304 
BOOKS FOR 
THE 
OUTDOOR MAN 
Tales of Lonely 
Trails By Zane Grey 
A bit of Zane Grey’s auto- 
biography, as fascinating as his 
novels. This is the account of 
trips made by Zane Grey and 
his friends through the moun- 
tains and deserts that form the 
background for so many of his 
famous novels. It is as absorb- 
ing as his fiction, and has the 
added interest of reality. $3.00. 
Nights and Days 
on the Gypsy Trail 
By Irving Brown 
The gypsy trail! Days of 
wandering over sunny, wind- 
ing roads, nights of singing and 
dancing, feasting and merri- 
ment. Irving Brown, like 
George Borrow of Romany 
Rye fame, lived with gypsies, 
as a gypsy. The personal nar- 
rative he gives is filled with the 
brilliance and gorgeous color of 
gypsy life. $3.00. 
Tales of Fishes 
By Zane Grey 
Zane Grey writes about his 
fishing adventures with all the 
vim and color that he puts into 
his great novels of the West. 
He has fished in the Pacific, in 
the Caribbean, up the Panuco 
and around Catalina Island. 
Photographs which he took 
himself handsomely illustrate 
this volume. $3.00. 
HARPER & BROTHERS 
Established 1817 NEW YORK 
THE EVOLUTION OF 
THE TROUT FLY 
{Continued from page 492) 
by Henry P. Wells, author of Fly Rods 
and Fly Tackle named after the Maine 
lake of that name. He writes of it, 
“Large trout take the fly not as an in- 
sect, but as some form of live bait.” 
The coachman is a strong rival in pop- 
ularity for its success in all American 
waters, although it did not originate in 
this country, but was brought here from 
England. It was invented by the famous 
royal coachman to King George IV., 
Tom Bosworth, an ardent and finished 
fly fisherman. 
Almost as popular is the royal coach- 
man trout fly, first tied in 1878 by John 
Haily, a professional fly dresser living 
in New York City, although the name 
was invented by C. L. Orvis, brother 
of Charles Orvis, who first placed it in 
tackle shops for sale. Those who desire 
to know more of the origin of American 
flies and fly dressers should consult the 
classic book on that subject. Favorite 
Flies, by Mary Orvis Marbury, a book 
every one who makes flies should pos- 
sess. 
The resourceful and ingenious Amer- 
ican angler will, I think, in time manage 
to produce something more suited to his 
particular requirements that will replace 
many of the flies of the present day, at 
least for the purpose of getting flies 
exactly suited to different localities. 
O N the Pacific Coast several expert 
fly dressers have invented a series 
of down-wing dunflies, suited to the 
trout streams of the Sierra region of 
lower California which they assert are 
most killing in the streams within easy 
distance of Los Angeles. They are 
sombre in tone and very natural imita- 
tions of the insects of that locality. 
Another series suited to the waters of 
the eastern coast has been invented by 
Chester Mills, connected with the New 
York tackle firm of that name. They 
are dry flies of the curved split wing 
variety, and of which I made a per- 
sonal trial on the rough and larger 
waters of the lower Beaverkill in the 
Catskill region, and found them most 
effective, all-round flies, that is, they rise 
trout, when properly cast, at any time of 
day and at different seasons. They do 
not imitate the natural insect, but the 
colors are soft and attractive and the 
hackles are so tied on as to make excel- 
lent floaters, which I think is the secret 
of their unusual success as dry flies for 
trout. 
In the Neversink region of the Cats- 
kills there has lately grown up a small 
school of expert fly dressers, formed 
under the leadership of the late Col. 
Theodore Gordon, who wrote so delight- 
fully in the columns of Forest and 
Stream. Of the several patterns now be- 
ing tied the one most widely known is 
called Gordon’s Quill, and different va- 
rieties under other names. They are 
beautifully tied and would do credit to 
English artisans. Several experts have 
told me they are most effective in rising 
trout. 
B OREST AND STREAM | 
Since the death of John Harrington 
Keene, his widow has carried on the 
making of numerous patterns he invented 
of most excellent workmanship. 
Several others in various parts of the 
eastern States are doing good and ex- 
cellent work that will very soon produce 
the right kind of trout fly that will 
prove exactly suited to our native trout 
in all the varied waters they abide. 
Of my own nature flies several have 
now taken a permanent place as standard 
flies, if the various imitations of my 
original now being made can be called 
a proof of their future value as good 
flies, in particular the shad fly, yellow 
sally and cowdung are most popular. 
What the trout fly will develop into in 
future, it is at present difficult to pre- 
dict, by reason of the chaotic conditions, 
the everchanging temporary styles, and 
the multitude of patterns that spring up 
and die down. With Mrs. Marbury, I 
think that there will first be made a sys- 
tematic classification of all artificial flies, 
copied from the natural insects to be 
identified for use in the various localities 
and climatic condition, so that each in- 
dividual angler whenever he may fish, 
can buy, or tie for himself, a perfect 
selection for his needs at any particular 
time and place. Those anglers visiting, 
or native to, the Nepigon region should 
have for it a classified list of patterns 
specially made up on the basis of insect 
food supply peculiar to that section, and 
the same system adopted in regions of 
the South, the West, East and North. 
Each region is clearly and easily defined 
by its climatic conditions. 
As I see the matter, to give the angler 
perfect satisfaction, the future trout fly 
will not be so much a change from what 
it is now, but rather in a far better un- 
derstanding of its limitations and the 
right method to use it. The final con- 
clusion must be to seduce trout with a 
lure it imagines to be its natural food, 
or else a lure so attractive as to be ir- 
resistible whether the trout is feeding or 
not feeding. Of the latter, it is very 
doubtful if such a fly could be made, and 
if we did so, under such conditions trout 
fishing would become a wearysome bore. 
We ought not to hope for certain cap- 
ture, to entirely eliminate the charm of 
a desire to get sport. MY get most en- 
joyment out of a chase or stalking the 
fish to include every element of chance 
in the game. 
A T present w'e are just going over the 
top wave of the dry fly craze — for 
mad craze it has been without substantial 
reason except in one particular locality 
in England, mainly due to Mr. F. M. 
Halford’s dominating influence, head and 
shoulders above any one man’s effort in 
four centuries of time. In America every 
craze in its mad rush almost invariably 
defeats itself, most often leading to the 
opposite direction. The name of Halford 
is now’ glibly spoken by every fly fisher. 
His magic name is quite enough to give 
them all perfect confidence to attain suc- 
cess in the capture of trout. They all 
fisfi upstream. They have all rapidly ac- 
ouired and practice with skill the various 
intricate methods used in dry fly fishing 
as laid down in Halford’s and other 
Jn icriting to Advertisers mention Forest and Stream. It will identify yov. 
