Read Ebook: Brook and river trouting A manual of modern north country methods with coloured illustrations of flies and fly-dressing materials by Edmonds Harfield H Lee Norman N

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Ebook has 858 lines and 29872 words, and 18 pages

PAGE.

PREFACE 5

INDEX 103

FRONTISPIECE: The Wharfe near Burnsall

Snipe's Wing, Inner side 8

Snipe's Wing, Outer side 8

Shades of Silk 10

Drawings of Natural Flies 12

Flies with Dressing Materials 16 et seq.

A Typical Stretch 30

Headwaters of the Aire 46

Broken Water 60

The Head of the Dale 76

A Brook in Spring 96

PREFACE

When the writers began to take a practical interest in trout fly dressing, they experienced great difficulty in determining the correct feathers for the various patterns, as the older books on the subject of North Country flies are vague in the extreme. The few more modern writers on wet flies, for want of precision, have done little to help the beginner to a proper appreciation of his materials. It was therefore felt that a book, which not only prescribed the exact part of a bird from which the correct feathers should be taken, but illustrated such feathers and other materials , in colour, would be a help, at least to beginners in the craft, and not merely an encumbrance on angling literature.

Having conceded the difficulties of the novice wishing to dress his own flies, the question of the number of patterns necessary for fishing the Rivers of the North Country naturally came next for consideration. As the tendency during recent years has been to increase the number out of all reason and beyond practical bounds, to the great bewilderment of the beginner and the occasional fisherman, a list of flies has been drawn up which, while it contains few patterns as compared with many other lists, is yet wide enough to provide for varying conditions the season through. The flies are for the most part old friends, but for the above reasons it is hoped they will not be unwelcome.

The original scheme of this work was limited by the foregoing considerations. But when the book had been mapped out in a general form it became evident that a description of the methods employed in fishing North Country streams with success would not only give point to what the writers had to say on flies, but might be of interest to the majority of North Country fishermen. It was therefore decided to enlarge the scope of the work. The chapters on the various methods of fishing the Rivers of the Northern Counties are the outcome of practical experience, and as such it is hoped they will be both useful and interesting.

The authors desire to express their indebtedness to Mrs. A. R. Gurney, Mr. L. A. Edmonds, and Mr. F. Creedy for the photographs from which several of the river scenes have been reproduced.

H. H. E. N. N. L.

FLIES.

While it is the endeavour of this work to bring the range of trout flies within reasonable and practical limits and to describe no other than sound practical dressings, there is no desire to limit experiment either in patterns or numbers. In fact to do so would take away one of the pleasantest features of the pastime and rob many a winter's evening of its delight. All those who take an interest in fly dressing should work from Nature wherever possible, for flies frequently differ in no small degree in different localities; and there is a great deal of enjoyment to be obtained in dressing a fly with the natural insect before one, and afterwards killing trout on the resulting work of one's hands.

The writers prefer to dress their flies to gut, 4x being the most suitable grade; but good hair, if it can be obtained, will be found delightful to fish with, as a cast made from it falls so very lightly on the water; and, even when the hair has become thoroughly soaked, the droppers, unlike those tied to gut, have no tendency to twist round the cast, but stand well out from it.

The most satisfactory tying silk is Pearsall's "Gossamer," which is standardized in shades. A shade card is illustrated and the numbers appearing after the various silks mentioned in the text correspond with the numbers above the various shades illustrated.

In dressing the flies the silk is in all cases waxed with transparent wax; and, where it is stated that such and such a silk is to be well waxed, the result should be a shade or two darker than an ordinary waxing would give.

In the dressings of most of the winged flies it is laid down that either the outer side or the inner side of the quill feather used should in the finished article appear as the "under side" of the wing of the artificial. The reader will easily understand which is the "under side" of the wing of the artificial if he remembers that it is that side of the wing which would touch the water if the fly were "spent" and floating thereon.

Although the primary quill feathers are almost exclusively recommended for the wings of most of the winged patterns, the secondaries will often do equally well.

The correct shade of dubbing for the bodies of flies, where coloured dubbing is specified, can often be obtained to most advantage by a mixture of two or more shades. For instance, the dubbing for the Winter Brown is a mixture of brown and maroon wool, while the dubbing for the Green Insect is a mixture of green and yellow wool.

The silks forming the heads of the various flies are of the same shade as the respective silks used for the bodies unless otherwise stated; and it should be borne in mind that the flies, particularly the hackle patterns, must be dressed lightly, if one of the most distinctive features of the North Country patterns is to be preserved. In copying from Nature let the imitation err on the small side if anything.

