FLY-MAKING. 197 



object, an ill-made one an eye-sore and annoyance ; 

 and it is a great satisfaction both to exhibit and exa- 

 mine a well-filled book of handsomely tied flies. 



Nothing can be thoroughly done unless strict 

 attention is given to minutiae. The material must 

 be selected and protected with the greatest care, the 

 scissors and knife must be sharp, the spring pliers of 

 suitable strength, and the nails of the workman must 

 be long and his hands scrupulously clean. Here- 

 after the table-vice, the use of which was recom- 

 mended in the Game Fish of North America, and 

 which will be found both convenient and for extreme 

 neatness necessary, will be dispensed with, and the 

 hook held in the hand during the entire operation. 

 This at first may appear awkward, require more 

 time, and give an inferior result ; but sad would 

 be the case if the loss of a vice were to diminish a 

 man's capabilities. 



The selection of the hook depends mainly upon 

 the fancy of the fisherman, and partly upon the 

 locality of its destined use. If fish are scarce and 

 shy, select one that will insure striking ; if they are 

 abundant, but strong and vigorous, choose one that 

 will hold. In trout-fishing there are two that bear 

 the palm in striking, the Sproat hook and the forged 

 O'Shaughnessy; in holding a fish after he is struck, 

 my preference is for "Warren's Lake-trout hook, 

 which, however, does not make a handsome fly; for 

 salmon-fishing, the O'Shaughnessy forged hook is 

 the general favorite. The objection to the straight 

 or hollow-pointed Limerick, is that it may be drawn 



