Flies For June
No. 20.--THE GREAT RED SPINNER.--The body is made of red mohair, ribbed
with fine gold wire, and a red cock hackle for legs; the wings are made
of brown and grey mallard, the grey underneath; two fibres of stiff
cock's saddle hackle for tail, No. 6 or 7 hook. The Small Red Spinner is
made as the above, but instead of mallard use starling wings. It is an
excellent fly for a dark evening in June and July, with the furnace
hackle.
No. 21.--THE ALDER FLY.--The body is made of brown coloured peacock
harl, a black-red cock hackle for legs, the wings are made of hen
pheasant tail feathers, hook No 6. There is another way or two of making
this fly which cannot be beaten, they are mostly used in Ireland, and
are known to be killers in England and Scotland. The body is made of
bronze brown mohair, a very small brown grouse hackle round the head,
and the wings from a brown spotted hen's wing, No. 8 hook. The other is
made with grey and red partridge tail mixed for wings, a copper brown
peacock harl body, and a dark brown red hackle off a cock's neck for
legs. The legs may be also made of the wren's tail or woodcock hackle,
this feather is found on the roots of the outside of the wings of the
woodcock. These are good flies in lakes or rivers for large trout--rib
with gold for lakes.
No. 22.--THE SAND FLY.--The body is made of the sandy coloured fur from
the hare's pole, mixed with orange mohair, and a small ginger coloured
cock's hackle for legs; the wings are made of a sandy coloured brown
hen's wing, No. 10 hook. An excellent little fly on fine days with a
little wind and occasional showers.
There is another little fly that will be found equally good, made
thus:--the wings are made of red and grey partridge tail feathers,
orange body, and black-red hackle rolled up from the tail to the head,
it will kill well on dark days, ribbed with gold, No. 8 hook.
No. 23.--THE WHITE MOTH.--The body is made of white mohair, which is
lively ribbed with orange floss, a white cock's hackle rolled round the
shoulder; the wings from a white feather of the swan that grows over
the back. It may be varied with cream coloured mohair, very light ginger
hackle, and a buff wing from a hen of that colour; and a browner one may
be made from a matted brown hen's wing, or light brown grouse tail, or
large hackle off the rump of the same bird, brown-red cock's hackle, the
whole to be made full, of good coloured and stiff materials, that they
may not absorb the water, and alight heavy when thrown on the surface.
No. 24. THE OAK FLY.--The body is made of orange silk, and a little
hare's ear fur under the shoulder, rib it with a furnace hackle from the
centre of the body up (if the hackles are tied on at the tail they are
very apt to get cut with the teeth of the fish in a very short time).
The wings may be made from the mottled brown hen, or the woodcock wings,
of a red tinge. No. 8 hook. This fly cannot be too highly valued for its
killing qualities. It will be found useful for large trout of a windy
day with a grey cloud over head, and not likely to rain. "Mr. Bowlker,"
in his "Art of Angling," mentions the oak fly in this manner: "The oak,
ash, woodcock, cannon, or down-hill fly, comes on about the sixteenth of
May, and continues on till about a week in June; it is to be found on
the butts of trees, with its head always downwards, which gives it the
name of the down-hill fly. It is bred in oak-apples, and is the best of
all flies for bobbing at the bush in the natural way, and a good fly for
the dab-line, when made artificially." The wings are made from a feather
out of the wing of the partridge or woodcock, the body with a bittern's
feather, and the head with a little of the brown part of hare's fur. The
hook, No. 6. Some dub it with an orange, tawny, and black ground, and
with blackish wool and gold twist; the wings off the brown part of a
mallard's feather.
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Flies For May
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