THE 
LATEST IDEA OF 
TROUT FLIES 
BEST 
By LOUIS RHEAD 
N OW that the season is more than 
half-way over —indeed, some 
states are closed (as all should 
be long before spawning time)—we may 
look over the opinions expressed by ex¬ 
perts over a wide area in what is best 
to lure trout. Do we use better flies, a 
better method for more enjoyable sport, 
ignoring whether we now capture more, 
and laiger fish than we did, say, thirty 
years ago? Personally, I think the ad- 
aeFoag 
after use. 
Double FEATHER SPREAD WfWCr 
vance has been very noticeable by im¬ 
provements in many ways. At the 
present time he is a plucky writer who 
dilates on the “Worm as a trout bait,” 
which is utterly passe. I am so situated 
as to know the expressed opinions of 
many experts located in different sec¬ 
tions of the North, East and West trout 
regions, and my conclusions taken from 
them altogether is that the floating or 
diy Ay is at the height of its success 
as a trout killer. 
It is true there are some that still 
claim they do best with a cast of three 
sunk flies, no matter what conditions 
or time may be. Others, along with 
myself, had much pleasure and success 
with underwater lures early in the sea¬ 
son, and perhaps it is possible to do 
even better with them in the remaining 
hot-weather fishing. 
Concerning the latest idea, viz., to en¬ 
tirely discard stiff feather upwing or 
lapwing flies and replace them with 
hacklewing flies, which I think is a 
good idea in many ways, when tied at 
different angles from the shoulder, ac¬ 
cording to the species of insect. The 
outspread stiff feather-wing fly looks 
Page 44 5 
very nice and taking before being used. 
After it has been chewed once or twice 
by trout or chub, the feather wing 
(especially if double feathers are tied) 
gets to be a tangled, unshaped mass 
of feathers to entirely lose the curved 
form which was intended to make the 
fly float better. The curved duck wings, 
natural color or dyed, retains its shape 
much better if well tied and the wings 
are small. Bunched hackles, either tied 
upiight, straight out or sloping back¬ 
wards (see cuts), cannot help but keep 
in place with the roughest use. It is 
very noiceable when you see it in the 
water, the hackle wings look much bet¬ 
ter and are softer in touch when taken 
by trout. After trying several patterns, 
for the purpose, I find they float longer 
and are more attractive to the fish. The 
experiments now being made in this 
important change with my series of 
nature flies will make them doubly at¬ 
tractive to the angler and to the trout. 
It is also certain that they will be 
more durable, especially those nature 
flies which are tied so different from 
the regular commercial patterns. I am 
now fully convinced that our tackle 
dealers try their utmost to get com¬ 
mercial flies tied true to pattern, but 
for some reason beyond their control 
flies gradually drift in all sorts of non¬ 
descript shapes and colors. I was told 
by an expert it is now impossible to 
get Halford’s true patterns either here 
01 abroad, and that he would turn in 
his grave if he only saw a few of the 
vast quantity sold under his name. 
Personally, I know little of them, hav¬ 
ing all I can do to keep my own pat¬ 
terns true to insects. 
A friend showed me several patterns 
tied by Mr. Louis Petry, of White 
Plains, N. Y., which inspired in me a 
profound respect for his work, for they 
are far superior to any I have seen 
tied by anglers themselves. What I 
see in the near future is that each ex¬ 
pert fly - fisher, who really loves the 
game, will tie for himself and a few 
friends what he knows are best to kill 
trout. There is no profit in making 
flies for sale except commercial fac¬ 
tory-made flies put out by the million 
noDEL 
PERFECT 
UfiFRtcK 
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SPRoAr SNcC< 
on a machinelike basis similar to the 
present-day overhanging plugs and 
bugs. 
To conclude with comments on the 
choice of hook, I find the vast majority 
are crazy over “Model Perfect” hooks. 
I hae ma doots aboot it,” and am in¬ 
clined to agree with one of Forest and 
Stream readers that the flat wire of 
M. P. causes it to break quite often, 
and I don’t like its very wide bend, so 
much as the close-curved Limerick and 
the solid old»fashioned sproat, or even 
the sneck bend to my thinking will hold 
tight because there is less room for the 
flesh or bone to let the fish wriggle 
away from the hook. I should like to 
get the expressed opinions of some 
readers sent to the editor. Of course, 
there are well - made hooks and bad 
hooks, and a poor angler will break a 
good hook; but the chances are less on 
those hooks made with a close bend. 
patterns neo with hackle w!no»«,. 
) 
