HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS

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Deborah Stone
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1 HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS By ROBERT S. LEMMON DIAGRAMS BY THE AUTHOR An Interesting Job for Fishermen Who Like to Keep Busy During the Winter Months SCRAP of red flannel, cut from the ever - useful shirt of the real woodsman, tied with thread to the shank of a bare hook, and twitched through the swirl of a North Country river the artificial fly in its simplest, most comprehensible form. Crude though the device is, the man who prepares it is gaining his first experience in the art of fly-tying. If he persists and learns to make the regular winged, hackled, and tailed artificials with which his book was stocked when his trip to that faraway river began, a new recreation will be discovered to which he will often turn with pleasure in its practise. Curiously enough, there seems to be a generally prevalent feeling, even among fishermen of long experience, that the man who ties all his own flies must possess some peculiar artistic aptitude must be, withal, a wizard of the woods and waters. True, the making of those dry flies which call for an exact matching of the natural insect in form, colors, and size demands considerable experience and delicacy of touch, but the majority of flies of the majority of fishermen do not come in that class. It is the wet fly and the ordinary dry fly in which most of us are chiefly interested, and in their tying there is nothing which any man, woman, or child with two good hands, one pair of serviceable eyes, and an ordinary stock of patience need find difficulty in mastering. It is fascinating work, useful work; and there is more than a little joy of retrospect and prospect in [302] the long winter evenings spent in capturing many an imaginary trout or bass while you dress the flies with which you plan to effect their undoing FEATHERS: Large flight feathers from both right and left wings of crow mallard, or black duck, white domestic duck, starling, and blue heron or blue pigeon. Barred side feathers of mallard drake and woodduck, and the silvery, pearl gray under wing-coverts of mallard or black duck. Mottled gray and brown turkey, either the upper tail-coverts or the long feathers of the tail itself. Mottled brown and buff feathers from the backs of quail, woodcock, or ruffed grouse. Rooster hackles of all obtainable sizes and colors, especially brown, gray, and black. Scotch grouse hackles" of several sizes. Dyed yellow and red wing feathers, with a few hackles dyed the same colors. If obtainable, a number of the large feathers of the scarlet ibis. Golden pheasant tippet feathers. A bunch of peacock berl the long strands of fuzzy green that adorn the midribs of the tail feathers. Many of these feathers can be obtained at any large poultry and game market, while others are for sale at certain of the important tackle stores in the large cities. Keep on the watch and you will be surprised to find how quickly you will collect a good assortment of feathers. The brightly colored ones can best be secured by taking white feathers and treating them with dyes. Duck wing feathers, and indeed those from almost all wild flying birds, are of better texture than those from domestic chickens. The

2 HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS 303 hackles, of course, must always be obtained from fowls, and in making a selection choose those which are most springy, glossy, and short-fibered. SILKS: Embroidery floss silks of white, black, and many shades of red, yellow, orange, and green. One spool each of standard sewing silks in black, light brown, and white. DUBBING AND FURS: Very useful for making bodies. The dubbing is of and is obtainable in various colors at large tackle stores. Gray mohair is the most useful of the furs, and a very HOOKS: If you prefer flies in which the snell is tied directly on the hook so that it is integrally a part of the fly, then get tapered shank sproat and sneck hooks and whip on the snells as shown in the illustration. But if you take my advice, you will use the turned-up or turneddown-eyed hooks which are daily becoming more popular, and knot on the snell after the fly is finished. This has many advantages, both in making the fly and in fishing with it. The best patterns of eyed hooks are the sproat, sneck, and long-shanked Kirby-Kendall. For THE IMPLEMENTS NEEDED FOR TYING THE WET FLY good substitute for it is the short undercoat of the ordinary cotton-tail rabbit. The under fur of muskrat, mink, etc., should also be secured whenever possible. MISCELLANEOUS: Several spools of gold and silver tinsel, varying in width from the very fine up to about 1/32 of an inch. Rafia, the plant fiber which gardeners use in tying up vines, etc., is an excellent body material, giving a dull, satiny finish that imitates very closely the natural insect of many kinds. It is tough and takes dyes readily. Wool yarn, such as is used in knitting, in scarlet, yellow, orange, etc. A lump of white wax will also be needed, and a small bottle or can of white shellac. IMPLEMENTS : Fine-pointed scissors, spring pliers (from a tackle store), small jeweler's vise, and a little stiletto made by inserting the head of a needle in a bit of wood. The pliers are to be hung on tying silk, hackles, etc., so that they will stay in place and leave both your hands tree for other tasks. most stream-fishing for trout get No. 10 hooks, with a few No. 8 and some No. 12. In the last size the sneck is best, while for long-bodied patterns, such as May-flies, the Kirby-Kendall is a favorite. For black bass and the big trout of Maine and Canada, numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8 sproat hooks will meet most requirements. KEEPING MATERIALS: Unless you stock up heavily with fly-making paraphernalia, a covered wooden box about 12x8x4 inches will be large enough for most of your materials at first. In this the various materials may be kept in separate envelopes, clearly labeled. As the stock increases from time to time other provision can be made for it, and the small box will continue to serve as a working basis. Be sure to have all principal containers as airtight as possible, for the fly-tier's collection is a prime hunting-ground for predatory moths. One of the best flies for trout or bass is that old standby, the red-tag brown

