Pike
The Pike is a rough customer (if large) to come across, and the tackle
which is required to catch him is as rough and as terrible as himself;
he will take almost anything that is thrown to him if moved in the water
he haunts. Roving with the minnow using a float, is, I think, the nicest
way of fishing for him in deep places, but he is oftener taken by
spinning, or trolling the gorge bait, tackle which is well known to
The pike take the larger double hook gaudy fly, in deep running places,
beyond the weeds, when there is a stiff breeze blowing and small close
rain falling, and at no other time will he look at a fly; it is useless
to try unless in a rapid stream, which is an unusual place for him to
haunt in general. Autumn is the best time for these fish. When you
prepare the trolling bait for jack or pike, have a needle to draw the
gymp through the bait, say a minnow, gudgeon, or dace, putting it in at
the mouth of the fish and out near the root of the tail; sew up the
mouth of the bait, and tie the tail part to the end of the hooks, which
has been often explained before. Throw it in sideways into deep places,
letting it sink a foot or two, and draw it in pretty quick towards you,
and when the fish makes a run to take it, give him a little time; when
your line begins to shiver and shake and he moves off, raise your hand
and anchor the hook in him; if he is a small one whip him out of the
water with your stiff and patent line at your feet, if a large one play
him as you would a salmon, keep his head well up and draw him through
the weeds if any and gaff him quickly.
The best rods to use for trolling are made of the toughest hickory, as
the cane often gives way with a large fish; upright rings, and prepared
silk and hair line, with reel to suit the rod, forty yards, if the place
you angle in is not very broad, will be sufficient; and when fishing in
a boat with a salmon rod, if there is a chance of pike fishing in lakes
when the salmon will not take the fly, using the short top would be
found stiff enough, that is, when you have not a trolling rod with you
in the boat.
The large flexible minnow would be a capital bait for jack in lakes or
deep rivers; and the glass minnow is also good. These fish rush at very
bright imitations of the natural fish bait best, and a good size white
trout would be a valuable little fish to throw for him--a large size
dace is also good. These baits could be preserved in whiskey for weeks.
They preserve fry and sprats in Scotland in this way for salmon or pike
fishing. The old fishermen in the north say that "sprats" are the fry of
the herring. I am persuaded that they would be excellent bait for
salmon, preserved so as to keep their brilliancy. The Paternoster Tackle
cannot fail to suit the purpose of those who prefer angling in a punt
for jack at the sides of large streams near the bank where there are
alders or willows growing, overhanging the water, with a gravelly
bottom. Nice plump bright minnows are the best, or large size gudgeons;
the hooks No. 4 or 5, mounted on gymp.
Note. The best trolling rods, spinning, and bait rods, with trolling
tackle of the strongest sort; minnow tackle, gut hooks, gymp hooks,
treble and double hooks, gorge and snap hooks, and every sort of the
best hooks and tackle to suit trolling, spinning, and bait fishing, to
be had at my shop, 54, Dean Street, Soho, London. Try my spinning trace,
half twisted and half single salmon gut, mounted with swivels and large
shot, for large trout or salmon.
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A Catechism Of Fly-making
BY WILLIAM BLACKER Question. What do you mean by Fly-making? Answer. I mean the artificial assimilation of those beautiful insects that appear on brooks and rivers during the summer season. Q. What are these artificial flies used for in gen... A Coffee Or Chesnut
Boil the hackles, &c., that have been previously dyed brown, in some nut gall, sumach, and alder bark, then add a small quantity of green copperas to the liquor, allow it to remain a day and a night in water that you can bear the hand in, and all ... A Concise Way Of Dyeing Colours
I will now add the way to dye the colours, for pighair, mohair, hackles, &c., in a concise and summary manner, to avoid giving trouble in too many words, and the quantities of ingredients I have given before, which would be superfluous to mention ... A Description Of The Fifteen Salmon Flies Engraved In The Plates
These fifteen Salmon Flies may be considered by my readers as specimens of real perfection, and the "dons" of the present time amongst the great Salmon fishers. There is such a combination of colours in them throughout, that they will be found mos... A Silver Grey
Boil some fenugreek and a little alum half an hour, put in the white hackles, &c., and add a little pearlash and Brazil-wood, boil them gently an hour, rinse them, and your colour will be lasting. ... An Account Of The Salmon And Its Varieties
I desire merely to give some account of this beautiful fish for the information of my readers, the knowledge of which has come under my own notice, in the rivers of Ireland in particular, amongst the fishermen at their mouths, at the "cruives" or ... An Easy Method Of Making A Plain Salmon Fly
Tie on the salmon hook to a length of twisted gut or loop (see the gut and hook tied on in the Plate of Salmon Hook, No. 1) firmly with strong marking silk well waxed, and lay on a little varnish; then take two pieces of turkey tail feather of e... An Easy Method To Make The Trout Fly
