ilifornia ional lity - - THE NORTHERN ANGLES; OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. BY JOHN KIRKBRIDE. Carlisle: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY C. THURNAM. LONDON : EDWARDS, AYE MARIA LANE ; TILT, FLEET STREET. MDCCCXXXVII. TO PHILIP HENRY HOWARD ESQUIRE, M.P., THIS VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, AS A TESTIMONY OF GRATITUDE, BY HIS VERY HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. PAGE. INTRODUCTION, ix Fly- Fishing, 1 Fly-Making, 10 Description of Flies, 19 Great Whirling Dun, 19 Blue Dun, 20 March Brown, 21 March-Brown Spider, 22 Smaller Brown Fly, 23 The Royal Charlie, ib. The Grouse Hackle, ib. Pheasant Fly, 24 Teal-Drake Fly, ib. Bunting Fly, 25 Speckled Dun, ib. Hare's Ear, 26 Dotterel Fly, 27 Spider, or Gravel Fly 4 28 Starling Hackle, ib. Sandpiper Hackle 29 Cow-Dung Fly, ib. Golden-Plover Fly, 30 Grannam Fly, or Green-Tail, ib. Water-Hen Hackle, 31 Vlll CONTENTS. Wasp Fly, 59 Light-Mallard Fly, ib. SirH.Davy'sLakeFly, 60 Land-Rail Fly, 61 Waterloo Fly, ib. Salmon-Fishing, 62 Salmon Flies, 67 Grilse, Sea-Trout, and Whitling Flies, ... 77 Curing Salmon Roe, 82 Roe- Fishing, 86 Minnow- Fishing, 90 Water- Cricket, or Creeper- Fishing, ... 96 On the Salmo salar, 101 Appendix, 113 Abstract of an Act, 116 INTRODUCTION. IT is fit, gentle reader, that I should advise thee to study the Art of Angling, not merely because it is regarded as an elegant and inno- cent amusement, but rather as it tends to pro- mote the health of its votaries, by tempting them to take salutary exercise in the open air, at a season, too, when nature is most lovely when " the etherial mildness " seems to glad- den almost every living creature. " Now gentle gales, Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole Those balmy spoils." How soon do the wan cheeks of the vale- tudinarian assume a healthy bloom when he is induced to snuff the morning air, perfumed by the sweets of spring, and follow the meanders of some delightful mountain stream ! X INTRODUCTION. Angling, too, not only requires the gentle exercise of the body, but it also agreeably engages the mind, and tends more to prevent ennui than almost any other amusement ; for the attention of the angler is constantly fixed on his favourite pursuit ; every time he throws in his flies, he hopes to capture "the monarch of the brook," and, on hooking him, he experiences a pleasing anxiety, which it is quite impossible to describe. Or fancy him mending his tackle, or arranging his flies, on some sloping bank, where grows the wild thyme, or the cowslip, or the primrose, while sportive zephyr gambols on the silvery stream, and " the birds their quire apply," and you cannot but consider him a happy being ! The balmy air, the verdure of the smiling meadows, the murmur of the " crisped brook," the azure sky, streaked by light vapours, and illumined by the magic splen- INTRODUCTION. XI dour of the glorious sun, all unite their elo- quence to inspire the honest angler with rapturous emotions. Deeply penetrated by tender, pure, and sublime feelings, he can exclaim, from the sincerity of his heart How beautiful is the order of nature ! How great the beneficence of providence ! " The whole and every part proclaims His infinite good will ; It shines in stars, and flows in streams, And bursts from every hill. We view it o'er the spreading plain, And heavens that spread more wide ; It falls in gentle showers of rain, And rolls in every tide." The angler, indeed, is everywhere en- chanted by the grandeur and beauty of nature. Beautiful are the soft characters of English scenery, and they fail not to lure his heart ; but judge of the feelings which he experiences upon his catching a glimpse of the lofty moun- tains of Morven and Lochnagar, where every Xll INTRODUCTION. thing is grand and impressive where the stillness of the scene is interrupted only by the cry of some wild bird, or the sound of the brawling stream. To those, then, who delight in studying the great book of nature, this pleasing art cannot but be highly interesting ; and I might almost venture to recommend it to the atten- tion of the student of natural history, since it would afford him frequent opportunities of examining the habitudes of various birds, insects and fishes, and would thus enable him to become acquainted with their true natural historical properties. To this highly poeti- cal amusement, Audubon, that justly cele- brated naturalist, and other eminent philo- sophers of the present day, appear to be enthusiastically devoted. Yes, that distin- guished individual is an angler, who, in America, " amid the tall grass of the far- INTRODUCTION. Xlll extended prairies of the west, in the silent forests of the north, on the heights of the midland mountains, by the shores of the boundless ocean, and on the bosom of the vast lakes and magnificent rivers, hath sought to search out the things which have been hidden since the creation of this wondrous world, or seen only by the naked Indian, who has for unknown ages dwelt in the gorgeous but melancholy wilderness." But I need not tell the reader that the learned and the brave that statesmen, heroes, philosophers, and poets, have been fascinated by the charms of this elegant amusement ; for of this he must un- doubtedly be aware. Nor is it here necessary to dwell on its great antiquity. But it is my province to lay down rules proper for direct- ing beginners in the art of angling, and this appears to me, after an experience of more than twenty years, aided by much reflection, XIV INTRODUCTION. to be a task attended by very great difficulties. For unfortunately the remarks of anglers cannot always be considered axioms. I shall, however, studiously avoid the speculations of theoretical professors of the gentle art, and endeavour to furnish the reader merely with the results of a rational experience. But it is with great diffidence I undertake the pre- sent work ; for although I flatter myself that I am in some measure acquainted with the art of angling, I must candidly admit that I am altogether ignorant of that of book-making. It is hoped, therefore, the reader will admit the apology, that the author could not swell out his book with what might seem plausible on paper, and be, at the same time, altoge- ther useless at the water-side. To some, my descriptions of artificial flies may appear tediously minute. Some authors, indeed, state, that two or three flies are all INTRODUCTION. XV that the sportsman need use, at any season of the year, or for any river in Britain. A des- cription of these two or three infallible kill devils, would, no doubt, prove highly accept- able to the reader; but my descriptive powers, I must confess, are not equal to the task. I can only state that, on the Irthing, in this neighbourhood, the white gnat kills better, during the summer months, than almost any other fly, while the trout, in its tributary streams, prefer the black gnat ; that the rose beetle, which is an excellent killer on the Irthing, is the worst fly possible for the Cal- dew ; that the artificial green-tail kills well on some rivers in the south of England, but that the trout of the Cumberland streams live too near the Borders of Scotland to be lured by such a bait ; that even the Professor-fly itself, although a very good one for the Tweed, has not been found to kill on the Eden near Xvi INTRODUCTION. Carlisle ; that he, in short, who would be- come an expert fly-fisher, ought to be well acquainted with, at least, two or three dozen good flies. To impart useful information on fly-making is, therefore, the main object of the present work. The manner of executing the design may be objectionable ; but the intention is good, and the purpose, it is hoped, useful to the sportsman. The author gladly avails himself of the opportunity now offered to him to return his warmest acknowledgments to Mr. William Elliot, of Wetheral, and other kind friends, for their valuable communications. ON FLY-FISHING. " When, with his lively ray, the potent sun Has pierc'd the streams, and rous'd the finny race, Then, issuing cheerful, to thy sport repair : Chief should the western breezes curling play, And light o'er ether bear the shadowy clouds, High to their fount. " THOMSON. ALTHOUGH, on our rivers in the North, an immense variety of small flies make their appearance in the course of the season, yet our anglers are content with three or four sorts, for they vary the shades as the season advances. As it is my intention, however, to make the present work as general, and, at the same time, as practical as possible, I shall give 2 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; a description of nearly all the flies which I have been in the habit of making, and I shall likewise note their qualities, good or bad. The wrapt hackle flies are generally most esteemed in this part of the country : they are certainly well calculated for rapid streams; the texture of the feathers, of which they are composed, is in general very fine ; they fall light on the water; by some, too, they are supposed to resemble drowned flies ; besides, the hook is well concealed by the hackle : these are certainly excellent qualities. Winged flies, however, when well made, are infinitely more handsome than hackled ones, and as far as my own experience goes, and from what I can learn from the most expert fishermen, they kill quite as well. More, indeed, appears to depend on the colour and size of the arti- ficial fly, than on its shape ; the angler ought, therefore, to be very careful in selecting his colours, and he must make due allowance for the changes which the water is likely to pro- duce on them. An artificial fly ought, in general, to be a shade smaller than the natural one ; but, after all, with regard to the size of OR, FLY-FISHER S COMPANION. 3 the artificial fly, much depends on the state of the river. When the river is clear, your flies and tackle must, in general, be fine ; when it is clearing off, or black, they ought to be rougher, and their colours brighter. Heavy and black running rivers require flies made fuller and rougher than light clear streams. In trout-fishing, the angler ought to be provided with a good light rod, of from twelve to fourteen feet in length, which he can handle well. With regard to the reel and reel- line I need say nothing. The casting-line, however, ought to be well made, and nicely tapered ; and the tackle, as it is called, to which the flies are attached, ought to be of very fine round gut. The tackle ought also to be tapered, the gut being thickest next the casting- line. The first dropper ought to be about a yard from the stretcher, or tail-fly, and the other droppers must be from two feet to two feet and a half distant from each other : two, three, or even four flies may be attached to the tackle, according to circumstances. Loop on the dropper-flies; the tail-fly should also be looped. The angler will thus be enabled 4 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; to change his flies when he thinks proper. Thus equipped, he will, of course, from much practice, learn the art of delivering or throw- ing his line in a proper manner : for if he be not able to deliver a straight line, so that the flies shall fall light on the surface of the water, he will not generally be very successful. A beginner ought never to attempt to throw too long a line. It is of great importance to be thoroughly acquainted with the river; to know the haunts of the trout at particular seasons of the year. Early in the spring, for instance, the trouts, being weak, are never found in strong streams, but on the contrary in easy- running water, at the bottom of a stream, or on the flat, gently-running water at the head of a stream. A small brook may be fished from the banks, but in large rivers like the Eden, the Esk, &c., it is always necessary to wade, and the fisherman ought to be pro- vided with a landing-net. He must wade cautiously up the river, and deliver his line well up the stream, obliquely across it, and he ought to cast very frequently, particularly OR, FLY-FISHER S COMPANION. 