r
Fishing Forums
Trade fish tales, discuss favorite books, read fishing reports, make new friends.

Free Fishing Books
Some of the best fishing is to be found not in water but in print.

Your fly in print!
Add your fly to our
Fly Tying Database
and it could be published in an upcoming book
Search for a fly


Advanced Search
Enter a fly into the database

The Salmon Cookbook
More than 100 recipes for cooking salmon, including special techniques and secrets for poaching, grilling, baking, sautéing and serving this delicious fish!

home -> classic fly tying -> Salmon and Trout
View this chapter complete with illustrations (370KB)

SALMON AND TROUT
BY
DEAN SAGE, C.H. TOWNSEND, H.M. SMITH AND WILLIAM C. HARRIS

ILLUSTRATED BY A.B. FROST, TAPPAN ADNEY,
MARTIN JUSTICE, AND OTHERS

New York
The Macmillan Company
London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
1902
First Edition


CHAPTER X

HOW TO TIE ARTIFICIAL FLIES

To make one's own flies is not only an accomplishment, but often a necessity. Occasions arise when an angler exhausts his supply of a certain fly at which the trout are rising eagerly. This frequently occurs on the stream and is a sad mishap, if the rodster has not taken with him a few loose feathers, a small spool of silk, a skein of colored floss, and a piece of shoemaker's wax. How to tie a fly must of course be learned at home; but when on the stream, this knowledge enables the fisherman to quickly dress a fly, crude through it may be, that will answer the demands of the hungry trout.

I purpose, briefly as possible, to state how the angler may learn the art of fly-tying, the material necessary to use with a description of the dressings most of the flies in use on trout streams.

At the beginning it is well to provide yourself with a tin box in which to keep materials to prevent them from being scattered about, and perhaps lost. I use a tin cash box 7 x 10 x 4 inches, and find in answers very well.

The next step is to lay in the necessary tools, consisting of a small jeweller's vice, with jaws not exceeding a half inch in width, the vise having an attachment to fasten it to the table; a pair of sharp-pointed embroidery scissors, a pair of long pointed pliers, with a small steel stiletto, completes the list. If you find difficulty in obtaining the small stiletto, you can substitute a large needle, and you might also add to your stock of tools a pair of sprint steel nippers (apply to your tackle dealer for them), although I seldom use either of these tools.

As to materials, you should obtain a supply of Sproat hooks of assorted sizes, and some silkworm gut; a skein or two, each of several colors of silk floss (which should be waterproof, if possible); and a like quantity of many colors of fine chenille. These together with a spool of ordinary silk, is about all you will need in the way of materials, outside of feathers, to begin work.

At almost any of the poultry stands in our large markets you will find at least one employee who saves all the hackles he can obtain, as he has probably long since learned their value to fly-tyers, and often makes quite a tidy little sum over his weekly wages at the expense of very little time and trouble. The feathers you will need for a beginning are inexpensive; a few cents is all they should cost. Red and white hackles, -those from the neck of capons and game cocks are the best, but it is advisable to get as many varieties as possible, as no fly can be made without these hackles. You will also need some colored tail feathers from turkeys and pigeons, while the mallard duck will furnish you with some desirable feathers from his gray breast and a few dark brown shaded ones that grow on the body just back of the shoulders. All these will be found useful, as well as some from the guinea hen, and some white and assorted chicken tails.

Now that your stock of feathers is in hand, it would be well to visit your fishing-tackle dealer and ask his assistance in getting some gold and silver tinsel and mohair in various colors. The latter you will not need at the start, but will find use for it later on. These, together with a small piece of shoemaker's wax will be all that is necessary to commence with; but after you have mastered the art, many suggestions of little odds and ends will come to you that will be useful. Cultivate your tackle man; if he is unselfish and kindly disposed toward you, he can assist in many ways and help to obtain the many little things, such as scarlet ibis, wood duck, and blue and yellow (dyed) swan, or egret feathers, which you will need later on.

As the description of different flies will call for green, scarlet, crimson, or some other dyed color, you will be obliged to dye some, or pay your tackle dealer a good price for them.