(See Plate.) The tyro will provide himself with a dubbing book, containing numerous compartments, to hold feathers, furs, pig hair, mohair, hackles, wing feathers, silk, tinsel, scissars, pliers, knife, and every other article necessary for fly... Another Way To Dye Claret
Take a handful of nut galls and bruise them, put them into the crucible and boil them half an hour, add to the dye a table-spoonful of oil of vitriol in half a cup of water, put in the hackles and boil two hours; then add to the liquor a little pe... Baits
To scour worms:--put them in clean damp moss, changing it in two or three days, place them between two layers of it, and choose those that are free from knots. The lob worms are found in gardens; brandlings and red worms are scoured with the lob w... Ballyna
The angler may now proceed to the river Moy, at Ballyna, in the County of Mayo, a celebrated place for ages for Salmon fishing with the fly, and also a place where he may find every facility for insuring sport by the kind and obliging conduct of t... Ballyshannon
From Ballyna the angler may proceed to the Erne, at Ballyshannon, by coach, where he will find, on his arrival, a beautiful river, and every accommodation he requires; it is a short running river, with a deep and rapid current, about three or four... Barbel
The Barbel are strong fish, and require strong tackle to catch them, a No. 4 or 5 hook tied on stout single gut, and have a small bullet with a hole through it on your line, and a shot about a foot from the hook to be stationary, to prevent the bu... Blues
Dissolve some indigo in oil of vitriol for twenty-four hours, put a couple of spoonfuls in your pot, add a little crystal of tartar, put in your hackles and boil, or at least keep them at a scalding heat, or the vitriol will burn the feathers, fur... Carp
It is a very difficult matter to catch Carp with the bait, as they are most cunning fish to detect at once the deception, and swim away on the least sight of the rod or the shadow of the fisherman. The Carp haunt the deep parts of gently running s... Chub
The Chub is rather a handsome fish when in season, and those caught with the artificial fly in many parts of the Thames, are very brilliant and pretty to look at; but, unfortunately, they are full of very small bones, when cooked the roe is wholes... Connamara And Ballynahinch
In this western region there are some beautiful lakes and rivers, once celebrated for the abundance of Salmon and Trout which they contained, but, alas! the "weirs" and nets have "wed" them all away, to the grief of the tourist angler, who might h... Crimson Red In Grain
Boil your hackles or hair in a quarter of an ounce of alum, and the same quantity of pure tartar, an hour gently; wash them out of this, fill your dye-pot with clean water, or as much as will conveniently boil; put in an ounce of well-powdered dye... Dace
The Dace is a lively brisk little fish, and affords much amusement in catching him, particularly with very small flies, which he will rise at from May to October. They like the rapid streams, along the sides of them, and in the middle, they may be... Fishing Rods And Fly Fishing
For a trout rod, to have a good balance from the butt to the extreme top, it is essentially necessary that the wood should be well-seasoned, straight in the grain, and free from knots and imperfections. It should consist of three or four joints, a... Flies For April
No. 7. THE SOLDIER FLY.--The body is made of scarlet-colored mohair, ribbed with fine gold twist, and two black-red cock hackles run up over the body from the tail, (it is made also with orange floss silk body, ribbed with black silk), a small fur... 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;... Flies For July
No. 25.--THE GREAT WHIRLING DUN.--The body is made of water-rat's fur, mixed with yellow mohair, and ribbed with yellow silk; a reddish blue dun hackle for legs; grey mallard wings, or starling--try both. No. 8 hook. There are two or three varieti... 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. ... Flies For March
No. 1. THE MARCH BROWN.--The body is made of light brown mohair, mixed with a little fur of the hare's neck, and a little yellow mohair, ribbed with yellow silk; a small brown partridge hackle for legs (this feather is found on the back of the par... Flies For May
No. 14. THE BLACK GNAT.--The body is made of black hair from the spaniel's ear which is fine and soft, or a black ostrich feather clipped very close, and a small black hackle for legs; the wings are from the starling's wing feather. No. 13 hook. T... Fly-fishing For Salmon
When you begin fly-fishing for Salmon, you must be careful not to let out too much of the reel line first, but when you become accustomed to it, and are master of throwing a short one, let it out gradually till you are enabled to cover the pool ov... Gudgeons And Minnows
These are very beautiful little fish, and most wholesome food; they are the best bait for perch, jack, and large trout, that can be, as I mentioned before. The way to angle for them is to have a couple of very small hooks tied on hair or fine gut,... How To Make The Salmon Fly As Shown In The Beautiful Plate Of Engravings On Salmon Hooks
Reader, you will have an idea of the sorts of materials you require for the different processes on each hook in the plates, as the models were tied by me in strict proportion, and are most exquisite engravings: You take a piece of twisted gut to f... Lakes Of Westmeath
