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 a plain and sombre cast,
varying in size through the fishing months. The river is remarkably high
and full in the spring, in consequence of the melting of the snow and
the season they are much smaller in size, like Nos. 1, 2, 3, to No. 11,
which are capital ones for it, and the other engravings are likewise
good in low water for the fresh run grilse. Throughout the summer months
the following are also good for this river:--
No. 1. Body black floss silk, orange tag, tip of gold, small topping for
tail, black-red hackle, mallard wings mixed with peacock wing, a topping
over all, and a black head. Hook BB, B.
No. 2. Body claret silk, claret hackle, ribbed with gold, a short
topping tail, with silver tip, mallard wings mixed with tipped feathers,
macaw feelers, and a black head. Hook No. 9, or B. This is an admirable
fly for lake trout, on C hook.
No. 3. Body yellow-brown mohair, red hackle, a short topping for tail,
ribbed with gold, claret hackle round the shoulder, and mixed wings
rather grey, and inclined to be gaudy. No. 9 hook, or BB. C, for lake
trout.
No. 4. A black fly, with yellow head, tail of mohair, black hackle,
ribbed with broad silver, wings black turkey tail with white tip, varied
with brown turkey tail. A fly of each is useful. Hook No. 8 or 9.
No. 5. A green fly, both body and hackle, mixed wings rather gaudy,
ribbed with gold, orange head, topping in tail, varied with a black-red
hackle, and light green silk body ribbed with gold twist. Hook B or BB.
No. 6. A dark brown fly, brown red hackle and body, ribbed with gold
twist, and glede wings, varied with brown spotted turkey tail feather or
mallard, one of each. Hook No. 8 or 9, B for low water.
There is a good deal of guinea hen and teal feathers used in the flies
of these northern rivers, which appears to be an improvement, with
jungle-cock and wood-duck.
There is a river issues out of Loch Naver, a short way from the source
of the Thurso, which falls into the sea in the same direction west of
the town of Thurso; it has a winding course, and would be a very good
river for salmon were it well preserved.
There are numerous rivers running into the firths on the east side of
Sutherland, which produce salmon and fine trout that run up from the
sea:--the Wick and Helmsdale in Caithness, the Brora near Golspie, the
Dornoch into which the river Shin flows, Drummond and Loch Clash,
Dingwall river and lake, and the river Beauley at the head of the Murray
Firth.
Lord Lovat is the owner of this river, and he is very willing to grant
permission to gentlemen to fish on sending in their cards.
More
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Loch Awe And River
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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These rivers are convenient to London, and are famous for fly fishing: they are in general private property, but the owners are very civil in granting one or two days' angling on application and sending your card. There are two or three places on ... The Salmon Fry
These beautiful little fish, the production of the spawn of the salmon, make their appearance in March and April, and if a flood happens to rise or swell the rivers about the end of the latter month, they are taken down in great numbers, till at l... The Trent
is a good river for greyling fishing, near the town of Newark, on the Nottingham and Lincoln Railroad. The flies to suit it are small blue duns, cochybonddus, small black hackles, orange duns, red hackles without wings, wren hackles, small grouse ... The Trout Flies For The Season
I will now give a description of those flies which will be found most killing, as they are imitations of the natural ones that appear in each month, so that the fly-fisher may practice with them to very great advantage. The numbers of each corr... The Wye Monmouth
The Wye, at the town of Monmouth, and up towards Leominster, is an excellent river for salmon; and the Usk, in the same quarter, is also good for salmon and fine trout. The latter river is a very short way from the Wye, and may be conveniently rea... To Dye A Yellow Brown
The Saunders' Wood, brought from the Indies, and sold in powder or ground mixed with sumach is good, it takes long to boil, adding the alum. A Cinnamon Brown or Fiery Brown may be struck on the hackles or colours (pig hair or mohair) by first d... To Dye Black