5 in fishing for trout, as they are most apt to rise at the fly, either as it drops on the water, or as it turns down the stream. He must be particular to fish that side of the stream where the wind has blown off the feed, or natural flies. When the sun is bright, as Sir Humphrey Davy justly observes, and not very high, the angler ought to fish with his face towards it, to prevent the shadow of himself and rod from being thrown upon the water. When a trout rises freely at the fly, it generally gets hooked, although the angler may not strike it ; but, notwithstanding this, it is much better to strike it gently, immedi- ately on its turning downwards ; for, being a hard-mouthed fish, a gentle stroke is often required to force the hook into its jaws. The hooks, of course, with regard to the quality of the steel, temper, bend, and fineness of point, must be quite unobjectionable. Should the angler succeed in hooking a trout that is rather large and strong, he must by no means attempt to draw it out of the water immediately, as this would endanger 6 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; his tackle, which can scarcely be too fine ; but, before doing so, he must allow it to exhaust its strength. He must not, however, in such a case, at any time slacken his line ; for, were he to do so, the fish, from the submersion of the line, would either break his tackle, or get rid of the hook : but, he must be careful to keep his rod-top well elevated, allowing the fish no more line than is necessary; and as soon as it is sufficiently exhausted, he must wind up a part of his line, and draw it gently towards him, bearing its head well up with the rod, so as to enable him to place the landing-net below it. He must, by no means, for obvious reasons, attempt to pull a fish up a strong stream; but, on the contrary, he ought to draw it gently across, or obliquely downwards. In February and March, the fish will rise best at the fly from about eleven in the morn- ing till about three in the afternoon. As the season advances, the feed comes on earlier, and continues later, or, rather, it comes on at intervals during the whole of the day. After February and March, should the weather be OE, FLY-FISHER S COMPANION. 7 at all favourable, the angler, if he is deter- mined to procure a good dish, ought to fish diligently all day ; for, in the spring, the fish will generally rise at the artificial fly during some period or other of the day. In the sum- mer months it is of little use to try fly-fishing, except in the evenings, after sun-set, or when the sun is very near the horizon, at which time the trout will generally be met with in rather shallow water, on the heads of streams, where they come out to feed. Under such circumstances, the angler must fish with great caution ; his flies must be of the very best description, and his tackle must be fine. In the summer months, the young angler may amuse himself with fishing for brandlings, or par, with a maggot put on the bend of a small hook, on which must be tied a hackle, or a pair of wings, with a little tinsel round the head. He ought to have three or four of these flies on his line, and must fish with a short line, a little longer than the length of his rod. In the months of June and July, some of our veterans fish all night with the bustard, or moth, and what is called the cod- 8 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; bait, put on the bend of the hook. The weather, of course, must not be frosty. The angler ought to pay some attention to the study of meteorology, since his art cannot be practised very successfully -without a slight knowledge of this important science ; for the fish, by some means or other, are able to prognosticate the changes of weather with unerring certainty, and this always affects their taking the fly. For instance, before rain they seldom rise well ; this is also the case before or during a thunder-storm. When the electrical equilibrium of the atmosphere, indeed, is at all disturbed, it is in general quite absurd to try fly-flshing. The angler, too, will often be disappointed when the clouds are aggregated into large fleecy packs. Frost, cold east or north winds, very bright weather, and the melting of snow on the mountains are at all times very unfavourable circumstances. I must conclude this chapter by informing the reader, that the neatest, lightest, and most portable rods, and indeed every other descrip- tion of fishing-tackle, are made in London. OR, FLY-FISHER S COMPANION. 9 I must not forget to tell the reader that the angler considers a book, containing a good assortment of artificial flies, hooks, gut, feathers, silk, and dubbings, a necessary accompaniment. ON FLY-MAKING. " To frame the little animal, provide All the gay hues that wait on female pride ; , Let nature guide thee. Sometimes golden wire The shining bellies of the fly require. The peacock's plumes thy tackle must not fail, Nor the dear purchase of the sable's tail ; Each gaudy bird some slender tribute brings, And lends the growing insect proper wings : Silks, of all colours, must their aid impart, And every fur, promote the fisher's art." GAY. I shall proceed here to give the amateur a description of fly-making. He ought first to select a few materials, such as black, black listed red, fine dark and light ginger, dark grey, yellow, and, above all, fine blea or dun hackles. Hare's ear or face, of all shades, is much used for trout-flies. It is sometimes mixed with yellow or olive mohair, blue rabbit's fur, brown squirrel's, and water-rat's fur, &c. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 11 For the wings of your flies, take feathers from the woodcock, jack snipe, starling, dotterel, plover, partridge, teal-drake, widgeon, cock and hen pheasant, landrail, bunton-lark, wren v s-tail, field-fare, &c. The fly-maker uses silk of the finest description for tying his flies ; he always has at hand floss silks of various shades and colours, fine gold thread or wire, gold and silver plate, pliers, scissors, &c. He must also be provided with a small quantity of shoe-maker's wax. I prepare my own wax, however, by boiling a little pitch and rosin together, in a small iron vessel, on a slow fire, and tempering it with a very little tallow. Wax thus prepared will not stick to the fingers like shoe-maker's wax. Gut for trout-flies cannot be too fine and round; it may be stained with an infusion of tea leaves, coffee, wall-nut bark, or logwood, and a very small quantity of copperas. This is accom- plished by dipping the gut in boiling water, coloured with any of the articles specified above, and immediately washing it with a little cold water. The amateur may thus give to his gut any shade of colour he thinks 12 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; proper. The next thing he ought to know is the exact size and number of the hooks he is about to dress. In Carlisle we number the hooks in the following way : we speak of large salmon, middle, and small salmon hooks ; large gilse, middle, and small gilse hooks ; large worm, middle, and small worm hooks ; large cod-bait, middle, and small cod-bait hooks ; large, middle, and small fly, and midge hooks. We begin at the large worm-size, which we call No. 1, and number the smaller hooks downwards to No. 12, or small midge hooks. In Kendal, the hooks are numbered, from the smallest upwards to No. 15 our large salmon hook In London, they number from our large gilse hook, downwards, to No. 14, which is our No. 12. In the following pages, the reader must be aware that the Carlisle numbers are taken in the description of artificial flies. To commence the operation of tying your fly, prepare the materials according to the instructions that I shall give in describing the method of making particular flies. Look out OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 13 your hooks and gut, always bearing in mind to tie the fly on the round end of the gut. Then wax the silk neatly, leaving no lumps or knots on it. Hold the end of the gut between your teeth, and stretch it, being careful not to run your nail down it. Lay the thread upon the gut ; then twist or spin the gut round between your finger and thumb, so that the thread shall be closely and neatly lapped round it for about a quarter of an inch, leaving room at the end (which must be nipped with your teeth, so as to render it a little rouofh) for the tving on of the hook. -> / / O Then lay the gut well under the hook, leaving about the twentieth part of an inch of the armed portion to project beyond the end of the shank. This is done to prevent it from necking or breaking off. You must now tie on the hook, by carrying the lapping downwards, nearly to the bend, or exactly to that part of the shank which is opposite the point. Then hold the hook firmly in your left hand, between the fore-finger and thumb, while the tying-silk must be held by the middle-finger of the same hand. Should you 14 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; wish to tip your fly with gold, take the gold thread, plate, or wire, and lay it between your left fore-finger and thumb, and neatly tie down the end of it, which must point towards the extremity of the shank of the hook. You must now make two or three smooth and even laps with the tinsel, and fasten it down with the thread, taking care to keep the thread on the inside of the tinsel, or towards the head of your fly. Should you wish to put on a hackle all the way down the body of the fly, take a fine cock's hackle, short in the fibre, or pile, and with the fore- finger and thumb of the right-hand, ruffle up the pile, and take a pair of fine-pointed scis- sors and clip off the fibres of the inside, at the tip or small end, for about a quarter of an inch, taking care to ruffle the hackle nicely, in order that it may lay well to the shank of the hook ; and be sure to keep the inside of the hackle towards the bend, which is done by touching the hackle now and then with the nail of the fore-finger of your right hand. When you have run up the hackle with your pliers to the head of the fly, make two or OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 15 three extra turns of the hackle there, taking care to leave room enough for the head, and the putting on of the wings : then fasten down the hackle. I always tie the wings on sepa- rately ; I take, for instance, a wing from a feather, the fibres of which adhere well toge- ther, and with the scissors clip off the butt- end, near the stem ; I then lay the wing, thus prepared, on the inside, or the side of the hook next to me, taking care to leave the wing long enough to cover the bend ; I now make two laps across the head, gathering the wing in nicely with my left-hand, and place the other wing on the off-side, and secure it by making two laps across in the same way. During the whole of this process, the ty ing-silk must be held tight. I adjust the wings so as to make them stand erect, or lie down, according to the fly lam making, and then separate the wings nicely, and cross the silk, carrying it from the head round the butt 01 the far wing, drawing it tight, and bringing it round to the inside of the near wing, which must also be crossed. The wings having been thus divided, and the silk brought 16 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; exactly to the head of the fly, I make one lap and prepare for the knot, which is as follows : Holding the fly in my left-hand, I throw the thread first over the third finger, and then exactly over the head of the fly, thus forming a simple loop, through which I pass the end of the thread ; I then carry the thread over the head of the fly again, and pass it a second time through the large loop, which is still held down by the third finger of the left-hand ; I now turn the loop twice round the head in the direction from me, with the point of the scis- sors, and draw it tight by taking hold of the loose end. The