434 HOME-MADE FLIES 



refer to trout-fishing, which latter sport, from its very- 

 difficulty, demands that everything- should be as perfect 

 as possible. 



If a fisherman is able to tie his own flies, he will ex- 

 perience a twofold satisfaction and increased success. 

 Bought flies are frequently very unreliable and come 

 to pieces, and another constant cause of fish being lost; 

 but I can truthfully assert that I never found one of 

 my own come to pieces or break through any fault in 

 the tying save once, and that was my first attempt, and 

 I had omitted to lap the waxed thread round the hook 

 before I fastened on the gut. 



Of course, there are many fishing-tackle makers 

 whose flies may be thoroughly relied on, but there 

 are other establishments where such quantities of flies 

 are made and sold that boys are employed to tie them, 

 and the result is that the hooks draw away from the 

 gut. 



Bad hooks, too, are another cause of trouble to the 

 fisherman, and break off in the fish, especially if they 

 happen to strike against a bone. 



As an example of how one may be ' done ' in this 

 respect, I some years ago entertained a large fishing 

 and shooting party, and as I had to look after my 

 guests I had no time for fly-tying. One or two heavy 

 fish (one a 30-pounder) had been hooked on a Suir fly 

 called the ' Brown Dog,' and it wore out. Not having 

 time to tie another, I sent the fly to a first-class tyer as 

 a pattern and ordered half-a-dozen to be tied for me. 

 I am never likely to forget the result. The first fish I 

 hooked was a 30-pounder in the Cruives, at Beaufort 

 Castle, on the Beauly, which I lost when played out, 

 as I was alone on a high bank, the gillie having gone 



