126 THE WAY OF A TROUT WITH A FLY 



But the hackle has always been the trouble. It is 

 extremely difficult to get hackles stout enough in the fibre 

 to represent the legs of nymphs, yet short enough for the 

 same purpose, whether one uses cock's or hen's hackles, 

 or the feathers of small birds. Nipped hackles of the 

 latter class will serve, but every self-respecting fly dresser 

 resents nipped or cut hackles, and so I have thought out 

 a method which is, I think, better than using a nipped 

 hackle. Here it is: 



Placing your hook — say, a Limerick No. 16 — in your 

 vice, begin whipping near the eye, and whip nearly half- 

 way down the shank. Tie in here, with point towards head 

 of hook, a bunch of six or eight fibres of feather of suitable 

 colour, regulating the length so that when the fibre is bent 

 over to the eye of the hook and tied down there will be 

 enough of the points left to be pressed out on either side 

 to represent the legs. Then pass the silk under the ends 

 of the fibres of feather on the side of the bend of the hook, 

 and whip on the bare hook to the tail; tie in two short, 

 stout, soft whisks of suitable colour, tie in gold or silver 

 wire, twirl on dubbing thinly, and wind to the place where 

 the fibre is tied in; wind on the wire in regular spacing 

 to the same point, and secure on the head side of the place 

 where the fibre is tied in ; thicken the dubbing, and wind 

 over roots of feather fibre to head. Then divide the points 

 equally, and press backward from the eye; bring over the 

 feather fibre to the head, tie it down with two turns, 

 including a half-hitch, cut off the waste ends, and finish 

 with a whip finish on the eye. Thus the legs are forced 

 to stand out at right angles, or rather more backward, 

 from the eye, and below the level of the hook shank, and 

 the effect of wing cases is produced. (See Plate II.) 



A friend with whom I had discussed this method, and 

 with whom I had given the nymphs thus produced a very 