knot is now made, and is per- fectly secure. You must now clip off the thread, press your fly well, and set up the wings, or lay them well down by the side of the fly. Should there be any false turns of the hackle, clip off the fibres which do not lay well to the bend of the hook. This is called trimming the fly. In dressing, some use a knife instead of scissors, and their fingers instead of pliers. I strongly recommend the amateur, however, to use both scissors and pliers, as a pair of fine-pointed scissors are so OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 17 useful in picking out the dubbing, and the pliers for putting on the hackle. When the body of the fly is required to be made of dubbing, and ribbed with silk thread, or tinsel, the following rules must be observed. One end of the thread intended for the rib must be fastened down by the tying-silk at the tail of the fly, the loose end being drawn through the bend of the hook, that it may be out of the way until wanted. The water-rat's fur, hare's ear, or any other kind of dubbing of which it may be requisite to make the body of the fly, must now be thinly laid along a part of the tying-silk, and twisted round it ; the amateur must twist the silk and dubbing together in the direction towards himself: he must then form the body of the fly by wrapping the silk, covered with the dubbing, neatly and regularly up the shank of the hook, leaving room for the wings, and fasten it by a single knot ; the thread, for the rib, must now be wrapt up the shank of the hook in an interrupted manner, so that the intervals between the laps, or ribs, may be equal and regular, and fastened down as above. D 18 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; I have now given the amateur a complete description of the art of fly-making. All that is required on his part is good taste and a little practice. DESCRIPTION OF FLIES. " Wak'd by his warmer ray, the reptile young Come wing'd abroad ; by the light air upborne, Lighter, and full of soul. To sunny waters some By fatal instinct fly ; where on the pool They, sportive, wheel ; or sailing down the stream, Are snatched immediate by the quick-ey'd trout, Or darting salmon." THOMSON. I shall now proceed to give a description of the different flies that are used in trout- fishing. THE GREAT WHIRLING DUN. By some this insect is called the great dark blea fly, and it is the first I shall describe. If the weather be fine, it comes on early in February, and con- tinues till March or April : it is a four-winged fly, and flutters on the surface of the water. The 20 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; body may be made of a little brown squirrel's and water-rat's fur, mixed together, and a sooty-black hackle under the wings, which are best made of a portion of a feather from the water-hen's wing. This fly is here made with a yellow waxed silk body, and a sooty- black hackle over it, with wings from the water-hen; or, as a hackle-fly, a feather may be taken from the underside of the water- hen's or rail's wing for the hackle ; let the body be of orange waxed silk. It is taken from about ten in the morning, to three in the afternoon, and in fine mild weather is a good killer hook, 6 or 7. THE BLUE DUN FLY. This is the first fly that appears after the dark whirling dun ; by some it is called the first light blea fly. It is a fine delicate-looking fly with a forked tail, the wings standing erect on the back. The forked tail may consist of two strands from a dun cock's hackle ; the body of the light blue fur from the rabbit, or grey squirrel, mixed with a very little yellow mohair, and a blue cock's or hen's hackle under the wings ; the wings of a feather from the underside OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 21 of the widgeon's wing, or from a portion of a feather from the jack-snipe's wing, tied with gold-coloured silk. The body of this fly must be made very thin. When dressed as a hackle-fly, a fine feather from the underside of the wing of the jack-snipe, or moor-pout, answers very well for the hackle. The body must be the same as that of the fly described above. If the water be full and black, a turn or two of gold thread may be* put under the hackle near the shoulders. The blue dun is an excellent killer hook, 7, or 8. THE MARCH BROWN FLY. This is one of the most beautiful of all water-flies, and makes its appearance^ if the weather be fine, about the middle of March, and continues till May. In mild weather, during a gleam of sunshine, about mid-day, these flies appear in thousands, when the fish greedily devour them, while they fastidiously reject all others. The fol- lowing is the best method of making this fly. Make the tail of two strands of the brown mallard's feather ; and take the dark and light fur of the hare's ear or face, and mix it with a little gold-coloured and light brown olive 22 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; mohair for the body, which ought to be rather long, and nicely tapered, and ribbed with silk of a rich gold-colour : Make three turns with the small mottled feather from the back of the partridge, or with a feather from the neck of the horned owl, for legs ; take the wings from a quill-feather of the wing of the cock-pheas- ant, near the shoulder, which is of a beautiful dapper mottled colour, exactly resembling the wings of the natural fly. As the season advances make the body a shade lighter. The Cumberland anglers, in making this fly, use the motttled feather from the partridge tail, or a feather from the inside of the wood- cock's wing, with a black listed ginger hackle run down over a yellow or orange waxed silk body hook, No. 7. THE MARCH BROWN SPIDER This fly also kills well in many small brooks. Let the body be made of hare's ear, mixed with dusky olive mohair : it must be ribbed with gold- coloured silk, and a fine mottled hackle from the back of the partridge, near the shoulders, must be wrapt round the head hook, No. 7 or 8. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 23 THE SMALLER BROWN FLY Make the body of the grey part of the hare's ear, and put on a grey hackle, below the wings, for legs ; let the wings consist of a portion of a feather from the inside of the woodcock's wing. This is a good killer in the month of April hook. No. 8. THE ROYAL CHARLIE. The Royal Char- lie, as it is here called, is a fly, (although not a natural one,) which our anglers are very partial to. It is used about the time the March brown appears, and during the whole of the spring months, (either for river or lake-fishing,) is a very good killer. As a river-fly, it answers best when the water is rather brownish. The body is made of scarlet floss-silk with a little tag of the same for a tail ; a black hackle must be run up all the way to the shoulders; the wings are of a mottled feather from the partridge tail ; the fly must be tipt with gold at the head and tail. For a river-fly, hook No. 7 or 8 ; for a lake-fly, hook No. 5 or 6. THE GROUSE HACKLE This is a good fly for spring-fishing when the water is rather, 24 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; black or clearing after a flood. It is made as a hackle, with a small bright mottled feather from the back of a cock grouse, with a dusky yellow or olive body, of a little dyed yellow hare's ear, or with an orange-silk body, tipt with gold. When dressed with wings, a light orange waxed silk body, and a black listed gin- ger hackle, the tail, being tipt with gold, is found to answer very well hook, No. 7 or 8. THE PHEASANT FLY. This fly kills trout and brandlings very well, in the spring, when the water is of a somewhat brown colour. Form the wings of a gold-coloured feather from the cock pheasant's breast the body of orange or gold-coloured raw silk, with a black or a red hackle run down over it, and tip it at the head and tail with gold hook, No. 7 or 8. THE TEAL DRAKE FLY This fly is a very good one in the spring, when the water is clearing, for sea-trout, grey-trout, or salmon-fry. Let the body be of orange or gold-coloured raw silk, with either a black or a red hackle run down it ; or, the body may be made of orange waxed silk, and a OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 25 black hackle run over it. Pick out a small mottled teal-drake feather for the wings. This fly may be tipt at the head and tail with gold hook, No. 6, 7, or 8. THE BUNTING LARK FLY This fly, with a peacock body, on a dark day, kills very well on the Eden, the Esk, the Liddle, and the Irthing, in April and May. The body ought to be made rather full, of a copper-coloured peacock harle, tipt with gold, and a brown hackle under the wings ; the wings are taken from a feather from the wing of a bunting-lark. For killing par, or salmon-fry, make the body of green peacock harle, and a black hackle under the wings, and tip it with gold hook, No. 8 or 9. THE SPECKLED DUN. This fly, in April and May, is an excellent killer. The body may be of pale yellow raw silk, with a fine black hackle run over it all the way; the wings must be of a feather from the inside of the woodcock's wing ; or, it may be made as a hackle-fly, with a portion of pale yellow mohair, mixed with a little fur from the hare's ear, and a short feather from underneath E 26 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; the woodcock's wing, near the butt hook, No. 8 or 9. THE HARE'S EAR. This is an excellent spring fly; indeed, it will kill during the whole season. Make the body either of the dark part of the hare's ear ; or of the dark part of the hare's ear, mixed with a very little yellow mohair, and the wings of a portion of the quill-feather of the bunting-lark. The colours I have now mentioned are calculated for the commencement of the season. When the season is more advanced, let the body be of the yellowish-coloured fur from the hare's neck, and the wings from the lightest feather of a starling's wing. To make the hare's ear an evening fly for summer, take a portion of the yellowish quill-feather from the wing of the thrush for wings ; the body must be of the fur from the hare's neck, mixed with a little yel- low mohair. This last may be made as a spider, or hackle-fly, with a feather taken from the inside of a thrush's wing ; and the two darker flies may be made as spiders, with a fine feather from the inside of the wing of the jack-snipe. To all the shades of colour which OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 27 I have described, add a tip of gold when the water is brownish. -Hook, for these flies, No. 8 or 9. THE DOTTEREL. This is a most destruc- tive fly in this part of the country, killing remarkably well during the whole season. The colour of the body must be varied, making it lighter as the season advances. The fine texture of the feather, and the richness of the golden tint on the edge, give it a lightness and delicacy that render it a good killer. As a hackle-fly, it excels all others ; but the angler ought to be his own fly-tier ; for when the fish are on the feed, they destroy the feather very quickly. Almost every feather of this bird is useful. The best body for this fly, at the commencement of the season, con- sists of the dark fur from the hare's ear, dyed yellow, with a tip of gold under the butt of the wings ; or, as the season advances, of the fur from below the hare's ear, near the neck, mixed with a little yellow mohair, and tipt with gold ; or, the body of this fly, if the water be of a somewhat brown colour, may be made with a little hare's ear, dyed yellow, 28 THE NORTHERN ANGLER J which must be put on at the shoulders, near the wing or hackle : there ought to be a turn or two of gold thread in the centre of the body, and the smallest portion of water-rat's fur towards the tail ; the hackles must be of lighter or darker-coloured dotterel feathers, to suit the colours of the bodies hook, No. 8 or 9. THE SPIDER, OR GRAVEL-FLY This fly appears about the middle of April, if the weather be warm, and continues about ten or twelve days. It is bred