As it is no harder to make the reversed or turned-back wing, than the plan winged flies, and as they have a much better appearance, we will begin with that style of wing. The "light Montreal" is a simple fly, therefore a good one to begin the first lesson. Its description is as follows: tail, two of three fibers of gray mallard; body scarlet silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, scarlet hackle; wings, gray mallard. If the description of a fly does not say how a hackle is tied, it is always understood to be tied at the shoulder only.

Fasten you vise properly to your work table, and place in it a No. 8 Sproat hook with the shank pointing toward the right.   (This size hook is a very convenient size to work with.) The hook should be seized in the jaws of the vise by the bend only. Now break off from twelve to fifteen inches of your binding silk, and wax it thoroughly with your shoemaker's wax by drawing the thread over it eight or more times.  You can do this better by folding a small piece of leather, and, placing your wax in the fold, draw the thread over it. The pressure of your thumb and fingers while holding the leather will wipe off all superfluous lumps of wax that adhere to the thread, and leave it nice and smooth. This method has another advantage in keeping your hands clean of the wax, as the feathers, silk, and other materials would otherwise stick to the fingers, or other portion of the hand.

Your thread now being properly waxed, give it five or six turns around the hook, being sure to carry it up to the extreme end of the hook as in Figure i. This is contrary to all methods of the professional fly-dresser, as it is his custom to leave a little space at the end of the hook, but it is just at this point that the gut generally breaks, and if a wrapping or two of thread is placed between the gut and the hook, it will act as a cushion and prevent the gut from chafing on the sharp end of the shank.

Now we are ready to lay on the gut, which should have been soaked a few minutes in luke-warm water, and bind it on with the binding silk, all the while keeping quite as much strain on the silk as it will stand without parting. The gut, owing to its having been soaked, will be soft and the strain on the silk will make little indentations in it, and these, together with the sticky wax, and the few turns of silk between the gut and the shank of the hook, will hold it firmly. It would be well, however, to test it by giving a strong, steady pull at the gut after it is fastened on.

Before you put on the last two or three turns of the binding silk, place the end of a strip of tinsel, two or three fibres of gray mallard feather, and the end of a short piece of silk floss so that these last wrappings will fasten them. The floss should be prepared first by untwisting it. As silk floss is only of two strands, this is easily done by parting the strands at one end and separating them, and then lay together again without twisting. Your work at this stage will have the appearance shown in Figure 2.

Now take a gray mallard feather and lay its convex side up, with the end extending out over the snood, and wrap it on with the binding silk as in Figure 3. This feather should extend out

over the snood far enough to allow it to reach the bend of the hook, when it is turned back for a wing. By laying this feather on and wrapping it the full length of the body, it fills out the body and takes the place of wool or some other material that otherwise you would have to use.

Next take the end of your silk floss and wind it, without twisting, around the hook, making the body of your fly of good shape by giving an extra wind where necessary. Stop about an eighth of an inch from the end of the shank to allow room for legs, and fasten it by two or three turns of the binding silk. After this wind your tinsel over the silk, first giving it two or three turns around the bend of the hook and fasten it by a turn or two of the binding silk. Now take a hackle feather, which for this fly must be dyed scarlet. Hold it at the extreme point by the thumb and finger of one hand, and with the other thumb and finger stroke down the fibres of the feather toward the butt, thus leaving the point standing out by itself. Catch this point now to your fly by a couple of turns of the binding silk, and your work should look like Figure 4.

We have now reached the point where the most difficult work of fly-tying begins, that of putting on the hackle properly. Take your hackle feather by the stem and wind it once around the hook; wind from you. Then with your left thumb and finger smooth back toward the bend of the hook the part that is wound. Hold it in that position and give your hackle a second turn, then repeat the holding back process and another turn. Continue this until you have sufficient hackle on to form the legs of your fly and fasten the end by two turns of your binding silk. Now pick out with your stiletto the fibres that have been wound under and cut off the end of the feather not used, giving four or five turns with the binding silk to hold it securely. At this point your fly should look like Figure 5.

If your hackle does not wind on evenly and too many fibres are wound under, unwind it before you cut off the end and rewind it, and you will find it will go on all right.

 

This winding of the hackle will need more practice than all the rest of the work. Now turn back your wing to its proper position, give it one wrap of the binding silk and two half-hitches, and your fly will be complete as in Figure 6.

