SECRETS OF THE SALMON 



(5) Design of the fly. 



(6) Color of the fly. 



(7) Accuracy of imitation of natural insects. 



It was not until I began to realize the relative 

 importance of these factors that I became a real 

 fisherman. By that I mean one who takes fish 

 on a fly when others fail. 



For dry flies I prefer the hackles tied Palmer 

 — that is, tied all the way down the shank to the 

 bend of the hook. The gray and brown are all 

 that are necessary. They require no special body. 

 They should be in a size from one-half -inch diame- 

 ter to one-and-one-half-inch diameter, and the 

 hooks should be from No. 10 to 6 Pencil Limerick 

 style. The winged flies which I have found good are 

 the Cahill, Rube Wood, WhirUng Dunn, Pink Lady, 

 and Greenwell's Glory. They all raise fish well 

 if properly handled, but they do not seem as good 

 as the hackles and are more difficult to keep in 

 perfect condition on the water. It is very im- 

 portant to have all sizes of dry flies, as will be shown 

 later. Erect-winged nymph-flies are very taking 

 at the right time, and are often the only way to 

 get the fish when they are rolling. This style of 

 fly is not usually on sale at the tackle-stores at 



[ 40 ] 