in the gravel, and may be seen in bunches, engendering. Being a very delicate fly, it cannot endure cold. Make the body, which must be very thin and light, of dark lead-coloured silk, and put on a hackle from the cock-starling's breast, under the wings ; the wings must be of the mottled feather from the outside of the woodcock's wing, of not too dark a brown ; or, it may be made as a spider, or hackle-fly, with a body of the fur from the water-rat's back, and a hackle from the outside of the woodcock's wing, near the butt, of not too dark a colour hook, No. 8. THE STARLING-HACKLE FLY. This fly OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 29 answers very well in April and May, when the water is clear. In the summer evenings, too, it is by no means a bad killer. Form the body of yellow waxed silk, with a fine cock-starling's hackle run half-way down it ; the wings must consist of a portion of a feather from a bunting- lark, or starling's wing hook, No. 9. THE SAND-PIPER HACKLE. Some of our old sportsmen are very partial to this fly. They use it in the spring when the water is clearing off. Let the body be of orange-silk, ribbed with a fine peacock harle, and tipt with gold ; take a small freckled feather from the outside of the wing of the sand-piper for the hackle hook, No. 8. THE COW-DUNG FLY Although this is not a water-fly, it generally proves agoodkiller. It is seldom used, however, in this part of the country, except on Ullswater, where it kills uncommonly well in April and May. The body must be thinly dubbed with dirty yellow and olive mohair, well mixed, and a ginger hackle must be put on for legs ; the wings must be of the landrail's wing feather. The spider or hackle-fly is made with a body the same as 30 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; that already described, and a hackle from the underside of the landrail's wing. It ought to be tipt at the tail with gold wire hook, No. 7 or 8. THE GOLDEN PLOVER FLY. This is one of our north country flies, and kills at times tolerably well on some of our rivers, in April and May. When made as a winged fly, the body must be of orange or yellow raw silk, with a black hackle run over it up to the shoulders; the wings must be of a feather from the back or shoulders of the golden plover. The tail may be tipt with gold. When made as a spider-fly, the body ought to consist of the fur from the hare's ear, dyed yellow, rather dark ; the hackle must be a small yellow-mottled feather from the back of the plover hook, No. 8 or 9. THE GRANNAM FLY, OR GREENTAIL This fly makes its appearance, if the weather be warm, about the latter end of April. It is bred at the bottom of the river and ascends to the surface. The husks or shells left by the insects are sometimes so abundant that they actually resemble large quantities of chaff thrown upon the river. At first the trout take OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 31 the greentail greedily, and become so glutted that they will neither take this nor any other fly, except in the evenings, when the swarm retire to the fields and trees to engender, from whence they return to the river to deposit their eggs, a bunch of which the females carry at their tails. To this small green bundle our anglers ascribe the circumstance of the fish being sickened by feeding at the surface of the water. The method of making this fly is as follows: The body must be of the dark fur from the hare's ear, with a sooty- black hackle under the wings, and two or three turns of green peacock-harle for the tail ; let the wings be of a feather from the partridge-wing. There are four quill-feathers near the butt of the partridge's wing, the out- side of which exactly resembles the wing of the flv_hook, No. 8. THE WATER-HEN HACKLE. This is an excellent trout-fly, particularly when the river is clear. It will kill well during the whole season. The body must be black, and ribbed with silver thread ; a hackle from the inside of the wing of the water-hen must be put on round the head hook, No. 8 or 9. 32 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; THE SAND-FLY In themonths of May and June, this fly will kill well in almost any river in the north of England. Dubb the body with the dark fur from the hare's ear, mixed with a little light-orange mohair ; put on a ginger hackle for legs ; and let the wings consist of a portion of a feather from the land- rail's wing. To make this fly in the hackled way, take a fine feather from the outside of the landrail's wing, near the butt, and make with it three or four turns round the head ; let the body be dressed rather thin, and be precisely of the colour of that described above hook, No. 8. THE YELLOW DUN This delicate little fly makes its appearance on the northern rivers sometime in May. It continues till the latter end of June, and casts its skin, becoming much lighter and smaller. It has a forked tail, and the wings stand erect on its back, and are of a delicate transparent blue colour. It appears not only to cast its skin, but its wings, tail, and legs also. I was once much amused with the transformation of this insect. A fisherman happening to come into my shop from the water-side, one of these small OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 33 flies was sticking to his clothes, and alighted on my dressing-table. I took it up to examine it, putting it on a sheet of white paper ; on my looking at it minutely it turned over upon its back, giving two or three convulsive struggles, when I thought it was dead. It remained on its back for a second or two, and left its old coat sticking to the paper, along with the wings, tail, and legs, and became the most beautiful insect I ever saw. The new fly was much smaller than the original one. The body of this fly, when it first appears, ought to be of very pale yellow mohair, or goat's hair, laid on flat, and thin, and a delicate pale dun cock's or hen's hackle for legs ; the forked-tail may consist of two strands from a blue cock's hackle ; let the wings be of the lightest part of the wing- feather of the starling. After the transforma- tion has taken place, make the body a shade lighter, and let the wings be from the dotterel's fine short quill-feather. To make it a spider or hackle, to represent the drowned fly, take a delicate feather from underneath the jack- snipe's wing for the hackle, and let the body be 34 THE NORTHERN ANGLER J the same as that of the fly before described hook, No. 8 or 9. THE WILLOW FLY. This fly comes on about the same time as the yellow dun. It is a very delicate-looking fly, and the trout are very fond of it, particularly in the evenings. The body is of a delicate transparent yellow colour, with a greenish or olive shade ; it must be ribbed with gold-coloured silk, and a grey hackle, dyed yellow, must be put under the wings for legs. The best feather that I have seen for the wings is one from the tail of the green linnet, which is of a greenish yel- low tint, and exactly resembles the wings of the fly. When it is made as a spider, a feather from the breast of the yellow plover must be used hook, No. 8 or 9. THE SMALL DARK DUN SPIDER. This is a hackle-fly, made of a feather from the out- side of the wing of the large snipe, with a body of water-rat's fur. In May and June, when made very fine, it is an excellent killer in clear water hook, No. 9. THE RED-WING FLY. In April, May, and June, this fly kills well on the Nith and other OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 35 rivers in the south of Scotland. The body must consist of the fur from a black hat, with a black listed-red hackle for legs ; take a por- tion of the red feather of the partridge-tail for wings hook, No. 7 or 8. THE BLACK MIDGE, OR GNAT This fly appears in May, and continues during the summer. It is a good killer, particularly in the evenings. It cannot be made too fine and small. Make the wings of a feather from a jack-daw's wing, and form the body of a little - fur from a black hat; or, to make it as a hackle-fly, take a feather from the breast of a jack-daw, of a bluish shade, for your hackle, and put on a few turns of black ostrich 'harle under the shoulders hook, No. 10. THE STONE FLY. This fly appears about the latter end of April, and continues until the beginning of June. It is bred from an insect, found under large stones in the river, called the water cricket, or creeper, which, on a hot day, is a most destructive bait for trout. (I shall describe it when I treat of bait- fishing.) It is seldom used as an artificial fly ; for it is best to dab with it after it takes wing. 36 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; It is called here the May-fly, and has a large flat body, with four wings. The body is of a dusky brown on the back, under the belly of a fine gold colour, with a yellow rib, and short forked tail. It is very difficult to imitate the wings ; they are best made from the shaded feather of the hen-pheasant's tail ; a black listed ginger hackle may be put on for legs. As a lake-fly, it answers very well hook, No. 5 or 6. THE BRECHAN CLOCK The artificial brechan clock is seldom used, as the angler is generally more successful with the natural one. It may be found from about the begin- ning of June, till some time in July. It ought to be fished by bobbing behind a bush in the small brooks ; or, in the large rivers, by throwing it up the thin streams near the banks where the fish lie behind large stones. Put two of the insects on your hook, revers- ing their heads, putting one on the shank of the hook, with its head towards the line, and the other on the bend, with its head towards the point. In making the artificial brechan clock, I use peacock with black ostrich harle OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 37 for the body, and a black hackle for legs, and the red feather of the partridge tail for wings ; or, it may be made of a fine brown feather from the cock-pheasant's breast, with a little tip of starling's wing-feather at the tail, to repre- sent the under-wings. The red or upper feather must, of course, be tied down at the head and tail, to give it the appearance of a beetle. The body must be made full, as above-described, with a black hackle for legs hook, No. 6, or 7. THE GREEN DRAKE This is an exceed- ingly delicate and beautiful fly, but is sel- dom fished with, except on the lakes, where it is an excellent killer. In some parts of the kingdom, particularly the southern counties, it is very common, and is called the May-fly ; but we seldom see it in the north before June. Dressed artificially, it has been known to kill sea-trout. As a rough- bodied fly, it certainly answers remarkably well. In a cold season, the body never attains that rich cream colour, or, as anglers say, becomes ripe. In such weather, it is more of an olive shade. It ought then 38 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; to be made of light olive, mixed with "a little straw-coloured mohair, tipt with a little golden brown at the tail, and ribbed with light brown silk ; the tail may consist of three hairs from the pole-cat's tail ; put on a grizzled-colour cock's hackle for legs. When in full perfection, the body is of a rich cream- colour, ribbed and tipt in the manner described before, with a fine mottled hackle from a hen, resembling the bittern hackle, but much finer ; the wings must be formed of a light-mottled feather from the wild mallard, dyed a faint yellow with fustic, alum, and a very little tur- meric ; care must be taken not to make the shade too dark ; put a lap or two of brown peacock-harle round the head hook, No. 5, long in the shank. THE GREY DRAKE This fly appears about the same time as the green drake, and, on the lakes, is a good killer, particularly in the evenings. The tail may consist of three hairs from a pole-cat's tail ; the body of white mohair, or goat's hair laid on flat, nicely tapered, and ribbed with a fine black-silk thread ; a grey hackle must be put on under OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 