132 How to dress a Hackled-jly, 



The Method of Dressing a Hackled-fly. 



YOUR materials being now in a state of readiness, the hook 

 must be first tied on with waxed silk to the finest end of 

 the hair or gut left after cutting off the curled end, in this 

 manner (Plate vn. No. 1) : Take the bend of the hook be- 

 tween your left finger and thumb, the shank projecting ; 

 place an end of the waxed silk, which should be about six 

 inches in length, and the end of the gut along the underside 

 of the shank ; * pass the silk over until you have wrapped 

 it down to the end of the shank, and two or three turns 

 back for the head of the fly ; take the feather or hackle as 

 prepared (Plate vn. No. 2), put the point of the feather 

 from where it is turned back with the outside next the 

 hook, and hold it there with your left finger and thumb 

 until you pass the silk over it, just where you left off, 

 wrapping it twice or thrice on its downward rounds to 

 the bend of the hook ; take your scissors and cut off the 

 root of the feather, and the superfluous gut under the bend 

 of the hook, leaving it not quite so long as the body of 

 the fly has to be made ; take the thick end of your feather 

 in your tweezers or pliers and wrap it over three or four 

 times close together, following the silk wrappings until it 

 is all, or as much as you deem sufficient, twirled on ; 

 then take your silk and pass over the end once or twice ; 

 cut off the superfluous part of the feather and wrap up 

 the shank with the silk, evenly and regularly, to form the 

 body of the fly, and fasten off by a loop-knot or two ; or, 

 if you want a thick-bodied fly or one of flossed silk, turn 

 down again and fasten off at the shoulder ; cut off the 

 silk left, set the feather right with your needle and finger 

 and thumb, and the fly is made or dressed. This is the 

 simplest method. 



* Some say " along the upper-side of the hook, for if tied on the 

 under-side the fly will not swim, but continually revolve." 



