Blacker's Art of Fly Making Part 4

No. 2. THE EARLY DARK DUN.--The body is made of water-rat's fur, mixed with a little red mohair, the red more towards the head, an iron-blue dun hackle for legs, and the wings of water-hen or water-rail wing. No.

9 hook.

There is another variety or two of this fly that kill well in February and March, which are as follows: A black red hackle, with the above wings and body; a mallard wing, and the above body; a peac.o.c.k harl body, a soot-coloured dun hackle, and a tip of gold. No. 10 hook.

There is a small fly, which I term the "heath fly," which is an excellent one in this month, and is made thus: The body is made of the fine fur of the belly of the hedgehog, or rat back fur (common rat), mixed with red squirrel fur, and a little orange mohair, rolled on thin and taper; a small silver grey hackle for legs, and winged with the grey tail feather of the partridge. A grey mallard and red squirrel fur makes another good fly. No. 10 hook.

No. 3. THE LITTLE BLUE DUN.--The body is made of mole's fur, slightly mixed with bright yellow mohair, a light blue dun hackle for legs, and starling wings. No. 12 hook. This delicate little fly appears on cold days in March, and is well taken by the trout from ten till four in the evening, with the little red dun.

No. 4. THE ORANGE DUN.--The body is made of orange and hare's fur, a honey dun hackle for legs, and grey mallard wings. No. 10 hook. Good on windy days in this month and the next. There should be but little hackle used on small flies in the early season, as the fur is sufficient or nearly so.

No. 5. THE MARLOW BUZZ.--The body is made of peac.o.c.k harl, a dun hackle over it from the tail, and two dark red ones round the shoulder, rib of silver. This fly does best where there are large trees growing over the river banks.

No. 6. THE BROWN HACKLE.--The body is made of yellow brown mohair, a little orange fox fur, and two short fibred brown-red hackles rolled from the tail over the body, and ribbed with gold wire for evening fis.h.i.+ng. It will be found a good one for large trout in river or lake, winged with hen pheasant tail, and forked with two fibres of the same feather, hook No. 10 for the small fly, and No. 6 for the larger size.

There is also a small red fly comes on in this month, very killing; the body is made of red squirrel's fur, a turn of a red hackle round the throat, and grey mallard wings mixed with partridge; hook No. 8.

FLIES FOR APRIL.

No. 7. THE SOLDIER FLY.--The body is made of scarlet-colored mohair, ribbed with fine gold twist, and two black-red c.o.c.k hackles run up over the body from the tail, (it is made also with orange floss silk body, ribbed with black silk), a small furnace hackle round the throat and a darkish starling wing. The dark red furnace hackle has a dark mark round the edges.

It may also be made to advantage with peac.o.c.k harl and black-red hackles over it, and tipped with gold. The latter way makes it the "cochybonddu"

of Wales. It kills best on windy days in general, with the cow-dung fly, and partridge hackle.

No. 8. THE CUCKOO HACKLE.--The body is made of peac.o.c.k's harl, and two dark dun hackles, with darkish bars across them, rolled up to the throat; give it a tag of yellow green silk, at the end of the tail, silver.

The Granam fly may be made thus:--The wings are made of hen pheasant wing feather, hare's ear fur for body, and a grizzled c.o.c.k hackle for legs. It is a four-winged fly, and when it flutters on the water it is very much like the engraving in the plate; but when it sails down the surface, the wings lie flat on its back, and as soon as it touches the water it drops its eggs; the trout take it freely for about a week in this month, with the gravel or spider fly,--dun body, black hackle, and woodc.o.c.k wings; some use lead-coloured body.

No. 9. THE BLACK PALMER, OR HACKLE.--The body is made of yellow floss silk, ribbed with silver tinsel, and two short fibred black hackles struck on from the tail to the shoulder. Hook No. 8.--Vary the body of this fly with peac.o.c.k harl without the silver, and it will be a capital one for light clear water on No. 12 hook. Use the cow-dung fly on windy days, with the above-named one.

No. 10. THE DUN FOX FLY.--The body is made of the fur found on the neck of the fox next the skin, mixed with golden yellow mohair. The wings are the wing feather of the starling or fieldfare, with two fibres of a stiff honey dun c.o.c.k hackle for tail; pick out the fur a little at the shoulder for legs; hook No. 12. Never was there a better little fly than this thrown on the water, it will kill fish any day in the year.

Put on the little black hackle, with peac.o.c.k harl body with it as a drop fly; and when the dun fox is used as a drop fly, put on the March brown as a stretcher. There may be seen three shades of this fly on the water at the same time occasionally; the other two shades are the ash and blue fox,--the first is a very light dun colour of the fox cub's neck or face, the other is of a darker blue shade; they are great favorites with the trout, artificially; in mild weather throughout the summer, a small wren and grouse hackle may be used with them, the bodies made very thin and taper, and rather full at the shoulder--the wren with orange mohair body, and the grouse with golden yellow floss silk body.