39 the wings ; the wings are made of a portion of a feather from the side of the loch teal ; two turns of a copper-coloured peacock harle must be put round the head hook, No. 5, long in the shank. THE LITTLE IRON-BLUE FLY. This fly comes on about the latter end of May, and continues through June to July. It will kill during the whole season, especially on dark cloudy days. I make the body of water- rat's fur, mixed with a little purple mohair, and rib it with fine pale-yellow silk; two strands of a dark blue cock's hackle will repre- sent the forked tail, and a slate or dark blue cock's hackle the legs; the wings may be formed of a portion of the quill-feather from the wing of a jack-snipe. In making it as a spider, or hackle, I use a feather from the inside of the wing of a jack-snipe, with a body such as before described hook, No. 9. THE OAK, OR DOWN-HILL FLY. This fly is to be seen about the beginning of June, but is seldom used except in the natural state. I make the body of the dark fur of the hare's ear, mixed with a little grey cat's fur, 40 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; and put on a black-grizzled hackle under the wings ; I form the wings of a feather from the partridge wing. It must be tied with purple waxed silk hook, No. 7. THE WREN'S TAIL. This is an excellent summer fly. The body, if the water be some- what black, ought to be of light orange mohair, tipt at the tail with a little gold wire or tinsel ; or, for clear water, a dusky olive body, tipt as above, suits extremely well ; a feather from the wren's tail must be put round the head as a hackle hook, No. 8 or 9. THE HAWTHORN FLY. This fly frequents the hawthorn bushes, and is only to be seen on warm, gloomy days. It has a glossy black body, and fine blue wings. The body may be made of black horse hair, laid on flat in the ribbed way, or of the fur from a black hat, with a fine jet-black hackle under the wings ; a widgeon's or jay's wing-feather answers very well for the wings hook, No. 7. THE ROSE BEETLE. On the borders of Cumberland and Northumberland, this fly is an excellent killer, in most of the rivers, in the months of June and July. Make the body OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 41 very full with a copper-coloured peacock harle, and put on a black hackle below the wings for legs ; the wings must be taken from the green side feather of the peacock's tail, and must be short, full, and laid flat on the back hook, No. 8 or 9. THE LIGHT AND DARK-RED SPINNERS. These flies are but little known here. They appear about the latter end of June. The forked tail of the dark spinner may consist of two strands of a red cock's hackle ; the body may be of brick-dust coloured mohair, thinly dubbed and ribbed with fine gold thread ; put on a red cock's hackle for legs, and a brown- mottled mallard's feather for wings. This fly kills well in some parts of Scotland hook, No. 6, 7, or 8. THE LIGHT RED SPINNER This flymust have a body of light orange mohair, ribbed with fine gold thread, with a ginger hackle for legs, and wings from the starling's quill feather. It must also have a forked tail hook, No. 7, or 8. THE GREEN BANK FLY This fly is some- 42 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; times used in the summer evenings. The body must be of grass-green raw silk with a ginger hackle put on below the wings for legs ; let the wings be of the lightest part of the starling's quill-feather hook, No. 9. THE SMALL BLUE GNAT. This is also used as a summer evening fly. Make the body of water-rat's fur, mixed with a very little yellow mohair ; put on the tail-feather of the small blue titmouse round the head for the hackle hook, No. 10. THE PALE, OR SKY-BLUE GNAT. This is another summer evening fly: it must have a forked tail ; the body must be of pale blue rabbit's fur, mixed with a little . straw- coloured mohair : pick out a fine sky-blue feather from the outside of the sea-swallow's wing, for the gnat's wings hook, No. 10. THE WHITE GNAT. This is altogether an evening fly and appears in July and August. It is very small, and has a forked tail. The body is of French white, with a grizzled hackle under the wings for legs ; the wings must be of a very pale colour, nearly white. To make it in the spider way, select a very OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 43 fine feather from the inside of the wing of the dotterel, or golden plover hook, No. 10. THE BROWN FERN FLY This fly is sometimes used in June and July. The body is of light orange raw silk ; a little of the fur from the hare's neck is put on under the butt of the wings, with a ginger hackle over it for legs ; the wings are of a feather from the outside of the woodcock's wing hook, No. 7 or 8. THE SMALL BROWN-DUN FLY. This fly kills well in July and August. The body is made of red squirrel's fur, mixed with a little yellow mohair, thinly dubbed, and a pale ginger hackle must be put on under the wings ; let the wings be of a starling's quill- feather of a pale colour ; or, it may be made with a yellow raw silk body, a ginger hackle run down all the way, with wings the same as those of that described above, and a turn of gold tinsel round the head. This last answers well when the rivers are clearing hook, No. 8 or 9. PURPLE-BODIED PLOVER. This fly some- times kills in some of our rivers on a sum- 44 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; mer evening, when the water is clear. Let the body be of purple silk or mohair, and the hackle of a fine feather from the golden plover's back hook, No. 9. THE SMALL COCK-TAIL FLIES There are several sorts of these flies; the wings are taken from the bunting-lark, or starling's wing; the bodies may be made of the dark fur from the hare's ear, ribbed with yellow silk, or of the fur from the hare's neck, of a yellow shade, mixed with gold- coloured mohair, and ribbed with gold-coloured silk, or of the fur from the hare's neck, mixed with very pale olive-green mohair, and ribbed with yellow silk. The bodies of these flies must be thin and well tapered, and fur- nished with a forked tail of two strands of a dun cock's hackle hook, No. 9 or 10. The cock-tails kill very well in the evenings of June and July. THE RED ANT FLY. In the months of July and August, this fly makes its appearance ; there are, indeed, two sorts, the larger and the smaller. The larger one comes on in July, in very hot weather; the smaller one in OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 45 August. The small one is the better killer. O The bodies of these flies ought to be of light orange waxed silk, and three turns of copper- coloured peacock harle at the tail ; put on a ginger hackle for legs ; the wings must be of the light part of the starling's wing feather hook, No. 8 or 10. THE BLACK ANT FLIES. In the months of July and August, these flies also make their appearance, and are good killers. Form the bodies of purple waxed silk ; put three turns of black ostrich harle at the tail, and a cock- starling's hackle under the wings ; the wings may be of a feather from the jack-snipe's wing hook, No. 8 or 10. THE COACHMAN FLY Although not much used in this part of the country, this fly answers very well in the evenings. The body is made of a copper-coloured peacock harle ; it must be tipt at the tail with gold ; put on a red hackle under the wings ; and make the wings of "a white feather from the under-side of a wild-duck's wing hook, No. 7 or 8. THE ORL FLY. This fly is well known to 46 THE NORTHERN ANGLER J be a good killer in several rivers in the south of England, but, as far as I know, it has never been tried as a river-fly in this part of the kingdom. I understand, however, that it answers very well on Ullswater lake. Make the body (rather full) of copper-coloured peacock harle ; rib it with fine red silk, and lap a fine blue-dun hackle round the head hook, No. 7 or 8. THE KINGDOM FLY. This fly is used by some anglers in the summer months. Make the body of pale straw-coloured unmanu- factured silk, and run over it a pale blue cock's hackle ; let the wings be of a feather from the inside of the wood-cock's wing hook, No. 8 or 9. PROFESSOR'S FLY The body is of yel- low floss silk, rather long and thin ; a red or black hackle must be put on below the wings ; the wings are formed of the mottled-brown feather from the wild mallard. This fly kills well on the Tweed, and other Scottish streams, and is highly esteemed by Professor Wilson, of Edinburgh hook, No. 6, 7, 8. NIGHT-FLIES. " Angling on a summer night, When the moon-ray met the fairy, Tripping down a bank of light, To the sweet Loch of Saint Mary ; Music floated, sad and holy, Every wild flower lent its tone, And the sullen trout swam slowly, Like the shadow of a stone." STODDART. Although there are several kinds of moths or bustards, yet there are not more than three or four that are generally used. As this species of fishing can only be practised at night, after ten o'clock, it is seldom tried but by those who fish for gain. Night-flies ought to be dressed on rather strong gut ; the casting-line and tackle must also be strong. In fishing with the bustard, or large moth, you ought to place a cod-bait on the bend of 48 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; the hook, as this will cause the trout to take it more readily. THE WHITE MOTH. It is made with a white duck's feather, or a white owl's feather for wings, with a body of white cotton, made very full, ribbed with yellow silk, with a white cock's hackle under the butt of the wings for legs, and two or three turns of black ostrich harle round the head hook, No. 4 or 5. THE BROWN MOTH. This moth is made with a feather from the wing of the dark- brown owl, with a body of the fur from the hare's neck, mixed with a little cinnamon- coloured worsted, or mohair, and a hackle from a hen, of a mottled brown colour, run half-way down. The body of this moth must also be made very full hook, No. 2 or 3. THE YELLOW-BODIED BUSTARD This moth must have a body made very full, of dusky yellow or gold-coloured worsted, or mohair, and a light ginger hackle run over it all the way ; the wings must be taken from a feather of the wood-owl's wing hook, No. 2 or 3. PALMERS. Palmers kill remarkably well, particularly in the latter end of the season, on most rivers and lakes. Thev must be of various gF sizes, and shades, according to the nature of the soil and colour of the water. For clear water, the light dun and purple-bodied black palmers are the best. In autumn or summer, when the river is full, the red palmer, the peacock-bodied palmer, and the soldier palmer are preferred. THE BLEA, OR BLUE-DUN PALMER This palmer, for a full, black water, is made with two fine cock's hackles of a blue-dun colour, either run down all the way over a mixed body of blue squirrel's fur and pale yellow mohair, with or without a rib of silver thread to suit the colour of the water. For clear water, make the body of pale yellow waxed silk, with a double hackle at the head. This palmer kills excellently in the spring hook, No. 7, 8, or 9. H 50 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; THE SOOTY-DUN PALMER This palmer is made in the same way as the last, with a body of water-rat's fur, and a double hackle at the head, of a sooty-dun colour. It may be either tipt at the tail with gold or silver, or not hook, No. 7 or 8. THE GOLDEN PALMER. This palmer is made of rich gold-coloured raw silk, ribbed with gold thread, by the side of which must be run a fine thread of black silk, with two fine red cock's hackles over all. The size of the hook must vary according to the size of the river. THE YELLOW PALMER This palmer must have a yellow or lemon-coloured silk body. In other respects, the same as the golden palmer. THE ORANGE PALMER. This palmer is made with an orange floss-silk body, ribbed with gold thread and fine black silk, with two fine red hackles, short of the fibre and black at the butt, run down it. THE RED PALMER. This palmer is made of orange or brick-dust coloured