NYMPH-FLY FISHING 



fore I had noticed a large hatch of small gauze- 

 winged flies in the late afternoon. It occurred to 

 me that the salmon must be after the nymphs 

 of these flies and were taking them just below the 

 surface. Fortunately I had some flies of this char- 

 acter with me which I use on the Neversink River 

 in the spring, and with which I have been very 

 successful with rolling brown trout. They were 

 on No. 12 and No. 14 Alcock Model Perfect hooks 

 with quill body and two long tail hairs, a light 

 gray blue hackle from an Andalusian rooster and 

 with bluish-gray wings tied in an erect position 

 at right angles to the shaft of the hook. Both 

 wings are tied close together like the keel of a 

 boat. The fly below the surface is just like the 

 nymph when it opens its wings at the surface 

 and flies away. I put on one of these flies and a 

 fine leader about eighteen feet long and cast out 

 where the fish were rolling, let it sink a little, and 

 drew it very slowly towards me by stripping in the 

 line with my hand. The fly had only travelled a 

 few feet before I saw a wake coming towards it and 

 a salmon took the fly, rolling exactly as I had seen 

 the others doing. My guess had been correct 

 and the problem was solved. My son Ashley had 

 on a similar fly and he hooked a fish at about 



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