After leaving Draugheda, the angler will reach Dublin by rail in a very short time, where he will take his place in the railway carriage for Mullingar, the county town of Westmeath; here, he is in the centre of numerous fine lakes, well stored wit... Loch Awe And River
This celebrated lake, on the western side of Scotland, may be conveniently reached from Glasgow. There are steam boats sail two or three times a week up Loch Fine to Inverary, where there can be every information gained respecting conveyances to t... Loch Leven
The trout fly fisher staying at Stirling, or its neighbourhood, on the Great Northern, will find himself agreeably situated in the centre of many beautiful streams, to which he may have easy access. At the town of Kinross, by the head of Loch Leve... Lough Curran Waterville
The angler may proceed any morning he feels disposed, to Waterville river and lake, southwest of Killarney, in the County Kerry; there is a car from the Kenmare Arms Hotel about eight o'clock in the morning, passing through Killorglan at the foot ... Perch
The Perch is a very handsome fish, and is best taken with the worm or live minnow, the larger size ones take the latter bait well and the smaller ones take the brandling and red worms best, using a No. 7 or 8 hook, and put on two worms at a time; ... Pike
The Pike is a rough customer (if large) to come across, and the tackle which is required to catch him is as rough and as terrible as himself; he will take almost anything that is thrown to him if moved in the water he haunts. Roving with the minno... Process Of Making The Gaudy Salmon Fly
You commence by tying the hook and gut firmly together, and that it may be more easy and convenient to the reader to accomplish this process of making the Gaudy Salmon Fly, I will tell how it is done in my own favourite way.--Take the hook in ... River Tivey
The Tivey is considered the very best and most prolific river in all Wales. It has a long and winding course to Cardigan, and before it reaches this place, at Newcastle Emlyn, it is a picture of a river for salmon fishing. Lampeter, higher up, is ... Rivers And Lakes Adjacent To Fort William On The Caledonian Canal
These wild and majestic scenes in the heart of the Highlands of Scotland are without doubt splendid, either to look upon or for the purpose of salmon and trout fishing, the recollections of such to the intelligent and contemplative mind of the gen... Rivers Of Derby
Derbyshire is watered by many delightful streams, which abound with trout and greyling, the owners of which allow the angler to fish without the least hesitation on making application and sending in his card. The River Dove, at "Dove Dale," is a... Rivers Of Wales The Conway
There would be excellent salmon fishing in Wales were the rivers properly preserved. The Conway (North Wales) is a beautiful stream, and it is a great pity it should be neglected; however, I believe it will be very soon protected from the nets, &c... Rivers Of York And Derby
The beautiful streams of these counties are excellent for trout fishing, and the scenery varied and pleasing throughout. The river Wharf is a delightful stream in the neighbourhood of Bolton Abbey, a well known place of "Hofland." See his painting... Roach
The Roach is a handsome fish, and when taken of the size of half a pound or a pound, are not such bad eating as is said of them. They are very bony, it is true, but particularly wholesome. These fish do not thrive so well in ponds where they are e... Salmon Flies For Fort William
The flies to suit the various waters surrounding Fort William are generally of a medium size and middling gaudy. The engraved ones in my list, for Salmon in general, from No. 2 to 11, will kill well. The list for the season for Trout. No. 1. Li... Salmon Flies For The Ness
No. 1. Body half black and yellow, a jay and purple hackle ribbed with silver, orange head, mallard, peacock wing and jungle cock wings. Hook BB. No. 2. Body black hair, orange tag, ribbed with gold and silver, black hackle, jay at the shoulder... Salmon Rivers
It will be most advantageous to my readers that I should give them some accurate accounts of the various Salmon Rivers, pointing out at the same time the best station on each where sport may be expected with the fly, and to know where to proceed b... Salmon Rivers Of Scotland
We will bid adieu to old Ireland for a season, and its fair city Dublin, "with the blue sky over it," and step into the steam boat at Kingston for Holyhead, seat ourselves in a carriage, and trundle off to bonny Scotland--a country of many waters,... Spring Flies
The following fine large flies will be excellent killers in the Shannon, the Tweed, the Thurso, the Spey, and the Tay, in the spring season. The bodies to be made small, the wings large. No. 1. The body is made of sky blue floss silk, ribbed with ... The Art Of Dyeing Fishing Colours Which Are Pig's Hair Mohair Fur & Hackles Commonly Called Dubbing
The great advantage the fly fisher must derive from a knowledge of dyeing his colours and hackles is obvious. It affords amusement to the enthusiastic fisher to be acquainted with the various shades required for making his flies to suit the rivers... The Art Of Fly-making
To give something that will convey a durable and correct idea of Fly-making, Angling, and Dyeing of Colours to my pupils, is what I aim at, and desire they should understand: for when they are inhaling the fresh breezes on the river's bank, obse... The Dee And Don