No. 11. THE DUN DRAKE.--The body is made of golden olive mohair, mixed with hare's ear fur, the light and dark, and forked with two short fibres of brown mallard. The wings are made of land-rail wing, and a little brown mallard, mixed nicely together. Hook, No. 9. There is a dark red, and a dark dun fly on the water at the same time as the dun-drake, all of which will be found good ones till the end of May.

The Irish name for the dun drake, is "Coughlan,"[A] made thus:--The wings, grey partridge tail; the body, light brown bear's fur, with bright yellow mohair, hare's fur from the face, mixed altogether, forked with two stripes of a dark mallard's feather, and a partridge hackle.

No. 8 hook. In Ireland they consider this the most useful fly they have in April and May, as a stretcher, used with the little dun fox, and black-red, (soldier fly).

No. 12. THE STONE FLY.--The body is made of brown mohair ribbed with yellow silk, a tuft or tag of yellow mohair or silk at the tail, and a little yellow mohair worked in under the shoulder, over which roll the hackle, which should be of a brown-red colour; the wings are made of the hen pheasant tail mixed with copper brown mallard, made full, and larger than the body. No. 6 hook. If this fly is made of good colours, as above described, hardly any large trout, in humour of taking, can well refuse it. An odd one of them may be seen in March, when the weather is mild; but in April and May, when it becomes more congenial to them, they appear numerous towards the evening. Ribbed with gold twist, it makes a famous grilse fly.

No. 13. THE YELLOW SALLY.--The body is made of buff-colored fur, and a small yellow hackle for legs round the head; the wings are made of the buff-coloured feather inside the wing of the thrush. No. 13 hook. This is the forerunner of the Green Drake or May fly. The trout take this little fly freely, and it is a most excellent killer on fine days, if made according to the description. It will be found on the water till the end of May. The partridge hackle is also good in this month.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate of 16 Flies]

FOOTNOTE:

[Footnote A: "Taylor's Angler."]

FLIES FOR MAY.

No. 14. THE BLACK GNAT.--The body is made of black hair from the spaniel's ear which is fine and soft, or a black ostrich feather clipped very close, and a small black hackle for legs; the wings are from the starling's wing feather. No. 13 hook. This is a good fly throughout a clear day, used as a dropper with the foregoing fly, and wren tail.

It floats on the surface of the water in numbers on sultry days with mild showers of rain. It may be varied to advantage with blue silk body.

No. 15. THE LITTLE BROWN MIDGE.--The body is made of brown mohair with a shade of orange mohair at the shoulder, two turns of a small brown-red hackle for legs; the wings are made of brown mallard and a little strip of land-rail mixed. No. 13 hook, snick bend.

There appears to be a variety of small flies on the water with the above fly about the middle of the day, dark browns, pea-greens, and dun flies, all water insects, which the trout take very freely.

No. 16. THE LITTLE IRON BLUE.--The body is made of a little light coloured water-rat's fur mixed with a few hairs of yellow, an iron blue coloured dun hackle for legs, and the wings from a blue dun feather to be found underneath the wing of a dun hen, or starling wing feather, tail it with a dun hackle, two fibres. No. 10 hook. It sails upright on its legs on the water, with both tail and wings c.o.c.ked up, so that it would suit best as a bob fly. It will be found a useful fly throughout the season, varied a little in shade according to the weather, the darker ones on fine clear days.

The Coachman, Oral, and the Governor flies will be found good ones in this month towards night, when the beautiful White Moth may be also seen.

No. 17. HARE'S EAR AND YELLOW.--The body is made of the light part of the fur from the hare's ear, ribbed with yellow silk; the wings are from the wing of the starling or fieldfare, and two stiff fibres of honey dun c.o.c.k's hackle, from the rump for tail, to c.o.c.k up, pick out the fur at the head for legs, No. 12 hook. It will kill fish every day in this month, and will be found good till the end of July. It may be also called the Little c.o.c.ktail.

No. 18. THE GREEN DRAKE.--The body of this beautiful fly is made of yellow green mohair, the color of a gosling newly come out of the sh.e.l.l, and ribbed with yellow-brown silk, a shade of light brown mohair at the tail, and a tuft of the same color at the shoulder, picked out between the hackle, the whisks of the tail to be of three black hairs of the mane of a horse, about three-quarters of an inch long; the hackle to be a greenish buff dyed, (dye a silver dun hackle with bars across it called a cuckoo), or a light ginger hackle bordering on a yellow. The wings, which should be made full, and to stand upright, are made of dyed mallard feathers of a greenish buff, or yellowish shade: a brown head of peac.o.c.k harl tied neatly above the wings, No. 6 hook. The wings may be made of the ends of two large dyed mallard feathers, with each side stripped off, and the beautiful long ends to form the wings, tie them on whole back to back, a little longer than the bend of the hook--these feathers stand up well and appear very natural in the water; large size ones kill well in lakes, with bright yellow mohair bodies and gold twist rolled up them; a long honey dun palmer kills well on windy days, allowed to sink near the bottom, ribbed with gold twist (see the palmer in the plate with double hook). The trout take it no doubt for the Creeper or "Cad Bait;" a very small swivel tied on at the head, would improve its life-like appearance in the water as you move it with the rod; and the larger size one would also do better with a swivel.

