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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.
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