When the work is finished, put a touch of shellac to the knot to prevent it from slipping and to make it waterproof. Don't tie your binding silk at all until the fly is finished, then put a couple of half-hitches only, for if you have put a proper amount of shoemaker's wax on your binding thread you will not need any knots, as when you drop the thread at different stages it will stick of its own accord and not become loose.

We will now try an ordinary brown hackle or palmer fly with a red silk body. Wrap on your snood as before explained, and carry your binding silk well down to the bend of the hook. Attach a short piece of gold tinsel, and after giving it two or three turns around the bend of the hook, fasten it and cut off the end. This tinsel is not absolutely necessary, but a slight show of the bright metal at the end of the body of all flies gives a finish and makes a better-looking lury.

Prepare your hackle (a brown one) by stroking back the fibres, so as to leave the point free, and fasten it right above the tinsel. Then, after having fastened a piece of red silk next to the hackle (the silk should be split as described be- fore), carry your binding thread forward to the end of the shank. This may be accomplished by giving it two or three turns around the body.

Now wind the body with the silk floss, being careful to stop about one-eighth of an inch from the end of the shank to allow room for the head. At this stage your work should be like Figure 7.

Now seize the hackle by the stem, and wind it spirally around the body, gradually working toward the head (see Figure 8), at each turn pressing back the fibres with your left thumb and finger to prevent them from being caught under the next turn. You will find that in this process your hackle will go on much easier and with less chance of the fibres becoming wrapped under than it did in winding of the hackle at the shoulder only as on the previous hook. When you reach the end of the body, give two or three turns of the hackle at this point to allow a little fullness, then fasten the end with several turns of your binding silk, which must be wound evenly and nice to form the head. Now compare your work with Figure 9.

In fastening the binding silk you may either use a half-hitch or two, or tie an invisible knot, which is much nicer. This is made as follows: Hold the binding silk with your right hand about an inch and a half or two inches from the end of the hook; hold it toward the right and with your left hand bring around the end over the head of the hook, thus forming a loop as in Figure Now catch your thread with your right hand at about the point marked A, and give it four turns around the head of the hook as shown in Figure 10. Place your left thumb to hold it tight and poke the end of the snood through the loop four times to untwist it; then take the loose end and draw it tight. After this, cut off the loose end close up, and give it a coat of shellac, and your palmer fly is complete.

When you have learned to do what I have described up to this point, and practiced enough to be able to do it well, you may call yourself a fly-tier, as the fancy flies are but slight variations from the standard ones. The very fancy and gaudy ones used for salmon and sea-trout are certainly very difficult to dress properly, but after you have had practice, it will come to you without much difficulty.

As a specimen of the variations we will next take up the Royal Coachman. Wrap your snood as usual, and give a slight show of gold tinsel at the butt.  Select three strands of peacock herl and fasten them the same as you did the hackle feather in tying a palmer; take the three together and wind them around the shank of the hook for a short distance, then catch the ends with two turns of the binding silk; with two turns more catch in some bright red floss, and holding the loose strands of herl along the shank, wind the silk over both of them and the shank about three times; fasten the floss, cut off the end, and carry your binding silk up to the head, when your work should appear like Figure 12. Now carry out the balance of the body with the peacock herl, put on the legs, and tie back your wings, and the fly is made, as shown in Figure 13.

Having described, in as simple a manner as possible, the method of dressing ordinary flies, I will now give a list of those flies in general use, making comments from time to time, when occasion requires, of any special style of dressing. I will not give an additional list of feathers and materials required, as all this knowledge may be gained from the descriptions of the flies.

Brown Palmer or Hackle. - Body, red silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle wound whole length of body. This fly may be varied by using for the body yellow or green silk floss, peacock or ostrich herl. Where the herl is used there should be only a slight show of tinsel at butt. The fly may be further changed by adding to any of these variations a tail of either scarlet ibis or yellow feathers.

Gray Palmer. - This fly is dressed in the same manner and with all the variations as in the brown palmer, using gray hackle instead of brown.

Ginger Palmer. - Body, yellow silk floss ribbed with silver tinsel; legs, pale ginger hackle wound whole length of body.

Grizzly Palmer. - Body, orange silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, white hackle wound whole length of body.