No attempt has been made to reproduce in the coloured plates either gold or silver wire or tinsel.

When the river is "coloured," flies dressed a size larger than those employed under normal conditions can be used with advantage.

Although the seasons for the various flies are given, they are approximate only, as districts frequently vary one from another, and the lateness or otherwise of a season naturally has an effect on the hatch, just as it has on the roses in gardens. Often the March Brown can be seen in the latter part of May, and sometimes a particular fly, for no apparent reason, will remain on the water for a longer time than usual. The necessity of careful observation cannot therefore be too strongly impressed, as observation will teach far more than all the books that were ever written.

The form of wing specified for the Spinners is recommended to the attention of the reader, as being a most practical form of wing for any winged pattern, wet or dry, where transparency is the primary object. To the writers it seems an improvement on the hackle points now so popular for many flies, as it is free from the objectionable and comparatively thick midrib of the latter and it is a harder wearing dressing than the older form. The development to which such newer form of wing lends itself for other patterns than the Spinners mentioned in the list at pages 24, 26 and 30 may be noted, and the field which is open for experiment will be evident to the reader.

Under the name of each fly, in giving its dressing, the name of the order or family to which the natural insect as represented by the artificial belongs will be found, and opposite page 12 reproductions of typical examples of each of the orders or families of natural insects mentioned will be found, with the exception of the Ant and Green Insect. The latter are so well known as to need no illustration. The beginner will therefore have an idea of the fly he is copying and perhaps be able to identify it at the stream side. It must not be forgotten however that certain patterns represent more than one species of fly.

It has been the good fortune of the writers to fish on many waters; and while the Winter Brown has often given them the first thrill of the season, and the Green Insect accounted for fish when September gusts have strewn the river with leaves and green fly, they hope they have not grown dogmatic in their views and opinions on matters piscatorial. Nevertheless they are inclined to think that, the closer they keep in shade and colour in their patterns to the natural flies, the greater has been their success; for, although they can recall occasions on which the fish would rise at almost anything, such occasions have been few and far apart; while the times when the trout would only look at a particular fly of a particular shade have been by far the more frequent in their experience. Why deny fish the power to appreciate variations of shade when they live in a world of colours, and are clothed in such a beautiful and vari-coloured mail? If trout can appreciate tones of colour, how different a fly must appear to them in different lights and with different backgrounds. Such natural variations of surrounding light and landscape may have a larger effect on "the bag" than many think.

For easy reference two tables of flies are given. One, in which are set down the flies in the order in which they may generally be fished through the season, with the approximate times of their use, and the other, with the flies tabled under the various trout fishing months.

MARCH.

Winter Brown. Waterhen Bloa. Greenwell's Glory. Spring Black. Dark Snipe. Orange Partridge. Broughton's Point.

APRIL.

Winter Brown. Waterhen Bloa. Greenwell's Glory. Spring Black. Dark Snipe. Orange Partridge. Broughton's Point. March Brown. Light Snipe. Dark Needle. Brown Owl. Olive Bloa. Dark Watchet.

MAY.

Greenwell's Glory. Orange Partridge. March Brown. Light Snipe. Dark Needle. Brown Owl. Olive Bloa. Dark Watchet. Yellow Partridge. Light Needle. Yellow-Legged Bloa. Dotterel. Poult Bloa. Gravel Bed. Stone Midge. Knotted Midge. Black Gnat.

JUNE.

Dark Needle. Brown Owl. Dark Watchet. Yellow Partridge. Light Needle. Yellow-Legged Bloa. Dotterel. Poult Bloa. Gravel Bed. Stone Midge. Knotted Midge. Black Gnat. Ginger Spinner . Dark Sedge. Light Sedge.

JULY.

Light Needle. Dotterel. Poult Bloa. Knotted Midge. Black Gnat. Ginger Spinner . Dark Sedge. Light Sedge. Red Spinner . July Dun. Rough-Bodied Poult. Pale Watery Dun. Light Silverhorns. Dark Silverhorns. August Dun.

AUGUST.

Dotterel. Black Gnat. Ginger Spinner . Dark Sedge. Light Sedge. Red Spinner . July Dun. Rough-bodied Poult. Pale Watery Dun. Light Silverhorns. Dark Silverhorns. August Dun. Ant. Green Insect.

SEPTEMBER.

Waterhen Bloa. Greenwell's Glory. Dark Snipe. Light Snipe. Dark Needle. Dotterel. Dark Sedge. Light Sedge. Red Spinner . Rough-bodied Poult. Pale Watery Dun. August Dun. Ant. Green Insect.

DRESSINGS.

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