DRY-FLY ON LOUGH ARROW 185 



satisfactory, being too soft, and it does not sit well. 



For bright days I have found gold tinsel bodies 



answer. " 



" Tail. — Cock pheasant tail, 

 Gray drake 2. , , ,, 



three strands. 



" Body. — White or bleached rofia grass, quill or cel- 

 luloid over flat silver tinsel, as the quill especially 

 darkens from the wax on the tying silk being dis- 

 solved by paraffin or Mucilin ; silver wire ribbing." 



" Body hackle, if required, cock's neck hackle with 

 black centre rib." 



" Wing hackle. — Guinea fowl with small spots, or 

 cuckoo (Plymouth Rock) cock's hackle from wing or 

 back, a good stiff, strong and clear feather, dyed, first 

 in Crawshaw's slate and then in iron blue, not too 

 darkly." 



"Head hackle. — Undyed English partridge gray 

 feather from breast of an old winter-killed bird." 



" This is much the most important stage of the fly, 



the larger fish feeding almost 



Spent drake. entirely on it when lying flat 



on the water. I use the term 

 spent drake instead of spent gnat because it is not 

 a gnat, and there are several true gnats on which lake 

 trout feed at times." 



" My method of tying is as follows : — " 



"Tie in a good, clear hackle from the shoulder ov 

 back of an old cock, stiff and clear in the fibre ; some 

 may be got a good enough gray, but are rare. The 

 best result with dyed feathers has been with cuckoo 