Coch-y-bon-dhu (Marlow Buzz). - Body, bright green peacock herl, with a slight show of gold at butt; legs, brown hackle wound at shoulder only.

Abbey. - Tail, two or three fibres of golden pheasant tippet feather; body, red wound with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle; wings, gray widgeon.

Grizzly King. - Tail, red; body, green ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, furnace-gray hackle; wings, gray mallard.

Professor. - Tail, scarlet ibis ; body, yellow silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle; wings, gray mallard.

Rube Wood. - Tail, brown mallard; tag, red silk floss with a turn of gold tinsel; body, white chenille; legs, brown hackle; wings, gray mal- lard.

Dusty Miller. - Tail, two or three fibres of gray mallard; body, dark gray mohair, ribbed with narrow gold tinsel (this ribbing is some- times omitted); legs, gray hackle; wings, dirty gray turkey.

Light Montreal. - Tail, gray mallard; body, scarlet ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, scarlet hackle; wings, gray mallard.

Dark Montreal. - Tail, scarlet ibis ; body, crimson mohair, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, crimson hackle; wings, wild turkey.

Queen of the Waters. - Body, orange silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle wound whole length of body; wings, gray mallard.

King of the Waters. - Same as Queen, except with red silk floss for body.

Cahill. - Tail, gray mallard; body, mouse-colored mohair, with slight show of gold at butt; legs, brown hackle; wings, side feather (not barred) from wood duck.

Green Drake. - Tail, lead color (blue heron); body, white ribbed with black silk; legs, brown hackle; wings, side feather (not barred) of wood duck dyed yellow.

Gray Drake. - Tail, gray mallard; body, white, ribbed with black silk; legs, gray hackle; wings, gray mallard.

March Brown. - Tail, Scotch grouse; body, dark brown, ribbed with yellow silk; legs, Scotch grouse; wings, Scotch grouse.

Shoemaker. - Tail, side feather (not barred) of wood duck; body, alternate bands of salmon and lead-colored silk, wound over with gut; legs, brown hackle; wings, gray mallard and wood duck (not barred).

Oak Fly. - Body, orange, ribbed with black silk; legs, brown hackle; wings, mottled brown turkey. (The wing coverts of the quail make a good wing for this fly.)

Grannom. - Tag, green silk floss with slight show of gold tinsel; body, gray mohair picked out at shoulder to represent legs; wing, pale gray turkey.

Seth Green. - Body, green silk floss, ribbed with yellow silk; legs, brown hackle; wings, light brown mottled turkey.

Brown Hen. - Tag, red silk floss; body, pea- cock her!; legs, brown hackle; wings, dark mottled brown turkey.

Stone Fly or Caddis. - Tail, brown mallard; body, olive-colored mohair, picked out at shoulder to represent legs; wings, curlew or light feathers from wing of night heron.

Spider. - Body, lead-colored silk floss with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, black hackle; wings, wild turkey.

Alder. - Body, peacock herl with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, black hackle; wings, mottled brown turkey. With lead-colored wings, this fly is also called a gray alder.

Hare's Ear. - Body, mouse-colored mohair, picked out at shoulder to represent legs; wings, lead color.

Pale Blue Dun. - Tail, a few fibres of pale blue feather; body, mouse-colored mohair; legs, gray hackle; wings, pale lead color.

Iron Blue Dun. - Tail, English starling; body, blue-gray mohair, ribbed with yellow silk; legs, brown hackle ; wings, starling.

Beaverkill. - Body, white silk floss, with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, brown hackle wound whole length of body; wings, blue heron.

Red Fox. - Tail, two fibres of gray mallard; body, dirty red mohair; legs, brown hackle; wings, lead color.

Cowdung. - Body, orange mohair, with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, ginger hackle; wings, light curlew.

Coachman. - Body, peacock herl; legs, brown hackle; wings, white.

Royal Coachman. -  Body, peacock herl, with a band of bright red silk floss around the middle; legs, brown hackle; wings, white.

Golden Spinner. - Tail, two fibres from ginger hackle; body, yellow silk floss, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle; wings, blue heron.

Red Spinner. - Tail, two fibres from brown hackle; body, red silk floss ribbed with gold; legs, brown hackle; wings, blue heron.