304 OUTING tackle. It is also one of the simplest, and yet it embodies a number of fundamental principles which must be mastered before more complicated patterns are attempted.

3 304 OUTING tackle. It is also one of the simplest, and yet it embodies a number of fundamental principles which must be mastered before more complicated patterns are attempted. Tie it as follows, on a large hook for the sake of greater ease in manipulation: Set up the vise on the edge of a table of convenient height, and firmly clamp a hook in its jaws, shank to the right, as leaving the others pointing free to the left. Carry the winding silk spirally up the shank of the hook to within ¼ inch of the end and let the pliers hold it in place there. We are now ready to commence the winding of the body. Gather the strands of peacock berl together between thumb and finger of the right hand and, taking STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF TYING THE BROWN HACKLE shown in the illustration. Break off about eighteen inches of the black sewing silk (this will be referred to hereafter as tying silk) and wax it thoroughly. Lay one end along the shank of the hook, pointing toward the bend, and hold it there with the left hand while you wind over it firmly six or eight times with the long end, working down the shank to within about 1 / 8 inch of where the tail of the completed fly is to be. Hold the long end of the tying silk under tension until you snap the pliers on and let them hang, their weight keeping all snug. Cut off half an inch of scarlet yarn to use as a tail, and arrange four strands of peacock berl with their heavier ends evenly together. Now lay the bit of yarn along the back of the hook, securing it firmly with a few turns of the tying silk and allowing about ¼ inch to project as a tail. Attach the little bunch of peacock berl in a similar manner, winding down only about ¼ inch of their heavier ends and care not to interfere with the free end of the tail, wind them up the shank to the last lap of tying silk, keeping them under a steady, even tension and making each lap snugly against its predecessor. Stop winding when about ¼ inch from the end of the shank, and while you hold the berl under tension with the right hand, securely fasten it there with three or four turns of tying silk held in the left. Let the pliers hold the silk as before, and snip off the surplus ends of berl closely. The next step is to wind on the hackle so that its fibers will stand out in the approved manner. Select a dark brown hackle of good length, and, holding it by the extreme tip, stroke and rub the fibers backward "against the grain" until they stand out at right angles to the midrib. Strip off all fibers for ¾ inch from the butt of the hackle. Now place the hackle along the hook, tip to the right and projecting slightly beyond the end of the shank. Wind down the tip firmly with

