Flies For August

No. 29. THE RED DUN.--The body is made of red orange hair, over which

roll a small dun hackle; the wings are a dun grey, and are made of

starling wing feather, mixed with a little mallard. No. 10 hook. It may

be varied thus: Red legs and dun body; orange floss body, over which

roll a black hackle, and starling wing. The size of hook to vary from

No. 10 to No. 7.



This is an excellent fly in rapid streams w ere there are large trout;

it is so attractive that they cannot refuse it when it moves over them.

Trout that lie or haunt strong streams, are called, in Ireland,

"Hunters." The cause is, no doubt, through their being thin and long in

the body, and are possessed with enormous mouths to take in their prey.

They take small trout freely.



No. 30. THE ANT FLY.--The body is made of brown floss silk, and a small

fibred peacock harl at tail; a brown red hackle for legs, and wings of

starling feather. No. 10 hook.



There is a black ant the same size as the above, and a red and black one

much larger; the black one is made of black floss for the body, small

black hackle for legs, and a blackbird's wing for the wings of the fly.

The small ones kill on fine days, and the larger ones when there is a

strong wind, which blows them on the water, and causes a ripple.



No. 31. THE CAPERER.--The body is made of brown mohair, or floss silk of

a copper colour, and tipped with gold at the tail; a brown red cock's

hackle at the shoulder for legs, and winged with the woodcock wing

feather. No. 8 hook. This fly may be seen on fine sultry days whirling

up and down over the water, and occasionally dipping on the surface; the

trout take them very freely. This fly will be found on the water till

the end of September, with the paler dun, yellow dun, blue dun, and

willow fly. The greyling also like these little flies.






THE WINGED LARVA.--The body is made of brown mohair; the larva is

attached to this body at the shoulder, and tailed with two fibres of

golden pheasant neck feather, a woodcock hackle round the shoulder, and

winged with hen pheasant tail, mixed with a little woodcock or partridge

tail feather, and a bronze peacock head. No. 8 hook. It will be found a

good fly on dark windy days in this month and the next, and during the

prevalence of winds from the east; it will do best where a strong rapid

stream runs into a deep pool.



A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE WINGED LARVA:--The body is made of bright golden

yellow mohair, which looks very transparent; a woodcock wing, and a

hackle off the same bird, with two fibres of golden pheasant neck

feather for tail. No. 8 hook.



THE WILLOW FLIES.--The body of the first is made of blue squirrel's fur,

mixed with a little yellow mohair; a blue dun cock's hackle round the

shoulder, and a tomtit wing. No. 8 hook. The second fly is made of

orange silk body, ribbed with fine black silk; a very dark furnace

hackle round the head, and blackbird's wing. No. 10 hook. The third fly

is made of the wings or blue feather of the sea-swallow, for the wing of

the fly, and the lightest blue fur that can be got for body (the fine

blue of the fox's neck, next to the skin; the fur of a very young

water-rat, or the lightest blue fur of the squirrel); a light dun cock's

hackle, and a tail of the same. No. 10 hook. These little flies will

kill till the end of October, and are excellent fur greyling. There are

hundreds of other flies that make their appearance on the water through

the summer months, which come under the angler's notice when in pursuit

of his pastime, that may be imitated to advantage, the varieties of

which must fill the mind with admiration.