din'd, we will down again to the little house: where I will begin, at the place I left off, about fly-fishing, and read you another lecture; for I have a great deal more to say upon that subject. Viat. The more the better; I could never have met with a more obliging master, my first excepted. Nor such sport can all the rivers about London ever afford, as is to be found in this pretty river. Pisc. You deserve to have better; both because I see you are willing to take pains, and for liking this little so well; and better I hope to shew you before we part, FISHING AT THE TOP. CHAP. VII. Flies for the Months of January, February, March, April, and part of May ; including, under May, particular Directions for baiting with the Green-Drake. Viator. COME, Sir, having now well din'd, and being again set in your little house, I will now challenge your promise, and entreat you to proceed in your instruction for fly-fishing: which, that you may be the better encouraged to do, I will assure you, that I have not lost, I think, one syllable of what you have told me; but well revery tain all your directions, both for the rod, line, and making a fly, and now desire an account of the flies themselves. Pisc. Why, Sir, I am ready to give it you, and shall have the whole afternoon to do it in, if nobody come in to interrupt us; for you must know, (besides the unfitness of the day,) that the afternoons, so early in March, signify very little to angling with a fly, though with a minnow, or a worm, something might (I confess) be done. To begin, then, where I left off, My father Walton tells us of but twelve artificial flies only, to angle with at the top, and gives their names; of which some are common with us here; and I think I guess at most of them by his description, and I believe they all breed and are taken in our rivers, though we do not make them either of the same dubbing or fashion. And it may be in the rivers about London, which I presume he has most frequented, and where 'tis likely he has done most execution, there is not much notice taken of many more: but we are acquainted with several others here, though perhaps I may reckon some of his by other names too; but if I do, I shall make you amends by an addition to his catalogue. And although the fore-named great master in the art of angling, for so in truth he is, tells you that no man should, in honesty, catch a Trout till the middle of March, yet I hope he will give a man leave sooner to take a Grayling, which, as I told you, is in the dead months in his best season: and do assure you, (which I remember by a very remarkable token,) I did once take upon the sixth day of December one, and only one, of the biggest Graylings, and the best in season, that ever I yet saw or tasted; and do usually take Trouts too, and with a fly, not only before the middle of this month, but almost every year in February, unless it be a very ill spring indeed; and have sometimes in January, so early as New-year's tide, and in frost and snow, taken Grayling in a warm sunshine day for an hour or two about noon; and to fish for him with a grub, it is then the best time of all. I shall therefore begin my fly-fishing with that month, (though, I confess, very few begin so soon, and that such as are so fond of the sport as to embrace all opportunities can rarely in that month find a day fit for their purpose,) and tell you, that, upon my knowledge, these flies in a warm sun, for an hour or two in the day, are certainly taken. JANUARY. 1. A RED BROWN with wings of the male of a mallard almost white; the dubbing of the tail of a black longcoated cur, such as they commonly make muffs of; for the hair on the tail of such a dog dyes, and turns to a red brown, but the hair of a smooth-coated dog of the same colour will not do, because, it will not dye, but retains its natural colour.' And this fly is taken, in a warm sun, this whole month through. 2. There is also a very little BRIGHT-DUN GNAT, as little as can possibly be made, so little as never to be fish'd with, with above one hair next the hook; and this is to be made of a mixt dubbing of marten's fur, and the white of a hare's scut, with a very white and small wing ; and it is no great matter how fine you fish, for nothing will rise in this month but a Grayling; and of them I never, at this season, saw any taken with a fly, of above a foot long, in my life but of little ones about the bigness of a smelt, in a warm day, and a glowing sun, you may take enough with these two flies; and they are both taken the whole month through. FEBRUARY. 