88 FLY-FISHING AT SEA. 



adapted for the purpose ; my only reason therefore for recom- 

 mending the line of snooding or cotton is that it is a very 

 efficient substitute for the plaited line, and may be purchased 

 at about one-sixth of the cost ; but whether your line be of 

 snooding or plaited, it will be much the better for being dressed 

 with some stiffening mixture, and I have not found anything 

 more effective than coal-tar and turpentine, the only objection to 

 which is, that it takes a long time to harden, for which purpose 

 it should remain a month in the open air in all weathers, 

 and be occasionally rubbed over with a piece of upper shoe- 

 leather, which will smooth all inequalities. One line will answer 

 both for fly and bait-fishing. . 



The Collar, Bottom, or Trace, should be 6 feet in length, 

 made two-thirds of double or triple twisted, and one-third of 

 selected single Salmon gut. This if joined together by loops 

 will stand a heavier strain than knotted. 



Flies. For materials the whitest goose feathers to be pro- 

 cured, with such blue, green, red, and yellow feathers and wools 

 as are commonly used to tie flies for Salmon and Salmon 

 Trout ; also any of this kind half worn out may be used for sea- 

 fishing, and if of a dark colour a few fibres of white goose 

 feather may be added to the wings with advantage. The follow- 

 ing are those most adapted for general use : 



i st. A Salmon fly, red body, gold tinsel, a bushy tail, gaudy 

 and white wings (fig. 33, a). 



2nd. Irish or Scotch rolled fly, if fly it may be called, either 

 with or without a red worsted body. The feather to be taken 

 from the bottom of the neck of a white goose in the back, just 

 between the wings, then to be rolled up like a leaf between the 

 fingers, and lashed on by the root of the feather to the head of 

 the hook, so that it may point straight back over the hook. 

 This is a very effective bait, and has long been a favourite on 

 the Irish and Scotch coasts, although I have not heard of its 

 use elsewhere (fig. 33, b). 



3rd. Hearder's fly or feather bait. This is made with two 

 small red or white goose feathers tied flat one on each side of 

 the hook without a body (fig. 33, c). 



These three flies may be made on hooks Nos. 8, 9, 10, or IT 



