148 THE COMPLETE ANGLES. [PABT I. 



downward, by which means the shadow of yourself, and rod 

 too, will be the least offensive to the fish, for the sight of 

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

 you must take 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 ; l but of these 

 there be divers kinds, or at least of divers colours : these and 

 the May-fly are the ground of all fly-angling : which are to 

 be thus made : 



First, you must arm 2 your hook with the line, in the inside 



of it: then take your scis- 

 sors, and cut so much of 

 a brown mallard's feather 

 as, in your own reason, 

 will make the wings of 

 it, you having, withal, 

 regard to the bigness or 

 littleness of your hook; 



Salmon Trout Fly. then ky the outmost part 



of your feather next to your hook ; then, the point of your 

 feather next the shank of your hook, and having so done, 

 whip it three or four times about the hook with the same 

 silk with which your hook was armed ; and having made the 

 silk fast, take the hackle of a cock [cock's] or capon's neck, 

 or, a plover's top, which is usually better, take off the one 

 side of the feather, and then take the hackle [and whip it 

 three or four times round with] silk, or crewel, gold or silver 

 thread ; make these fast at the bent of the hook, that is to 

 say, below your erming ; then you must take the hackle, the 

 silver or gold thread, and work it up to the wings, shifting 

 or still removing your finger, as you turn the silk about the 

 hook, and still 'looking, at every stop or turn, that your 

 gold, or what materials soever you make your fly of, do 

 lie right and neatly ; and if you find they do so, then 

 when you have made the head, make all fast : and then work 

 your hackle up to the head, and make that fast : and then, 

 with a needle or pin, divide the wing into two ; and then, 

 with the arming silk, whip it about cross-ways betwixt the 



1 Ante page 140. 2 To tie, or whip round. ED. 