mohair, rib- bed with gold thread, with two fine red cock's OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 51 hackles run down all the way. If made small, put on two fine hackles round the head only. The body of the small red palmer may be made the same as that of the large one, ribbed with gold wire or not ; or, where the water is clear, of orange waxed silk only. THE SOLDIER PALMER This palmer is made with a scarlet-coloured worsted, or mohair body, ribbed with gold thread and a grey hackle, died of a blood-orange colour, run down all the way behind a black-listed red hackle. When winged with a feather from the out- side of a woodcock's wing, it answers well as a lake-fly. THE PEACOCK PALMER This palmer is made with a body of copper-coloured peacock harle, ribbed with gold thread, and two fine red hackles, black at the butt. This palmer, made with a black-listed red hackle, very full, without any gold, is called the cocce bundy, and kills well in Wales. THE BLACK PALMER This palmer is made with a body of black ostrich harle, ribbed with silver-thread, and two fine jet- 52 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; black hackles, run down all the way ; or, it may be made with a copper-coloured peacock harle, ribbed with gold thread. THE PURPLE PALMER This palmer is made of purple floss-silk, tipt at the tail with gold, or not, and two fine black hackles run round the head. It must be made very small. THE GREY PALMER. This palmer is made with a copper-coloured peacock harle, ribbed with gold thread, and two fine black- listed grey hackles run down the body. To the foregoing list of flies many more might be added, by varying the size of the hook and shades of colour, according to the fancy of the fisherman, Trout flies are seldom made with forked tails in the north. LAKE-FISHING. The poetical angler, that he may commune with the glorious works of nature, will often feel inclined to enjoy his favourite pastime on the bosom of some beautiful lake ; for lake- scenery cannot fail to excite the most refined and sublime sensations, since it is in general composed of towering rocks and foaming water- falls ; of rich lawns and meadows ; of romantic dells and groves. Here the eagle soars above the clouds, while the swan sails majestically on the surface of the placid lake ; here amid the solitary forest, where perhaps freely roam the wild deer, the tall pines wave their graceful heads, while the oak, "the monarch of the wood," seems almost conscious of his superior strength and beauty; here the mountains, towering to the skies, appear to mock " the rotundity of the world." " Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks Grasing the tender herb, were interposed, Or palmy hillock ; or the flowery lap Of some irriguous valley spreads her store. 54 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; -Meanwhile murm'ring waters fall Down the slope hills dispersed, or in a lake, That to the fringed bank with myrtle crown' d, Her crystal mirror holds, unite their streams." With regard to the rules to be observed in lake-fishing, I shall be fitly brief. Lakes, owing to the different nature of the bottom, or feeding-ground, afford a great variety of trout, which prefer rather large and gaudy flies, and are generally easily lured. Lake- trout, too, are characterised by their fine red salmon-colour, and are infinitely superior to those which inhabit rivers. In lake-fishing the sportsman ought to angle near the margin, where the trout prowl in search of worms, flies, Sac. ; it would be quite absurd to cast in very deep water. In many situations, indeed, he may fish from the banks ; but, generally, it is necessary either to wade, or to cast from a boat. Should he be a wader, he ought to be well acquainted with the bot- tom, otherwise his footing might prove ex- tremely hazardous. With regard to boat- ing, as connected with this species of angling, I need only inform him, that he ought to be accompanied by a friend, who is an agreeable OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 55 companion, and a good boatman ; for he will not be able to manage both his rod and the oars. His tackle must be strong ; for lake-trout are in general rather sturdy customers ; and his flies must be such as I shall presently describe. In the Cumberland and Westmorland lakes, the angler will be most successful in the months of May and June. During the sum- mer months he may try the minnow a very killing bait, particularly in the evenings ; he may resume fly-fishing in the month of August. Of that vile engine, the lath, or jack, as it is sometimes called, I shall say nothing, be- cause it is unworthy the notice of the honest angler ; neither shall I extend this chapter by any remarks on trolling, or pike-fishing, as such sport requires no skill or ingenuity whatever. THE CINNAMON-BROWN FLY This fly is fished in June, and is a lake-fly of consider- able repute. Make the body of cinnamon- brown mohair, or worsted ; tip it with gold at the tail ; put on a red hackle below the wings for legs ; and make the wings of a red feather from the partridge tail hook, No. 5 or 6. 56 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; THE BROWN DRAKE This is a fly that kills very well not only on the lakes, but on many of the rivers in Scotland. The body is made of the dark part of the hare's ear, mixed with a little olive-coloured mohair ; it must be tipt at the tail with gold ; a red cock's hackle must be put on at the butt of the wings ; the wings must be of a brown mallard's feather. As a spring or autumn fly, it answers exceed- ingly well. Hook, for lake, No. 5 or 6 ; for river, No. 7. The brown mallard feather makes an excel- lent lake-fly for a clear day, either with a black or an olive body, with a black hackle over it, and without any tinsel. THE SCARLET LAKE-FLY. The body of this fly is made of bright scarlet mohair, or worsted ; it must be ribbed with gold thread, and a very deep orange hackle run up by the side of the twist, as far as the butt of the wings ; the wings may consist of a portion of the scarlet feather of the macaw hook, No. 4 or 5. THE LOCH DOUN FLY The bodyis made of black mohair, or worsted, with a tip of scar- OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 57 let at the tail ; it must be ribbed with gold thread, and hackled with a black-red feather from the neck of the cock ; the wings must consist of two small blue feathers, properly trimmed up, from the jay, one from each wing hook, No. 3, 4, or 5. THE FIERY-BROWN This is a good fly for lake-fishing. The body must be of fiery- brown coloured mohair, or worsted, mixed with a very little of the dark fur from the hare's ear ; a red cock's hackle must be put on under the butt of the wings for legs ; the wings must be of a feather from the outside of the woodcock's wing hook, No. 5 or 6. THE BLACK SPINNER This fly has acquired a high reputation, both as a lake and river-fly. It kills in April, May, and June. The body is generally made of the black fur from a hat, or of blue-black silk, ribbed with fine silver thread, or plait, with a black hackle over all; the wings may be of a feather from the widgeon's or starling's wing hook, for lake, No. 6 ; for river, No. 8 or 9. THE GOVERNOR FLY This fly answers well on some of our lakes. The body must 58 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; consist of a peacock harle of a copper colour ; it must be ribbed with fine gold thread, and tipt at the tail with orange silk ; put on a fine red hackle below the wings, which must be made of a dapper-coloured feather from a cock-pheasant's wing hook, No. 6, 7, or 8. THE CHANTREY FLY. The same as the above-mentioned fly, with only this difference : it must be tipt at the tail with gold-coloured silk, and ribbed with fine silver thread or plait. THE ALDER FLY. Let the wings be of the fine mottled long feather from the hen pheasant's tail, and the body of a copper- coloured peacock's harle, with a black hackle under the wings hook, No. 6 or 7. THE CLARET FLY. This is an excellent lake or river-fly. Dub the body with claret- coloured mohair, mixed with a little dark fur from the hare's ear ; tip it at the tail with gold ; put on a black hackle under the wings ; make the wings of a feather from a starling's wing which must be covered with a portion of the mottled feather from the partridge tail hook, No. 6, 7, or 8. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 59 THE SHORN FLY. This fly is made in the spider or hackle way, and is a capital killer on Ullswater, and the different lakes of Cumberland and Westmorland. It is of the beetle kind, the outside wing or shell being of a dark brown, and the inside wing of a light blue colour. It is to be seen in the latter end of May and June. The body is made very full, with a copper-coloured peacock harle ; a fine black-listed red hackle must be run round the head, and pressed well down ; tie with purple silk hook, No. 6 or 7. THE BEE FLY. The tail must consist of a tag of orange mohair ; the body must be dubbed with black mohair, or worsted, and ribbed with gold thread, with a black hackle over all; the wings may be of a fine blea feather from the jay's wing hook, No. 5. THE WASP FLY This fly is made with a gold-coloured mohair body, which must be ribbed with gold thread, and a copper-coloured peacock harle, and hackled with a black-listed red hackle; the wings may be taken from the quill-feather of a jay's wing. hook, No. 5. THE LIGHT MALLARD FLY This fly is 60 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; made with a body of light yellow mohair, rib- bed with gold thread, or plait, and hackled with a fine red hackle from a game cock ; the wings are of the light-mottled feather from the the wild mallard hook, No. 4, 5, 6. SIR H. DAVY'S LAKE-FLY The tail con- sists of one of the smallest feathers from the crest of the golden pheasant ; there is a tip of gold-plait at the tail, and two turns of black ostrich harle ; the body is of light yellow raw silk, and ribbed with silver-plait, or thread ; a fine bright ginger hackle is run up by the side of the tinsel to the butt of the wings; the wings are composed of a small butterfly-feather from the neck of the golden- pheasant, and a small yellow feather from the back of the same bird ; these two feathers are laid on by the side of each other, and stand erect on the back ; on each side are tied two strands of green, two of blue, one of red ma- caw's feathers, two of brown mallards, and two of teal's feathers ; and, lastly, a small bright-blue feather from the back of a king-fisher, is tied on each side, and a turn or two of black ostrich is put round the head hook, No. 5 or 6. OR, FLY-FISHER S COMPANION. 