Boil two good handfuls of log-wood with a little sumach and elder bark for an hour, put in the stuff or hackles (boil very gently), bruise a piece of copperas about the size of two Spanish nuts, put it in with a little argil and soda; take out the... To Dye Blue
Fill your crucible three parts full of soft water, and put it on a slow fire, at the same time put in your blue ingredients, previously prepared, (this is done by dissolving the powdered blue in oil of vitriol and water in a stopper bottle for twe... To Dye Brown
Put into your dye pot about two handfuls of walnut rinds, or as much as it will hold nicely to boil; simmer this slowly over the fire for three or four hours, and add a little water to it as it boils away. When all the juice of the dye is taken ou... To Dye Claret
Boil two handfuls of red-wood, or ground Brazil-wood, for an hour, with a handful of log-wood; then take a table-spoonful of oil of vitriol, and put it into half a tea cup of cold water; and when the dye-pot is a little cold, add it to the liquor,... To Dye Crimson
Boil your hackles or hair in a tea-spoonful of alum, and nearly as much pure tartar, for an hour; bruise two table-spoonfuls of cochineal, and boil them in your clean water; take out the hackles from the alum-water, and put them into the cochineal... To Dye Green Drake Feathers And Fur
Boil your hackles, mohair, or fur, in alum and tartar, a quarter of an ounce of each; rinse them well, and put them into the dye-pot, with an ounce of savory, and as much green-wood as the pot will contain; (it is best to boil off the savory and g... To Dye Greens Of Various Shades
The greatest nicety of all is in finding the exact quantity of ingredients to put in, so as to prevent the dye stuff from injuring the fibres of the hackles, &c.; for the light shades add the smallest quantity, and augment it by degrees. Dye the h... To Dye Lavender Or Slate Dun &c &c
Boil ground logwood with bruised nut galls and a small quantity of copperas, according to judgment: you may have a pigeon dun, lead colour, light, or dark dun. The ingredients must be used in small quantities, according to taste. You may have rave... To Dye Olives And A Mixture Of Colours
Olives are dyed from blue, red, and brown, of every shade, according to fancy. From yellow, blue, and brown, are made olives of all kinds. From brown, blue, and black, brown and green olives are made. From red, yellow, and brown, are produc... To Dye Orange
When orange is desired take a handful of best madder and mix it with a spoonful of cochineal, boil it for an hour or two, add too a little ground red wood which requires more boiling than the madder itself; dye your hackles or stuff yellow first, ... To Dye Purple Or Violet
First dye the hackles or stuffs blue, and lay them to dry; then, fill the dye-pot more than half with soft water, and in the other pot prepare the tartar and alum, dip your hackles into this for a little while, and lay them on the table till you p... To Dye Red
Prepare your dye pot by nearly filling it with soft water; and keep it at a scalding heat when the dye stuff is put in, as it must not boil, if it is allowed to boil it becomes dull in colour; put into the dye pot a handful of finest grape madder,... To Dye Scarlet
Boil your hackles, &c., in a little crystal of tartar; procure two table-spoonfuls of cochineal, bruise them a little, and boil them gently over the fire for an hour or two; take the hackles you have just boiled in the tartar, and put them into th... To Dye Yellow
I will begin with yellow, the most useful colour in general for the gentle craft. Put your crucible on a slow fire nearly full of water, or say half full, for the first trial. Take a tea cup, and into it put a table-spoonful of the best turmeric, ... To Make The Palmer Or Double-hackle Fly
You tie on the hook firmly as before, and prepare two hackles for the fly, as you may see in the plate of Feathers, two hackles tied together at the roots, which keeps them on their sides evenly while rolling them on; you hold the hook by the shan... To Make The Trout Fly In The Best And Most Approved Method
The reader will lay out his materials before him on the table, which consist of hook, gut, wings, hackle, feather for tail, body of fur, floss silk, or peacock harl, silk to rib it, wax, tying silk, &c., all things now ready, proceed as follows:... To Make The Winged Larva
Tie on the hook and gut as before (say a hook about No. 8) and form a brown body of mohair on it, wing the fly with a portion of hen pheasant tail feather and woodcock wing; having the yellow brown body formed on the hook, and the wings ready to t...