Jenny Spinner. - Tag, brown silk floss; tail, black fitch hair (two or three fibres from glossy black hackle will do in place of fitch hair); body divided into three parts, upper and lower parts brown silk floss and middle part white silk; legs, gray hackle ; wings, pale lead color.

Blue Bottle. - Body, blue chenille ribbed with black silk; legs, black hackle, wings, dark lead color. Certain parties claim that the body of this fly should be made of a peculiar shade of steel-blue silk floss. It is impossible to describe this shade, and a specimen of the fly must be seen; ask your tackle dealer to show you one.

Bee. - Body, yellow chenille, with a band of black silk floss around centre; legs, brown hackle; wings, blue heron.

Dark Fox. - Tail, gray mallard; body, dark lead-colored mohair, picked out at shoulder to represent legs; wings, lead color.

Black Gnat. - Body, black ostrich herl; legs, black hackle; wings, dark lead color from 'the darkest feathers of the blue heron. This fly is often tied with black wings, but I think this is wrong. When it is tied on a No. 10 or smaller hook, as is generally the case, the legs may be omitted. This fly is sometimes tied with an orange silk floss tag; it is then called Me Bride's black gnat.

Claret Gnat. - Body, claret-colored mohair, picked out at shoulder to represent legs (some- times claret hackle is used for legs); wings, lead color.

Black Midge. - Body, black silk floss ribbed with fine silver tinsel; legs, black hackle; wings, dark lead color.

Light Claret. - Body, claret silk floss, with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, claret hackle; wings, blue heron.

Dark Claret. - Same as the light claret; except that black hackle is used for legs in place of claret.

Yellow Sallie. - Body, pale yellow silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, pale yellow hackle; wings, pale yellow.

Yellow May. - Tail, yellow; body, yellow silk floss, with slight show of gold tinsel at butt; legs, yellow hackle; wings, gray mallard dyed bright yellow.

Jenny Lind. - Tail, bright blue; body, deep yellow silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, claret hackle; wings, bright blue.

McBride's Professor. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, yellow silk wound with gut and peacock sword at shoulder; legs, brown hackle ; wings, mixed wood duck (not barred) and mallard all dyed yellow.

Black Ant. - Tag, black ostrich herl; body, black silk floss with black ostrich heri at shoulder; legs, black hackle ; wings, grayish blue.

Scarlet Ibis. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, red, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, scarlet; wings, scarlet ibis.

Raven. - Body, dark green, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, black hackle; wings, black.

White Miller. - Body, white silk floss, ribbed with silver tinsel; legs, white hackle; wings, pure white.

Blue Professor. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, bright blue silk; legs, brown hackle; wings, lead color.

Cinnamon. - Tail, two fibres of cinnamon-colored feather; body, cinnamon silk floss ribbed with silver tinsel; legs, brown hackle; wings, cinnamon color. This fly is sometimes dressed with peacock-herl body, and is then called cinnamon with peacock body.  A good cinnamon- colored feather is very difficult to obtain. The wings and tail of the Bird of Paradise are the only good colored ones the writer knows of. The name sounds expensive, but in reality these birds are cheap, as, after the said plumes have been pulled out for millinery purposes, the bodies become worthless, and may be purchased for a few cents.

Lowery. - Tag, yellow silk; body, peacock herl; legs, brown hackle; wings, cinnamon color.

Jungle Cock. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, red, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, claret hackle; wings, jungle cock rump hackle.

Epting. - Tail, two or three fibres of ginger hackle; body divided in three joints, lower joint, red silk floss, middle joint, orange silk floss, and upper joint, bright yellow silk floss, all ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, black hackle; wings, widgeon or teal.

Adirondack. - Tag, yellow silk; tail, a few fibres of black hackle or black seal fur; body, reddish brown mohair; legs, orange hackle; wings, white, with jungle cock shoulders.

Nearly all the foregoing flies may be varied and made a little more elaborate by adding shoulders of jungle cock, as in the last two, Now we come to the fly that is tied any way and any how. No two dealers or professionals dress it alike. The Silver Doctor is used everywhere on all streams, and is, I might say, about the most popular fly in use.