61 THE LANDRAIL FLY. The body is of bright orange silk, or mohair, and tipt at the tail with gold-plait ; a jet-black hackle is run over it up to the butt of the wings ; the wings are from a quill-feather of the landrail hook, No. 5, 6, 7. The WATERLOO FLY. The tail must con- sist of a small feather from the crest of the golden pheasant ; the body of crimson floss- silk, ribbed with silver-plait, with a black hackle over all; the wings must consist of four fine blue feathers from the king-fisher, put on whole, and placed by the side of each other ; round the head must be wrapt two or three turns of black ostrich harle hook, No. 5 or 6. SALMON-FISHING. " Soon, in his smart pain he feels the dire mistake, Lashes the wave, and beats the foamy lake ; With sudden rage he now aloft appears, And in his eye convulsive anguish bears ; And now again, impatient of the wound, He rolls and wreathes his shining body round ; Then headlong shoots beneath the dashing tide, The trembling fins the boiling wave divide : Now hope exalts the fisher's beating heart Now he turns pale, and fears his dubious art ; He views the trembling fish with longing eyes, While the line stretches with the unwieldy prize ; Each motion humours with his steady hands, And one slight hair the mighty bulk commands ; Till tired, at last, despoil'd of all his strength, The game athwart the stream unfolds his length." GAT. The angler ought to enter upon this noble sport about the beginning of March, on a dark, cloudy day, when the wind blows fresh from the south-west. At this season of the year, the new or clean salmon begin to enter OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 63 our rivers, and the old or spawning fish are getting into better condition. The salmon- rod must be strong, and of from eighteen to twenty-one feet in length. The reel must be large enough to contain about one hundred yards of line, which may be either of strong silk and hair, or of hemp. If a flax or hemp-line be used, thirty or forty yards of hair-line, eighteen or twenty hairs thick, must be spliced to it. This is done to favour the better delivery of the line. The casting-line may be about three or four yards in length, and must be made of three plies of round gut well twisted together, to which must be looped the fly, tied on a length of twisted, or very strong single gut. In casting for salmon, the fisherman holds his rod with both hands, having the right-hand above the reel, with his fore- finger on the line, and the left-hand below it. He casts a line of from about twenty-five to thirty yards down the river, in an oblique direction, and plays his fly upwards, or towards him. This species of casting is the very reverse of that which is generally practised in trout-fishing. A trout takes the fly best near 64 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; the surface of the water, while a salmon takes it a few inches below the surface. The salmon- fly must be constantly kept in motion, to give it a lively appearance, by the continual but unequal movement of the rod. The salmon is most apt to take the fly early in the morning, about day-break, till some time after sun-rise, if there has been no frost during the preceding night; or from ten till two, if the day be cloudy, and a good curl on the water ; or about the time when the sun is sinking below the horizon. Should the fisherman see a salmon rise, he ought to throw his fly nicely over him, and should he refuse it, he must be tempted again in the evening, when, if he has not been disturbed, he will be almost certain to come in good earnest, on the very spot, too, where he had previously been seen. The angler ought to be acquainted with the localities of the river ; he ought to know the situations in which the fish are most apt to lie ; for salmon, except when running up the river from the sea, always feed near their holds. The pools or heads of streams, particularly where there are rocks or large stones, where the OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 65 river is pretty deep, are the places where salmon are most likely to be found. In April and May, the clean fish sometimes lie in very strong, deep currents. The salmon-fisher is generally most successful when the river is black, but not too full. There ought always to be a good curl on the water; the sky must be cloudy, and the weather ought not to be frosty. I shall now proceed to make the amateur acquainted with the method of killing a salmon. In the first place, when the fish rises, he must not be in too great a hurry in striking it ; but, before striking, he must allow it to turn down- wards, otherwise he would be very apt to pull away the hook, and fail in securing his prey. When the fish is securely hooked, he ought to keep his rod-top well elevated, bearing gently upon it. This tends both to prevent the sub- mersion of the line, and the salmon from taking an undue advantage by securing him- self in some of his strong-holds. Should the fish, on being hooked, spring out of the water, the angler must be ex- tremely cool, and manage, as he best can, to prevent him from breaking the tackle, or get- 66 THE NORTHERN ANGLER; ting rid of the hook ; or, should he become sulky, and attach himself to the bottom, (a circumstance of not unfrequent occurrence, particularly in the latter end of the season,) it will be necessary for the fisherman to keep his line tight, and to rouse him as soon as he possibly can, by throwing in stones, or by resorting to any other expedient within his power. He must keep his right-hand constantly on the wince of the reel, to wind up, or let out the line as occasion may require, while he holds the rod against his body, allowing the line to run between the fingers of the left- hand. Sometimes, however, this last piece of advice cannot be taken ; for the fish fre- quently runs the line so rapidly off, that it would inevitably cut the fingers. Should the salmon run up or down the river, the sportsman ought to follow it as fast as he can, always being careful to keep his rod-top well up, letting out the line and winding it up, as occasion may require. In killing a salmon, the angler ought to keep opposite the head, and, if possible, to OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 67 run him down the stream ; by so doing, he will soon succeed in exhausting him. When the fish is completely exhausted, the angler must endeavour to throw it off its fins bv drawing it to shallow water, on a level or tt thin side, and should it make a sudden plunge he must manage his line with great caution, and again gently wind it up, being careful always to keep the rod-top well elevated, until he has an opportunity of striking it with the gaff-hook, and safely landing it. I shall now give the reader a description 01 a few of the various flies used for killing sal- mon in many of the rivers of both England and Scotland. The first I shall describe, is one which has been found to kill remarkably well on the Eden and the Esk in Cumberland. Let the tail of the fly be of a feather from the crest of the golden pheasant, or from the breast of the yellow macaw, with a tip of silver or gold ; the body of orange or of gold-coloured floss silk, ribbed with gold or silver-tinsel, with a black hackle, carried by the side or edge of the tinsel all the way up the shank of the hook ; 68 THE NORTHERN ANGLER J the wings must be double; the under wings may be made of a black-and-white-speckled feather from the common drake, or from the teal; and the upper wings of the covering- feather from the golden pheasant's tail, with a strand of blue and buff, and a strand of red macaw feathers in each wing. A little orange or gold-coloured mohair or pig's wool may be put on the shoulders at the butt of the wings. For Scotland, the feathers of which the upper and under wings of this fly are composed may be advantageously mixed ; the body ought then to be of black worsted, or mohair, ribbed with silver-tinsel, or twist, with a black hackle carried by the side of the tinsel as far as the shoulders ; or, it may be made of blue mo- hair, or pig's wool, and ribbed with gold-twist, and hackled with a black hackle; the tail must be yellow. The two lastar e good sum- mer flies for the Highlands. The glead feather kills very well, during the whole season, in all the salmon rivers in Cumberland and the south of Scotland. Take a little of the yellow macaw's feather for the tail, and put on a tip of silver or gold ; the OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 69 body maybe of mohair, yellow, orange, or red, ribbed with gold or silver-plait, or twist, and hackled all the way with a black-red listed feather from a cock's neck; a small blue feather from the outside of a jay's wing must be wrapt round the shoulders, under the butt of the wings ; the wings must be made of a feather from the glead's tail, with a little drake's feather underneath. The following fly was much esteemed by the late Sir Humphrey Davy : The tail con- sists of a feather from the crest of the golden pheasant ; the body is of orange floss-silk, tipt at the tail with silver-thread and two turns of purple raw silk ; it is ribbed with embossed silver-tinsel, by the side of which a black hackle is run up as far as the shoulders; the under wings consist of a portion of teal- drake's feather, on the outside of which, round the shoulders, are made three turns with a small blue feather from the jay ; the out- side wings are of a fine brown turkey or glead's feather ; on each side of the upper-wings are placed two fine blue feathers from the king- fisher, and a little black ostrich harle is put 70 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; round the head. The fine black-and-white- mottled feather of the peacock, or turkey, also makes a very good salmon-fly, particularly for the latter end of the season. The tail of this fly must be yellow ; put on a tip of silver- thread ; the body may be of bright orange, red, or blue mohair, or pig's wool, ribbed with gold or silver-tinsel, or twist, and hackled all the way, with a black feather from the neck of the common cock ; the wings are of the black-and-white-mottled feather from the peacock or turkey. In Scotland, this fly is generally made with a blue or purple body, ribbed with gold or silver-twist. In the Tweed, a black turkey feather, tipt with white, kills remarkably well. Let the tail be of yellow mohair, with a tip of silver ; make the body of black mohair, or worsted, rib it with gold-twist, and hackle it with a black-listed red feather from the neck of the game-cock ; put on a little orange pig's wool, or mohair at the shoulders ; let the wings be of a black turkey feather, with a small tip of white. On the same river, the light-mottled mal- OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 71 lard's feather is found to answer very well ; the tail may be of yellow mohair, with a small tag of brown worsted, tipt with silver ; the body must be of black mohair, or worsted, rib- bed with gold twist, and hackled with a red feather from the neck of the game-cock; the wings must be made of a light-mottled mallard's feather, with a little brown worsted round the head. This last fly is an excellent killer in clear water. The caper-kelzie, or cock-of-the-wood feather is found to answer well in almost all the Highland rivers. The tail of the fly must be yellow, from the crest of the golden phea- sant, with a tip of silver-thread ; make the body of black or purple mohair, rib it with three turns of gold or silver-twist, or tinsel, and carry a jet-black hackle by the side of the tinsel upwards, as far as the shoulders ; a little orange pig's wool may be put on below the wings ; the wings must be made of the fine black-and-white-mottled feather from the caper-kelzie. Such is the fineness and deli- cacy of the caper-kelzie feather, that the bodies of flies, the wings of which are made 72 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; with it, may be varied in a great many ways so as to suit salmon, gilse and sea-trout. The brown-mallard's feather, is also very good in any part of Scotland. The tail must be yellow, with a tip of gold, or silver; the body may be black, orange, blue, or green, and rib- bed with gold or silver-tinsel, or twist, and hackled, with a black or red-feather from the neck of the game-cock ; the wings may be made either of the brown-mallard's feather alone, or of the brown-mallard's feather, mixed with a strand or two of a feather from the guinea fowl, or caper-kelzie. On the Tay, near Perth, the fishermen are in the habit of using a fly made with a heron's hackle, of a black colour. The tail may be of crimson worsted ; the body is tri-coloured, being yellow near the tail, crimson in the centre, and black near the head ; it must be ribbed with gold twist ; a red hackle must be put over the crimson and yellow parts, and the heron's hackle over the black part of the body ; the wings are of a turkey feather, of a brown colour, tipt with white, and are made rather short. