a peacock's tail, and 

 the wings made of the wings of the buzzard. The twelfth 

 is the dark drake-fly, good in August : the body made of 

 black wool, lapped about with black silk ; his wings are 

 made with the mail of the black drake, with a black head. 

 Thus have you a jury of flies, likely to betray and condemn 

 all the trouts in the river. 6 



I shall next give you some other directions for fly-fishing, 

 such as are given by Mr. Thomas Barker, a gentleman that 

 hath spent much time in fishing ; but I shall do it with a 

 little variation. 



First, let your rod be light, and very gentle ; I take the 

 best to be of two pieces : and let not your line exceed 

 especially for three or four links next to the hook I say, 

 not exceed three or four hairs at the most, though you may 

 fish a little stronger above, in the upper part of your line ; 

 but if you can attain to angle with one hair, you shall have 

 more rises, and catch more fish. Now you must be sure 

 not to cumber yourself with too long a line, as most do. 

 And before you begin to angle, cast to have the wind on 

 your back, and the sun, if it shines, to be before you ; and 

 to fish down the stream ; and carry the point or top of your 

 rod downward, by which means the shadow of yourself and 

 rod too will be least offensive to the fish ; for the sight of 

 any shade amazes the fish, and spoils your sport of which 

 you must take a great care. 



In the middle of March till which time a man should 

 not, in honesty, catch a trout or in April, if the weather 

 be dark, or a little windy or cloudy, the best fishing is with 

 the palmer-worm, of which I last spoke to you ; but of these 

 there be divers kinds, or at least of divers colours : th< 