No. 19.--THE GREY DRAKE.--The body is made of pale yellow mohair, or floss, three fibres of dark mallard for tail, ribbed with brown silk, a grizzled dun-c.o.c.k's hackle for legs, or silver grey; grey mallard for wings, and a peac.o.c.k harl head.

The body should be made taper, and full at the head, it is a capital fly on rough days in May and June, and used to advantage on warm evenings.

The body may be also made of dun fox fur, grey at the ends, a silver grey hackle for legs, and forked with three hairs from a fitch's tail; the wings grey mallard and widgeon mixed. It is also made of straw body, grey c.o.c.k's hackle, and mallard wings--these two methods are very good.

They kill well in Scotland, and in Ireland are called the "Grey Cochlan." These flies may be seen in "Taylor's Angler."

Mr. Taylor was an angler of no small pretensions, he was very fond of the Irish coloured flies, and has adopted many of them as standards for Scotland, England, and many rivers in Wales.

FLIES FOR JUNE.

No. 20.--THE GREAT RED SPINNER.--The body is made of red mohair, ribbed with fine gold wire, and a red c.o.c.k hackle for legs; the wings are made of brown and grey mallard, the grey underneath; two fibres of stiff c.o.c.k's saddle hackle for tail, No. 6 or 7 hook. The Small Red Spinner is made as the above, but instead of mallard use starling wings. It is an excellent fly for a dark evening in June and July, with the furnace hackle.

No. 21.--THE ALDER FLY.--The body is made of brown coloured peac.o.c.k harl, a black-red c.o.c.k hackle for legs, the wings are made of hen pheasant tail feathers, hook No 6. There is another way or two of making this fly which cannot be beaten, they are mostly used in Ireland, and are known to be killers in England and Scotland. The body is made of bronze brown mohair, a very small brown grouse hackle round the head, and the wings from a brown spotted hen's wing, No. 8 hook. The other is made with grey and red partridge tail mixed for wings, a copper brown peac.o.c.k harl body, and a dark brown red hackle off a c.o.c.k's neck for legs. The legs may be also made of the wren's tail or woodc.o.c.k hackle, this feather is found on the roots of the outside of the wings of the woodc.o.c.k. These are good flies in lakes or rivers for large trout--rib with gold for lakes.

No. 22.--THE SAND FLY.--The body is made of the sandy coloured fur from the hare's pole, mixed with orange mohair, and a small ginger coloured c.o.c.k's hackle for legs; the wings are made of a sandy coloured brown hen's wing, No. 10 hook. An excellent little fly on fine days with a little wind and occasional showers.

There is another little fly that will be found equally good, made thus:--the wings are made of red and grey partridge tail feathers, orange body, and black-red hackle rolled up from the tail to the head, it will kill well on dark days, ribbed with gold, No. 8 hook.

No. 23.--THE WHITE MOTH.--The body is made of white mohair, which is lively ribbed with orange floss, a white c.o.c.k's hackle rolled round the shoulder; the wings from a white feather of the swan that grows over the back. It may be varied with cream coloured mohair, very light ginger hackle, and a buff wing from a hen of that colour; and a browner one may be made from a matted brown hen's wing, or light brown grouse tail, or large hackle off the rump of the same bird, brown-red c.o.c.k's hackle, the whole to be made full, of good coloured and stiff materials, that they may not absorb the water, and alight heavy when thrown on the surface.

No. 24. THE OAK FLY.--The body is made of orange silk, and a little hare's ear fur under the shoulder, rib it with a furnace hackle from the centre of the body up (if the hackles are tied on at the tail they are very apt to get cut with the teeth of the fish in a very short time).

The wings may be made from the mottled brown hen, or the woodc.o.c.k wings, of a red tinge. No. 8 hook. This fly cannot be too highly valued for its killing qualities. It will be found useful for large trout of a windy day with a grey cloud over head, and not likely to rain. "Mr. Bowlker,"

in his "Art of Angling," mentions the oak fly in this manner: "The oak, ash, woodc.o.c.k, cannon, or down-hill fly, comes on about the sixteenth of May, and continues on till about a week in June; it is to be found on the b.u.t.ts of trees, with its head always downwards, which gives it the name of the down-hill fly. It is bred in oak-apples, and is the best of all flies for bobbing at the bush in the natural way, and a good fly for the dab-line, when made artificially." The wings are made from a feather out of the wing of the partridge or woodc.o.c.k, the body with a bittern's feather, and the head with a little of the brown part of hare's fur. The hook, No. 6. Some dub it with an orange, tawny, and black ground, and with blackish wool and gold twist; the wings off the brown part of a mallard's feather.