For ordinary trout fishing the Silver Doctor is not dressed so elaborately as for bass or salmon. The one for trout is tied as follows:-

Tag, gold-colored silk floss ribbed with silver twist; tail, a few fibres of golden pheasant tippet; body, red, and ribbed quite closely with silver tinsel (the body is sometimes of silver tinsel, ribbed with red silk or wool); legs, blue hackle ; wings, strips of blue, yellow, barred wood duck, dark turkey, bustard, scarlet ibis, and white; head, red wool. In tying this fly for large trout or bass add a few legs of guinea over the blue hackle.

Ashy. - Body, orange; legs, a peculiar ashy shade of hackle wound the whole length of body.

Bob Barnwell's Ashy. - Body, yellowish green mohair ribbed with peacock herl and a strip of yellow mohair laid along each side; legs ashy hackle wound whole length of the body; head, red wool.

The amateur will have great trouble in procuring the peculiar shade of hackle for the two last flies. It would be well to buy an " ashy" from some reliable house, and keep it handy to match the feather at the first opportunity.

The Francis. - Tail, dark gray hackle ; body, peacock herl ribbed with heavy cord of red silk floss ; legs, dark gray hackle tied part way down the body; wings, two dark gray hackle feathers matched.

Magalloway. - Tail, short fibres of yellow and blue macaw; body, lower half brown mohair and upper half black ostrich herl ribbed with gold twist; legs, gray hackle; wings, brown feather from peacock primary; head, black ostrich herl. In using the brown primaries of the peacock, the amateur will have great trouble to get them to lie gracefully. A feather of the same shade is found in the two upright feathers of the wings of the mandarin duck. The fibres of the latter are not so harsh as the peacock, and are much easier to tie.

Bemis Stream. - Tail, golden pheasant top­ping; body, brown mohair, ribbed with gold tin­sel; legs, brown hackle; wings, strips of brown peacock and dark and light bustard; head, black ostrich herl.

Oquassac. - Tag, yellow silk floss; tail, sprigs of argus feathers and golden pheasant topping; body, claret mohair, ribbed with pink silk floss; legs, claret hackle; wings, argus feather (pri­mary); head, black ostrich herl.

Tinselled Ibis. - Tail, a few fibres of barred wood duck and scarlet ibis; body, silver tinsel ribbed with gold twist; legs, scarlet hackle; wings, matched scarlet ibis feathers, with strips of barred wood duck on each side.

Chateaugay. - Tail, a few fibres of brown mal­lard ; body, lemon-yellow silk floss ribbed with gold twist; legs, ginger hackle wound from tail to shoulder; wings, strips from widgeon and argus ; head, black ostrich herl.

Mooselookmaguntic. - Tail, a few fibres of argus pheasant; body, equal parts of gray squirrel fur and light green mohair ribbed with gold twist; legs, brown hackle; wings, gray speckled turkey dyed yellow, with a strip of argus on each side; head, green ostrich herl.

Rangeley. - Tail, a few fibres of barred wood duck and scarlet ibis; body, dark claret mohair ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, dark claret hackle ; wings, strips of wood duck (barred) mixed with a little wild turkey and scarlet ibis.

Deacon. - Tail, gray mallard ; body, yellow mohair ribbed with silver and gold tinsel; legs, yellow hackle wound from tail to shoulder; wings, gray mallard; head, black ostrich.

Blue Jay. -Tail, scarlet ibis ; body, scarlet mohair ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, scarlet hackle; wings, matched feathers from English blue jays.

Dark Argus. - Tail, fibres of yellow, white, scarlet ibis, and wood duck; body, lower half red silk floss ribbed with silver tinsel, upper half bluish gray chenille; legs, crimson hackle, with blue hackle over; wings, matched feathers from back of red-breasted argus.

Black Prince. - Tail, scarlet ibis ; body, silver tinsel; legs, black hackle ; wings, black.

Parmachenee Belle. - Tail, scarlet ibis mixed with white ; body, pale yellow mohair ribbed with gold; legs, scarlet and white hackle mixed; wings, mixed scarlet ibis and white. In putting on the legs of this fly, wind on the scarlet and white hackle together.

