FLIES FOR MAY. 119 or mottled mallard's feather. Dress it large, and the fly will kill well in the Thames. There are evening and night flies which come into use towards the latter end of May, and last during the whole of the summer. They are imitations of those large moths that are seen towards nightfall flitting about the meadows in warm weather. The dark coloured should be used. early in the evening, those of a lighter colour after sunset, and those that are white after that. No. 51. The mealy brown moth.— Body, any soft brown fur, as of the hare, brown hog's down, bear's fur, and the nearer the shade is to tan the better; upper wings, the dappled feather of a mallard dyed brown; under wings, the soft feather of a brown owl; legs, a brown cock's hackle, wrapped four or five times behind the wings. Hook, No. 5, 6, and 7. No. 52. The mealy-cream moth.-Body, any soft fur of a cream colour; upper wings, the cream-coloured feather of the grey owl; under wings, a softer and lighter feather of the same bird; legs, a soft ginger hackle. Hooks the same size as before. No. 53. The mealy-white moth.—Body, white rabbit's fur, or white ostrich harl, dressed full, and exhibiting a brown head; wings, any soft mealywhite feather; legs, a white cock's hackle, wrapped round twice under the wings. Hooks as before. 120 FLIES FOR MAY. No. 54. The coachman. - Body, peacock's harl, full and short; wings, fibres of any small white feather; legs, a turn or two of a red hackle. Hook, No. 6, 7, 8 and 9. This fly kills only of evenings and in the rivers of the south, and in those within forty miles of the metropolis. Trout, chub, and large dace take it freely. Mr. Blaine goes farther, and says, "Throughout the summer months, as an early evening-fly, and until twilight, it proves most valuable in the midland counties, and the bordering ones within eighty miles of London. On the Colne, and throughout its course; in the Hampshire, Dorsetshire, and Devonshire waters, where we have been for many years in the habit of using it, in our opinion there is no fly at all to equal it." If moth flies are properly used, they will take the largest fish. A young angler should have but one at a time, on his casting-line, which should be of stout gut, not longer than two yards. He should keep his fly on the surface of the water, and must judge of a rise more by hearing and feeling, than by sight. He must strike promptly and play his fish with a tight hand. No. 55. The May-fly, or green drake. — This famous fly is the opprobrium of fly-makers. Try how they will, they cannot in my opinion imitate it well. The wings are their greatest foil. In making the body they succeed tolerably well. FLIES FOR MAY. 121 Still the best imitation is defective, and, except upon certain occasions, the artificial May-fly is not a deadly bait. The natural fly used in dibbing far surpasses it. However, the imitation, faulty as it is, will kill when the natural fly is scarce on the water, as in cold, dark, windy days. The artificial fly kills in currents and pools that are moved to small waves and billows by a bluff west or south wind. The general feather used for the wings of this fly is a dappled one found by the sides under the wings of the mallard, and dyed a pale greenyellow colour. To hit the true colour is the great difficulty. To get over it I know not how. I must be content to cite the best authorities. First, I will take Mr. Blacker, a capital judge of colours, who dyes his feathers yellow according to the following recipe:-Boil two or three handfuls of yellow wood one hour in a quart of soft water; wash the mallard hackles in soap and hot water; then boil them a short time, with a large spoonful of alum and tartar, in a little pipkin, with a pint of water; take them out and immerse them in your yellow decoction, and simmer them slowly for an hour or two. The shorter the simmering, the paler the yellow of the feathers; take them out and wash them in clear hard water. When there is occasion for dyeing yellow-green, add a little blue, more or less, according to the shade of green you wish to give 122 FLIES FOR MAY. to the yellow. Mr. Ronalds recommends another way for dyeing mallard's feathers for the May-fly's wings. He tells us to make a mordant by dissolving about a quarter of an ounce of alum in a pint of water, and then to slightly boil the feathers in it to get the grease out of them, after which to boil them in an infusion of fustick to procure a yellow, and then to subdue the brightness of the yellow by adding a little copperas to the infusion. Having now the wing-feathers dyed, I'll tell you how to make the fly. Body, bright yellow mohair, or floss silk, ribbed slightly with light bronze peacock's harl; wings, mottled feather of the mallard dyed a pale yellow-green. They are to stand nearly erect, and to be slightly divided. Legs, a couple of turns of a red ginger hackle; tail, three hairs from the rabbit's whisker. Hook, No. 5, 6 and 7. Another way: - Body, yellowgreen mohair; wings, mallard's feather dyed yellow -a black head; legs, yellowish hackle; tail, three hairs from a black bear. A third way (BLACKER'S):- Body, yellow silk, ribbed with brown silk, and a narrow strip of fine transparent goldbeater's skin wound over all, through which the yellow and brown ribbed body will appear naturally; wings, as before; legs, a yellow, grizzled dun hackle; tail as before. During the season of the May-fly, should the weather be gloomy, with a strong, warm wind, I FLIES FOR MAY. 123 would angle with three flies of different sizes, and having the wings of colours slightly differing, and one made buzz without erect wings, because doing so would afford me three different chances of success. No. 56. The grey drake is said to be a metamorphosis of the green drake, or female changed to a male. This fly is seldom a good angling one, and never kills well except towards evening. Dress it thus:- Body, exactly like that of Blacker's last green drake, but the wings are to be made of the light grey mallard feather not dyed. Hook, 7 and 8. During the prevalence of the May-fly, trout fatten and grow into condition. They are never so before that fly appears, and when it has disappeared they remain in good condition until the spawning season. When fish have gorged themselves with this fly and leave off feeding, towards the evening they will be tempted by flies of very different sizes and colours. The best are, for mild weather, little dun hackles of every shade, the grouse and wren hackle, house-fly, and at dusk a moth-fly. Should you want trout very badly during the drake season, try a minnow morning and evening, and your wants will be soon supplied. |