These rivers run into the sea at Aberdeen, and are excellent for Salmon and Trout fishing--the Dee for Salmon, and the Don more for Trout, which are most delicious for the table; they cut as pink as Salmon. The white-trout fishing is good here in ... The Findhorn
is another fine Salmon river after heavy rains, which swell it to a prodigious size, as shown by its channel in low water, high ridges of sand and gravel being thrown up on each side of its banks at every flat running ford in its course to the sea... The Hodder
Whitewell is a favourite spot for anglers to meet during the May fly season, it is beautifully situated for scenery and sport; my list of flies will be found excellent killers in this stream for both trout and greyling; there is a comfortable inn ... The Lakes Of Clare
From the town of Killaloe the angler may proceed to the lakes of the County of Clare. You go west to the town of Broadford, eight miles distant, where there are three or four lakes, the furthest off one, Dromore; this town is eighteen miles off, a... The Lakes Of Killarney
From Mallow, on the Blackwater, the angler proceeds to Killarney. It would be as well to go to Lismore, farther down from Mallow, where there is good Salmon fishing to be had; there is a Mr. Foley here (who rents the "weirs" of the Duke of Devonsh... The Materials Necessary For Artificial Fly Making
The necessary articles used for fly making in general are as follows: Those feathers that are of a most gaudy hue are best for the wings of salmon flies, which are golden pheasant feathers, cock of the rock, the crest of the Hymalaya pheasant, the... The River Allan
This is a good stream for trout fishing; it enters the Forth below Stirling, just above the town of Aloa. It has an extraordinary winding course, flowing through a picturesque country, and famed in poetic lore as "Allan's winding stream." ... The River Bann
Portna is considered the best ford for Salmon and Trout fishing on this noble stream. At this place, which is merely an inn, kept by a Mr. Moore, for the accommodation of anglers, the river, which is a large one, falls over ledges of rock, large s... The River Dovey
The Dovey is a nice stream, but runs off very soon, like all others descending from the mountains. The salmon would be, nevertheless, very plentiful in it, as there are many capital large pools for them to haunt, if they were allowed to reach them... The River Esk
The North and South Esk are rivers of Forfar, falling into the sea near Montrose. The North Esk is the best of the two, and affords excellent angling for salmon and sea-trout in August and September. These rivers may be visited by rail from Aberde... The River Lee At Cork
Would be as good a place as any in Ireland "to go to fish," were it not for the "weirs," and foul play in many ways, which is practised all the way up, on the poor salmon; there is some little sport to be had in it in the spring, and after heavy r... The River Severn
The river Severn has its source in Montgomeryshire, takes a long course, passing the towns of Welshpool and Shrewsbury. It is a fine stream, and there could be no better one were it well preserved. There is excellent greyling fishing below Shrewsb... The River Shannon
This is the largest and finest Salmon river in Britain. There is not a river in Norway that can be compared to it for fishing, were it properly used. The angler must proceed to its banks before he can say, conscientiously, that he has ever seen a ... The River Shin
Classic Shin, on whose heath-clad banks and flowing waters the great and good fly fishers roam, who never saw "Kelt of Baggit" there--the haunt of monarchs of the sea, and shepherd swains that watch His flocks, and feed His Dams--the theme of poet... The River Spey
This splendid Salmon river runs through Elginshire, and a nobler one there is not to be found for fishing with the salmon fly, particularly in high water, and in the large pools when the water is low. In summer there is little sport to be had, exc... The River Tay
This beautiful salmon river is the principal one in Perthshire, in its course it expands into Loch Tay, on leaving which it finds itself a channel and becomes rapid for miles; it has a long course, passing the towns of Dunkeld and Perth, and falls... The River Thames
After jumping over old "tower'd" Thames on our way to the south, we now return to him to wind up this little chapter on rivers; there cannot be a better river for the purposes of trolling, spinning, or bait fishing in general, than the Thames, the... The River Thurso
The Thurso, famed for its fresh run salmon throughout the year, is the most northern river in Scotland. The town of Thurso, in Caithness-shire, is the best station, and the route, from Aberdeen to Wick. The salmon flies for Thurso are rather of ... The River Tweed
I will begin with this large and beautiful salmon river, which runs rapidly along the borders of England and Scotland, taking a course from West to East. It flows majestically through a highly picturesque and cultivated country, washing many good ... The Rivers Bush And Bann
From Ballyshannon the angler proceeds to the Enniskillen and Derry railway, where he takes his seat for Coleraine; on arriving at this town he need not expect much fishing, except that he may take a throw at the head of the leap, and take also a v... The Rivers Irvine Girvan And Stincher In Ayrshire
In this westerly quarter may be found excellent Salmon and Trout fishing in the spring and autumn in these beautiful streams, which can be reached from the city of Glasgow every day by rail. The Stincher is the best for salmon, the flies for whi...