'I March, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
119 
the head, as this end gets the brunt of 
all weeds, brush and other wearing fric- 
tion when in use and the enamels wear 
off first on the head, unless made thicker 
on that part of the body. 
A fter as many bodies are made and 
ready for painting as you want, in- 
sert the pin hangers and apply two 
or three coats of colors as you choose, 
allowing each coat to dry well, especially 
the last. 
While the coats are drying prepare 
the hooks by tying on the “tails.” For 
this I use the long hair from the tails 
of deer, squirrel, coons, fox or skunks, 
or any other that is long and wiry. Quite 
a range of color may thus be had in 
natural hair and the selection or blend- 
ing is entirely optional with you. 
The best way to keep the hair in shape 
for handling is to leave it on the skin, 
either dried or tanned and then select 
and cut off each time with the manicure 
scissors just the amount you wish to use. 
This keeps the end even in a natural 
way and prevet^nts getting the colors all 
jumbled up. 
When you have selected a small bunch 
of hair, gather its outer ends in a neat 
bundle so you can grasp it between thumb 
and forefinger, cut it away close to the 
skin, work out all the short hairs and 
fur by blowing them away while holding 
• the hairs by their outer ends, then tie 
on as hereafter described. 
When the cork bodies are well dried 
a hole must be made through endwise, 
to pass the hook through. This hole 
should be started at the large end and 
below the center, so the finished fly will 
have more weight below than above and 
consequently float with back up and hook 
down. The hole should emerge near the 
small end in the belly portion. 
The best way I have ever found to 
make this hole is to bore it with a dent- 
ists’ drill using a bur size Nos. 6 or 7, 
which is about ^-inch in diameter, but 
if you can’t find a dentist who will ac- 
commodate you, a hot wire about the 
size of a coarse hairpin would burn the 
hole neat and smooth. If you prefer 
the cork body can be cut in half end- 
wise before enameling, a groove made 
for the hook and the two halves tied 
together at the neck and near the tail 
after the hook with tail tied on has been 
placed, but this is more trouble and less 
neat than the bored hole. 
The hole should be enlarged slightly 
at the tail end, so the slight bundle made 
in tying the tail hairs to hook will find 
room without stretching or splitting the 
cork. This back end should be split out 
about %-inch after the hole is bored, 
using the manicure scissors, and leaving 
the body appearing like illustrations 
Nos. 5 and 6, on the opposite page. 
T ying the tails on hooks is done best 
as follows: Cut off about 12 inches 
of the waxed dental floss, and tie 
a loop that will, when drawn tight, be 
a knot, leaving one end long and one 
short. 
Lay this loop at hand and select and 
cut off the hair to be used. Remove 
short hairs and place around hook, so 
the loop may then be slipped over hook 
shank and hairs and drawn tight. Wrap 
the hair tightly on shank for half an 
inch, as smoothly as possible and tieing 
in hard knot. Illustration No. 7 shows 
this completed. 
Next apply shellac to the wrapped por- 
tion and insert eye of hook in tail end 
of body and push gently through until 
the tied portion is inside of body and 
eye of hook is protruding from head, as 
shown in figure 8. The point of hook 
should be turned dovmward and a coat 
of shellac added to help keep the hook 
in position. 
Let this coat of shellac dry before ty- 
ing on the wings. 
When ready to add the wings cut the 
groves or notches on the side of neck 
so the cork is again exposed, as the flare 
of the wings depends on your drawing 
the thread deep into these notches and 
the enamel prevents the cork readily giv- 
ing to the pressure. 
Cut off about 18 inches of the waxed 
dental floss and tie it tightly around the 
neck in the groove, leaving one end long, 
and making the knot either on back or 
belly side. Select and cut off hair for 
each wing and have them paired as to 
length, color, mixture, etc. Place hair 
in position on one side of fly, pass the 
long end of thread around neck groove 
over wing and tie tight. Then pl^e 
other wing and with long end wrap six 
or eight turns around the neck groove, 
drawing tight on first turns till desired 
flare is obtained. Tie in hard knot and 
trim off ends of thread and hair close, 
using the manicure scissors. Shellac the 
wrapping and head, several coats, using 
a different color from the body if you 
wish. I use a light color or white on the 
heads, as it aids in watching the fly as 
you retrieve it when fishing. 
As a finishing touch go over the whole 
body with some of the uncolored shellac 
as it adds brilliancy and gloss and is 
more water-proof than those containing 
colors. 
Tying the wings on will be the hardest 
at first, but a few trials will make your 
fingers more deft, and teach you how 
to get the set to the wings that makes 
(continued on page 136) 
Different types of bass bugs; several have seen active service 
