170 GOLDEN DAYS 



and more or less flush with the shank 

 of the hook. He ties the Popham in even 

 smaller sizes for clear low water, with a 

 shoulder hackle of Blue Jay tied flat along 

 the hook. A very popular local fly is one 

 dressed with body of black mohair ribbed 

 with narrow silver tinsel, tail of orange 

 mohair, hackle black, and head of scarlet 

 mohair picked out in a ruff". This fly 

 closely resembles the Toppy of Tweed 

 fame, except that it is almost wingless, 

 the thin strips of bronze turkey which 

 exist being unobtrusive and tied horizontal 

 to the body. This type of dressing has 

 been thoroughly tested in lower Brittany, 

 and has here more than proved its superi- 

 ority to the ordinary pattern of salmon fly. 

 It is a moot point whether colour and 

 material really matter in salmon lures. 

 The more important factors would seem 

 to be size and attractiveness. The fly 

 should not be too small to escape notice 

 nor too large to arouse suspicion. Again, 

 it must be capable of a glinting and self- 

 sustained motion in the current suggestive 

 of a creature trying to escape. Jean 

 Fierre favours small flies in any but the 