1. Where the RED BROWN of the last month ends, ANOTHER, almost of the same colour, begins with this; saving that the dubbing of this must be of something a blacker colour, and both of them warpt-on with red silk. The dubbing that should make this fly, and that is the truest colour, is to be got off the black spot of a hog's ear: not that a black spot in any part of the hog will not afford the same colour, but that the hair in that place is, by many degrees, softer, and more fit for the purpose. His wing must be as the other; and this kills all this month, and is called the LESSER RED-BROWN. (1) The dubbing is to be warped on as No. 1, in February, infra. 2. This month, also, a PLAIN-HACKLE,' or palmer-fly, made with a rough black body, either of black spaniel's fur, or the whirl of an ostrich feather, and the red hackle of a capon over all, will kill, and, if the weather be right, make very good sport. 3. Also a LESSER HACKLE, with a black body, also silver twist over that, and a red feather over all will fill your pannier, if the month be open, and not bound up in ice and snow, with very good fish; but, in case of a frost and snow, you are to angle only with the smallest gnats, browns, and duns you can make; and with those are only to expect Graylings no bigger than sprats. 4. In this month, upon a whirling-round water, we have a GREAT HACKLE, the body black, and wrapped with a red feather of a capon untrimmed; that is, the whole length of the hackle staring out; (for we sometimes barb the hackle-feather short all over; sometimes barb it only a little, and sometimes barb it close underneath,) leaving the whole length of the feather on the top or back of the fly, which makes it swim better, and, as occasion serves, kills very great fish. 5. We make use, also, in this month, of another GREAT HACKLE, the body black, and ribbed over with goldtwist, and a red feather over all; which also does great execution.2 6. Also a GREAT DUN, made with dun bear's hair; and the wings, of the grey feather of a mallard near unto his tail; which is absolutely the best fly can be (1) The author is now in the month of February; during which are taken, the Plain Hackle; which we would recommend to be made of black ostrich herl, warped, or tied down, to the dubbing with red silk, and a red cock's hackle over all. (2) Gold-twist Hackle; the same dubbing, warping, and hackle, with gold twist. These hackles are taken chiefly from nine to eleven in the morning, and from one to three in the afternoon. They will do for any month in the year, and upon any water. thrown upon a river this month, and with which an angler shall have admirable sport. 7. We have also this month the GREAT BLUE DUN, the dubbing of the bottom of bear's hair next to the roots, mixt with a little blue camlet; the wings, of the dark grey feather of a mallard. 8. We have also this month a DARK BROWN, the dubbing, of the brown hair off the flank of a brended cow; and the wings, of the grey drake's feather. And note, that these several hackles, or palmer-flies, are some for one water and one sky, and some for another and according to the change of those, we alter their size and colour. And note also, that both in this and all other months of the year, when you do not certainly know what fly is taken, or cannot see any fish to rise, you are then to put on a small hackle, if the water be clear, or a bigger if something dark, until you have taken one; and, then thrusting your finger through his gills, to pull out his gorge, which being open'd with your knife, you will then discover what fly is taken, and may fit yourself accordingly.' For the MAKING of a Hackle, or a Palmer-fly, my father Walton has already given you sufficient direction.2 (1) You may also observe, that the fish never rise eagerly and freely at any sort of flie, until that kind come to the water's side; for though I have often, at the first coming-in of some flies, (which I judged they loved best), gotten several of them, yet I could never find that they did much (if at all) value them, until those sorts of flies began to flock to the river's side, and were to be found on the trees and bushes there in great numbers. Venables, p. 15. When you first come to the river in the morning, with your rod beat upon the bushes or boughs which hang over the waters; and by their falling upon the waters, you will see what sorts of flies are there in greatest numbers; if divers sorts, and equal in number, try them all, and you will quickly find which they most desire. Sometimes they change their flie (but its not very usual) twice or thrice in one day; but, ordinarily, they seek not for another sort of flie, till they have, for some days, even glutted themselves with a former kind, which is commonly when those flies die and go out. Venables, p. 16. (2) But, with Mr. Cotton's good leave, he has not; nor has any author that I know of: unless we are to take that for a palmer which Walton has given directions for making, p. 93; which I can never do till I see what I have never yet seen, viz. Caterpillars with wings. Rejecting, therefore, wings as unnatu |