Floating Flies and How to Dress Them; A Treatise on the Most Modern Methods of Dressing Artificial Flies for Trout and Grayling - Frederic Michael Halford

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 edition. Excerpt: ...the bend of the hook, fastening in, and setting up the tail (fig. 52). Fig-5 Bind the tying-silk up to shoulder, securing at the same time the root-end of the second hackle. If this second hackle is to be all put on close behind the shoulder hackle, turn it now and fasten in the point. If, on the other hand, it is to be used for ribbing the body, leave it projecting to the right or over the head of the fly, and proceed to prepare the body. Undoubtedly the very best materials for the body of a green drake are either the thin maize, such as is used for making Mexican cigarettes, or a very thin strip of wheaten straw. Whichever is used, first soak it in warm water until quite soft, and then cut out of it a slip of the form shown in the sketch (fig. 53). With the left Fig. 53. thumb and forefinger apply it under the hook, so that the join will run up the back of the fly, and, pressing it tightly so as to make it lie round the wire of the hook, fasten it securely at the shoulder with three very tight turns of the tying-silk, rib the body down evenly with the tying-silk, and take two secure turns at the tail-end of the fly (fig. 54). Turn the hackle with three or four folds close behind the shoulder hackle, and carry it down in open coils, each close to and in front of the ribs formed by the silk on the straw body (fig. 55). Attention to this placing of the turns of hackle close to the ribs is necessary, as otherwise the ribbing hackle is never secure. Fasten in the point of the hackle at the tail, where fasten off with whip finish and varnish. Trim the wings to shape with sharp curved scissors (fig. 56). Fig-S6 To make Detached Bodies. Take an ordinary bristle such as is used by bootmakers, either natural or dyed, according to the colour of the body...