n6 THE WAY OF A TROUT WITH A FLY 



tion on my experience. In March, 1910, a friend was visiting 

 Cornwall, and he hoped to get some fishing, and just by 

 way of getting my hand in I sent him some flies of my own 

 tying, with some priceless hackles. Among these flies 

 were three or four Pheasant tails tied on No. 2 hooks. 

 " Ridiculously small for the water," my friend declared; 

 the theory being the smaller the fish the bigger the fly. 

 The Cornish streams were in flood, and he got no chance 

 of using my flies. But he announced his intention of using 

 the Pheasant tails in the Itchen a little later, when the 

 sherry spinner of the blue- winged olive was on. So to 

 prevent him from making an example of himself, I tied 

 him one or two more on something nearer life-size — 

 namely, No. 1- — and the result pleased me so much that I 

 tied two or three more for my own use. This is the tie: 



Silk. — Hot* orange. 



Whisks. — Honey-dun cock's shoulder hackle, three 



strands. 

 Rib. — Fine bright gold wire, several turns, to secure 



the flies from being broken by the teeth of the 



trout. 

 Body. — Three or four strands of the ruddy part of the 



centre feather of a cock-pheasant's tail. 

 Wings. — A sharp sparkling golden-dun cock's hackle of 



high quality. 



The size of hook may, of course, be varied to suit the 

 spinner which is on at the time. 



On May 11 I found my friend on the water, not exactly 

 displeased with himself over a basket of two and a half 

 brace, all of them victims of the Pheasant tail. That 

 night I dressed some more of them for my friend and for a 

 guest I had brought down with me, and one for myself. 

 I spent the following morning without using the pattern 

 for some time. Then it occurred to me to try it, and I got 

 a trout of two pounds two ounces. A bit later my guest 



