248 Book of the Black Bass. 



soldier, grizzly king, Montreal, queen of the water, king of 

 the water, etc., and all of the " hackles." 



As every angler will become partial, sooner or later, to 

 certain flies, and adopt them as favorites to the exclusion 

 of others, I deem it unnecessary to allude to but few, ex- 

 cept in a general way ; and those that I shall particularize 

 are such as I have used many times with most gratifying 

 results. 



I have had more uniform success, day in and day out, 

 with the black, brown, red, yellow, and gray hackles, than 

 with the winged flies; though some of the latter I have 

 employed with excellent success for high or rough waters, 

 and those with light-colored or white wings can not be 

 surpassed for twilight fishing, or for very gloomy days. 



There are flies and flies^. Nearly every angler has his 

 favorities, both in general and special flies. Very often the 

 preference is purely fanciful, but it is a pardonable weak- 

 ness, to which we are all more or less prone; and then it 

 can not do much harm, for I believe that, in most instances, 

 we are more choice in the matter than the fish themselves. 

 The facts are, as before stated, that, when fish are rising 

 freely, almost any fly will kill ; but when they are shy and 

 diffident, it is only flies of certain colors, or combinations 

 of colors, and skillfully cast, that seem to induce a rise. 

 Perhaps, after all, it is the manner of offering, rather 

 than its peculiar features, that renders a particular fly 

 more killing than others at certain times. 



But that there are some flies that are more generally and 

 uniformly killing, day in and day out, on various waters, is 

 a fact proved by practical experience, and generally admit- 

 ted by fly-flshers. Among these are notably the coachman, 

 grizzly king, professor, Montreal and the several hackles. 

 These were all originally trout flies, but they answer as 

 good a purpose for the black bass when made of the proper 