Prouty. - Tag, orange silk floss ribbed with silver twist; tail, golden pheasant topping, with a few fibres of English blue jay; body, lower half silver twist, upper half black ostrich herl ribbed with silver twist; legs, yellow (dyed) furnace hackle wound over upper half of body; wings, mixed teal and yellow feather and a little scarlet ibis and red macaw; head, black ostrich herl.

June Spinner.- Body, black ostrich herl wound with silver tinsel; legs, black hackle; wings, black.

Cupsuptuc. - Tail, golden pheasant topping; body, silver tinsel wound with gold twist; legs, bright scarlet hackle wound from tail to shoul­der; wings, mixed fibres of brown turkey tipped with white, brown mallard, golden pheasant tail, and guinea hen; head, black ostrich herl.

Doodle Bug or Kadoodle Bug. - Tag, green silk floss; tail, gray mallard dyed pale yellow; body, lower half pale yellow, upper half orange and ribbed with gold twist; legs, brown hackle wound full length of body; wings, brown turkey.

Conroy. - Tag, peacock herl from sword feather; body, crimson silk floss; legs, green hackle, with guinea hackle over; wings, matched feathers from the white-tipped tertials of mallard duck.

Turkey. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, yellow mohair ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, brown hackle; wings, brown turkey.

Saranac. - Tail, golden pheasant topping; body, claret silk floss ribbed with gold and silver twist; legs, claret hackle wound from tail to shoulder; wings, matched golden pheasant's tippets with strips of brown mallard and argus pheasant on each side.

Lightning Bug or Firefly. - Body, lower third, yellow silk floss, upper two thirds gray mohair, ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, gray hackle wound full length of body, with grouse hackle at shoulder; wings, brown turkey.

Wood Duck. - Tail, wood duck; body, bright yellow mohair ribbed with silver; legs, bright yellow hackle; wings, matched wood duck feathers.

Eopatcong. - Tail, scarlet ibis and yellow; body, silver tinsel; legs, black hackle wound full length of body; wings, brown turkey with jungle cock shoulders.

Ferguson. - Tail, scarlet ibis and yellow; body, yellow silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; legs, green hackle; wings, brown turkey, scarlet ibis, yellow, and peacock swords.

Round Lake. - Tail, fibres of golden pheasant tippet and two fibres of blue macaw; body, lower half orange, upper half claret mohair; legs, orange hackle; wings, brown turkey matched feathers with jungle cock shoulders.

Lord Baltimore. - Tail, black; body, orange silk floss ribbed with black silk; legs, black hackle; wings, black with jungle cock shoulders.

Whitney. - Tail, green; body, green silk floss ribbed with silver; legs, green hackle, wound from tail to shoulder (sometimes wound at shoul­der only), under wing, yellow, over wing, night heron; head, peacock herl.

Governor Alvord. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, pea­cock herl; legs, brown hackle; wings, blue heron with under wing of brown peacock.

Tuxedo. - Tag, red silk floss; tail, bright yellow; body, silver floss ribbed with gold twist; legs, orange hackle; wings, curlew, with narrow strip of bright yellow on each side.

Silver Miller. - Tail, scarlet ibis and yellow ; body, silver tinsel ribbed with gold twist; legs, yellow hackle; wings, matched white feathers.

Pelee Island Ibis. - Tail, black; tag, black ostrich herl; body, red silk floss ribbed with gold; wings, matched scarlet ibis.

Gogebic. - Tag, scarlet silk floss; tail, scarlet ibis and white; butt, black ostrich herl; body, yellow, ribbed with fine gold twist; legs, scarlet hackle wound from butt to shoulder; wings, white matched feathers with small ibis on each side.

White Moth. - Tail, scarlet ibis; body, white chenille; legs, white hackle; wings, matched white feathers.

I have now given a description of about all the standard flies used for trout. Of course there are many others, some used only in certain parts of the country, and others designed and used only by private parties and their friends.

Such knowledge as I possess of fly-tying was derived from the practical teachings of Samuel P. Kellogg of Elizabeth, New Jersey, who was undoubtedly one of the most skilled of amateur or professional fly-tiers, as he was certainly one of the best informed in the natural history of our feathered fauna. He is now deceased, and the cause of his death should be a warning to all who keep a stock of fly materials. He died from poison produced by the incautious use of arsenic.

 


Copyright © 2004 eFishingBooks.com All rights reserved. 920.207.1648