4 HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS 305 the tying silk as far the "shoulder," or point where the peacock body ends. Carry the silk back to the end of the shank with a few turns and hang on the pliers. With the hackle now fastened securely by its tip, take the butt between thumb and finger and wind it on the hook precisely as you did with the peacock berl, letting the successive laps made by the midrib lie snugly against each other. Half a dozen laps of a fairly full-fibered hackle will make sufficiently numerous "legs" for the fly; then catch down the midrib with several tight laps of the tying silk, finish off with the invisible knot shown in the illustration, and snip off the surplus midrib and tying silk closely. The final step is to apply a drop of shellac to the "head" made by the finishing laps of silk, and if the hook is of the ordinary snelled type be careful lest any of the shellac encroach upon the gut and render it brittle. There are several points about this hackling of a fly which are apt to give a little trouble at first. Chief among these is to get all the fibers to stand out as they should there is a strong tendency for many of them to be caught under succeeding laps of the midrib, thus making an awkward, bungling fly. Guard against this by stroking each layer of fibers down toward the bend of the hook and holding them there with the left hand while you take the next lap with the right. Here the vise will be fully appreciated, for it holds the hook beyond possibility of slipping and leaves both your hands free to manipulate the feather. If, in spite of these precautions, some of the hackle fibers are wound under, pick them out with the needlestiletto. Another difficulty the beginner is apt to encounter is in making the hackling thick and bushy enough before the winding is terminated by the end of the hook shank. This is usually caused by not keeping the laps close enough together, or else not allowing sufficient room for the hackle when finishing off the body. Remember always that you must leave space not only for the hackle winding, but also for fastening securely with the tying silk after the hackling is completed. As you acquire proficiency, you will find that the ¼-inch space advised between the end of the body and the end of the shank can be decidedly decreased, Still another thing to remember is to wind on the hackle in the same direction as the body was wound. This principle applies to all windings, whether of tying silk, body material, tinsel, or hackle. The reason for it is plain enough: every successive winding in the proper direction tends to bind still more firmly those preceding. If any given winding is made in the reverse direction, the tendency is to loosen the others. The vast majority of artificial flies used in trout, bass, and salmon fishing have wings attached in one of two ways: "laid on," or "reversed." Inasmuch as the former is the simpler method, and HOW TO TIE WINGED FLIES, THE MORE ADVANCED STAGE OF THE ART

5 306 OUTING quite satisfactory for nearly all flies, let us consider it first. Take as an example the well-known Professor: red tail, yellow silk body ribbed with gold tinsel, brown hackle, and gray mallard wings. Place the hook in the vise and wind on the tying silk as before. In place of the red wool tail of the Brown Hackle, attach a narrow strip cut from the web of one of the scarlet dyed or red ibis feathers. Also secure a piece of yellow embroidery silk, unraveled and fluffed out, and about four inches long. Include with it a strip of narrow gold tinsel of the same length. Both of these should be fastened to the hook in the same manner as was the peacock berl of the Brown Hackle, with their free ends pointing to the left. Now firmly wind on the yellow silk to form the body of the fly, fastening at the shoulder with the waxed tying silk. Wind the tinsel over this to make the ribbing, allowing five or six laps between tail and shoulder. Fasten with three laps of tying silk, and put on a hackle as in the first fly described, but leave a little more space for the head. Now come the wings. Take one of the broad, soft, gray-and-white barred flank feathers of a mallard drake, and cut from each side of it a strip of fibers about 3 / 8 inch wide and slightly longer than the wing of the finished fly. Lay one on the other so that they match evenly, with their inner surfaces together. Take them between thumb and finger of the left hand, and holding them firmly in such a way that only their butts project, moisten the latter with the lips. Now pinch these butts together with the finger-tips of the right hand, meanwhile holding the rest of the wing quite tightly so that the effect of the pinching will not extend beyond the butts. This is to make a compact end which can be readily secured to the hook. Without changing the grip of the left hand, place the wings in position on the back of the hook, and wind them down solidly with six or eight laps of the tying silk, finishing off with the invisible knot and clipping closely all surplus ends of silk and feather. Shellac the head, and the fly is finished. This method of making wings two strips cut from opposite sides of a feather (or from feathers on opposite sides of the bird) and laid back to back is the regular one for flies tied for wet-fly fishing. The "reversed" wing fly is identical with the one just described except that the wing is first tied pointing away from the bend of the hook, and then doubled back and tied again. This double tying results in increased durability, but is hardly necessary except for the very heaviest kind of fishing. And even for that, and at the risk of arousing criticism, I contend that a properly "laid on" wing will outlast the body and hackle of any fly. Flies with Dubbing and Mohair Bodies As already stated, mohair and dubbing are highly desirable body materials. The latter is to be had in a wide variety of colors, suitable for a great many different flies. The mouse-colored or gray mohair (or the under fur of the rabbit) is the body material used in the wellknown Cahill, Whirling Dun, and Hare's Ear patterns. The best way to use these materials is to lay a thin layer along a piece of thoroughly waxed tying silk, with the fibers at right angles to the silk and projecting evenly on either side. Then double the silk and twist the two parts together, thus holding the mohair between them. Spin the silk tight, and the result will be a strip of mohair with a silk core, which can be wound into a body in exactly the same manner as if it were berl, embroidery silk, or a piece of rafia. STANDARD PATTERNS: There are hundreds probably thousands of patterns of artificial flies, but for present purposes I am going to confine myself to a few of the most uniformly successful. The list will serve as a good foundation stock for any flybook; in my own wet-fly fishing I seldom use others than those here described, but that does not mean that I expect other fishermen to accept the list as a sine qua non. Each pattern, especially those for ordinary trout fishing, should be tied on at least two or three different sizes of hook.

HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS 307 Regular Trout Black Bass and Large Trout Cahill: Wings, brown barred woodduck; legs, brown hackle; body, mouse-colored mohair; tail, barred woodduck.

6 HOW TO TIE THE WET FLY FOR TROUT AND BASS 307 Regular Trout Black Bass and Large Trout Cahill: Wings, brown barred woodduck; legs, brown hackle; body, mouse-colored mohair; tail, barred woodduck. Coachman: Wings, white duck; legs, brown hackle; body, peacock berl. Lead-wing Coachman: Wings, dark steelgray feather from wing of black duck or mallard; legs, brown hackle; body, peacock berl. Brown Hen: Wings, mottled brown turkey; legs, brown hackle; body, peacock berl. March Brown: Wings, Scotch grouse (light mottled brown turkey makes a fairly good substitute for the grouse) ; legs, grouse hackle; body, light brown wool or mohair, ribbed with narrow gold tinsel; tail, three strands of brown barred mallard. Whirling Dun: Wings, starling; legs, brown hackle; body, gray mohair; tail, starling. Hare's Ear: Wings, starling; body, mousecolored mohair picked out at shoulder to represent legs; tail, starling. Pale Evening Dun: Wings, starling; legs, light brown hackle; body, very light gray silk ribbed with silver tinsel; tail, starling. Queen of the Water: Wings, gray barred mallard; legs, brown hackle wound whole length of the body (in making this, tie in tip of hackle at tail of fly before winding the body, then wind hackle over body as if it were tinsel ribbing) ; body, yellow floss silk; tail, gray-barred mallard. Professor: Wings, gray barred mallard; legs, brown hackle; body, yellow silk floss ribbed with gold tinsel; tail, red ibis. Brown Hackle: Legs, brown hackle; body, peacock berl. Gray Hackle: Legs, gray hackle; body, peacock berl. Beaverkill: Wings, starling; legs, brown hackle wound the whole length of the body; body, white silk floss. Cowdung: Wings, lead-color or starling; legs, brown hackle; body, greenish orange dubbing. Parmacheene Belle: Wings, mixed red and white; legs, red and white hackle (use two hackles, winding on a white one first, then a red one over it) ; body, yellow dubbing ribbed with gold tinsel; tail, red and white. Brown Hackle (red tag): Same as fly described in directions. Gray Hackle: Described under regular trout. A red wool tail may be used to advantage. Gray Hackle (silver body): An exceptionally successful fly. Legs, gray hackle wound the whole length of body; body, silver tinsel; tail, red wool. Silver Doctor: Wings, mixed red, yellow, brown turkey and golden pheasant tippet; legs, guinea-fowl and blue hackle mixed; body, silver tinsel; tail, red, yellow, and brown mixed, Professor: Described under regular trout patterns. Grizzly King: Wings, gray-barred mallard; legs, gray hackle; body, bright green silk ribbed with gold tinsel; tail, red ibis. Silver and Gray: Wings, gray mallard; legs, gray hackle; body, silver tinsel; tail, gray mallard. Silver and Black: Wings, crow; legs, black hackle; body, silver tinsel; tail, crow. Silver and White: Wings, white duck; legs, very light gray hackle; body, silver tinsel. Gold and Brown: Wings, mottled brown turkey; legs, orange-dyed hackle; body, gold tinsel; tail, brown hackle. The last four patterns have not, so far as I know, received any regular names. They were evolved, I think, by Mr. Samuel G. Camp, and described by him in an article published several years ago. Possibly I am giving the wrong gentleman credit I'm not sure. But there is no doubt about their being good flies, especially the Silver and Gray. Following this article in an early issue Mr. Lemmon will give directions for tying the dry fly.

Butcher (full dress fishing fly)

Butcher (full dress fishing fly) On the final day on a early November trip last year we decided to fish one last run before calling it quits. As I was getting out of the truck I noticed a full dress Butcher