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 73 The brown turkey-feather, tipt with white, answers exceedingly well on the Derwent, the Esk, the Liddel, and most of the rivers in the south of Scotland. Let the tail of this fly be yellow, or red, and put on a tip of silver ; make the body with a copper-coloured pea- cock's harle, rib it with gold-twist, and put on a black-listed red hackle all the way up to the shoulders ; let the wings be made of a brown-turkey feather, tipt with white. The heron's-feather is much esteemed by some anglers. The fly must have a yellow tail ; the body may be of yellow worsted, or mohair, ribbed with gold-twist, and a black hackle ; the wings must be of the soft blue feather from the wing of the heron, mixed with a little teal- drake feather. What is called the tartan-fly kills well in the Highlands at the clearing of the water. The tail must be yellow, mixed with a little red ; and tipt with silver-thread ; the body must be of five or six different colours, yellow, blue, orange, green, red, and black ; the colours must join ; the dubbing, which must be mohair, or pig's wool, of the different colours specified 74 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; above, must be laid on rather full, and picked out with the point of the scissors, to give the fly a bright and lively appearance ; it must be ribbed with gold or silver-twist, and hackled with a black feather from the neck of the game- cock ; the wings may be made of a feather from the glead's tail. Fancy flies are great favourites in Ireland, and even in some parts of England and Scot- land. Of these, I shall give the reader a few specimens. The tail of the fly may consist of a feather from the crest of the golden phea- sant, with a tip of silver ; the body may be of two or three different colours, as yellow, orange, red, or blue, or otherwise ; it must be ribbed with gold or silver, and hackled with a black or a black-listed red feather from the neck of the game-cock, with a jay's .hackle under the wings ; the wings may be composed of a feather from the crest of the golden pheasant, with a little of the feather of the brown mallard, mixed with a few strands of the guinea fowl, teal, golden-pheasant's tail, argus pheasant, and blue and red macaw's feathers ; the wings, in this case, are not OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 75 divided, and one feather only from the crest of the golden pheasant must be put on as the covering feather ; a small blue feather from the back of the king-fisher may be tied on each side of the wings ; two strands from the blue and buff macaw may be tied on as horns, or feelers ; a little black ostrich may be put round the head. The following is also a good fancy-fly : Take a feather from the golden-pheasant's crest, for the tail, which must be tipt with silver; make the body of black mohair, or worsted, rib it with silver-twist, and carry a jay's blue hackle by the side of it, up to the shouders ; for wings, put on, first, a portion of brown-mallard's feather, then two or three turns of a blue feather from the jay ; and, lastly, a feather from the crest of the golden pheasant ; put on two strands of blue macaw's feather, as horns, with a strand of black ostrich round the head. Another fly, of this description, is made as follows : The tail is of a feather from the crest of the golden pheasant, with a tip of silver ; the body is made of orange-silk, or 76 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; mohair, ribbed with gold-tinsel and silver-twist, (the twist must be run by the side or edge of the gold-tinsel,) and a guinea-fowl feather dyed of a deep-orange colour is run up by the side of the tinsel, as a hackle, all the way to the shoulders ; the wings are made of a feather from the neck of the golden phea- sant, by the side of which is placed a mixture of a brown-mallard, yellow and blue macaw, green-parrot's tail, and golden-pheasant's back-feathers ; a small blue feather from the back of the king-fisher may be put on each side of the wing. This is called the Bally- shannon fly. The crottle fly has acquired a high reputa- tion for grilse and sea-trout. The tail may consist of two strands of brown-mallard's feather ; the body may be made rather full, of orange or brick-dust-coloured mohair, ribbed with gold-twist, and hackled all the way with a brown hackle, dyed of a reddish colour. Sometimes the body is only tipt with gold or silver at the tail ; the wings are divided and are made of a brown-mallard's feather. It is needless here to describe more salmon OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 77 flies, as they may be infinitely varied, accord- ing to the fancy and taste of the maker. In the months of July and August, the Highland rivers abound with salmon, grilse, and sea-trout. The best rivers are in Suther- landshire, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, Argyle- shiroj Perthshire, &c. In these rivers, when the water is clear, very dark flies, and when it is brownish or black, very gaudy flies, are found to kill best. In the Lowlands of Scot- land, too, the sportsman may have very good salmon-fishing in the spring, particularly on the Tweed, the Dee, the Nith, the Annan, the Esk, the Liddel, &c. For some of the last-mentioned rivers, the flies must be made rather full in the body For a list of trout and salmon-streams in Scotland, I must refer the reader to Mr. Stoddart's elegant little book, entitled " The Scottish Angler." I shall now proceed to describe a few grilse, sea-trout, and whitling or whiting flies. The following is a very good grilse-fly, for a black water, on the Eden, or the Esk, in Cum- berland : The tail of the fly must be yellow ; the body must be made of orange or gold- 78 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; coloured silk, ribbed with silver-tinsel, and hackled all the way up to the shoulders with a fine jet-black feather from the neck of the game-cock ; the wings must be of a portion of the black-and-white-mottled feather of the common drake hook, No. 1 or 2. This fly, when dressed with a loch-teal's feather, on a number five or six hook, without a tail, will kill sea-trout and whitlings. A very good grilse-fly may be made with the mottled-feather of the golden-pheasant's tail. Make the tail of a portion of a feather from the neck of the golen pheasant, mixed with a little red ; let the body be of orange raw silk ; it must be ribbed with gold-thread or tinsel; a black-listed red hackle must be run up by the side of the tinsel, all the way to the butt of the wings ; make the wings of a portion of the golden-pheasant's tail, mixed with a little teal-drake's feather, and two strands of a feather from the red macaw hook, No. 1, 2, or 3. The bittern-feather is also very good. Let the tail of this fly consist of a little orange mohair ; the body of yellow silk, or mohair ; rib it with gold or silver-thread, and hackle OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 79 it all the way up with either a black, or a black-listed feather from the game-cock's neck ; mix a portion of the bittern-feather taken from the shoulders with a little teal-drake's feather for the wings hook, No. 1 or 2. This fly, when dressed on a number four or five hook, will answer very well for sea-trout. The following fly is by no means a bad one for black water. Let the tail be yellow; make the body of scarlet silk, or worsted ; rib it with silver-tinsel, and run up a black hackle by the side of the tinsel over the body; make the wings of a little of the fine black-and- white-mottled feather from the teal-drake, mixed with a little of the long-feather from the cock-pheasant's tail, and two strands from the feather of the blue macaw hook, No. 1, 2, or 3. The following is a good sea-trout fly : For the rivers in Cumberland, the body must be made of yellow or orange raw silk ; but for Scotland, of blue or black mohair ; it must be ribbed with gold or silver-tinsel, or thread, with a black hackle run up by the side of the 80 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; tinsel to the shoulders ; the wings must be of a portion of a mottled-feather from the teal- drake hook, No. 4, 5, or 6. The landrail fly, a description of which I have already given, is also a good killer of sea-trout and whitlings. This is also a good sea-trout fly in Cum- berland. Make the body of orange raw silk, and leave a tag of the same for a tail ; rib it with gold-tinsel, and put a black hackle thinly over it, by the side of the tinsel, as far-as the butt of the wings ; let the wings be of a por- tion of the pale-mottled feather of the common drake, mixed with a little of the rich gold- coloured feather from the cock-pheasant's breast hook, No. 4 or 5. When dressed on a No. 6 or 7 hook, this fly will answer very well for whitling fishing. Another grilse or sea-trout fly may be made in the following way : Let the body be of bright-purple silk, or worsted, and rib it with gold-thread, by the side of which must be run up a black-listed red hackle, as far as the shoulders; make the wings of the dark-mottled OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 81 feather of the common drake hook, for grilse, No. 2 or 3 ; for sea-trout, No. 5 ; for whitling, No. 6. A fly, made of the long feather from the shoulders of the dotterel is sometimes found to answer very well for whitling-fishing in the rivers of Cumberland. Make the body of yellow raw silk, rib it with gold-finsel, and put on a black-brown hackle by the side of the tinsel, as far as the butt of the wings ; let the wings be of a portion of the feather men- tioned above hook, No. 6 or 7. A feather from the wing of the field-fare, or the jay, is found to kill whitlings well in some of the rivers in Cumberland. Form the body of hare's ear ; tip it with gold-tinsel at the tail ; put on a hackle, from the neck of the horned owl, below the wings ; and let the wings be of a feather of the field-fare, or jay hook, No. 6 or 7. M CURING OF SALMON-ROE. The salmon-roe, when well cured, is certainly the most destructive bait, particularly in the spring, of any that can be used with the inten- tion of killing trout. In Cumberland, the fishermen are quite adepts in curing it, and are, at the same time, well-acquainted with the best method of using it as a bait. I have read a great many books on the subject of roe-fishing ; but they all appear to be devoid of practical information. I hope, however, that I shall not here be considered an advo- cate for roe-fishing, as it tends to destroy the nobler sport of fly-fishing, and encourages a system of poaching that ought to be checked. As I have here introduced the subject, how- ever, I shall endeavour to make the amateur acquainted with the best method of curing the salmon-roe, and of using it as a bait. In the first place, he must procure a quantity of the fresh roe of the salmon, as near the time as possible when the salmon is about to spawn. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 83 At this time, the ova have separated from the matrix, or bed. Roe, in this state, may be cured without much difficulty, and when well cured, it may be kept for use all the year round, by placing it in a damp situation, in dry weather, or on a cool dry shelf, in a cellar, in damp or wet weather. Remove the roe from the belly of the fish, and put it into a large earthen pot ; pour cold soft water upon it, so as to cover it, and let it stand a few minutes. This is done with the intention of freeing it from the blood. You must now pour off the cold water, and pour upon the roe, water as hot as you can hold your hand in without pain, and separate all the ova, or eggs, gently, with your fingers, being careful not to break them. You must then separate the skins, or bed, as completely as you can, leaving the ova free and detached. Drain off the water a second time, and pour on fresh warm water, and remove the shreds and skins as before. This operation must be repeated four or five times, or till the roe is rendered quite clean. You must be careful, during the whole of this process, not to use 84 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; too hot water ; for should you do so, you would inevitably spoil your roe. You must now pour upon the roe a large quantity of cold water ; this will separate any skins that may remain ; they will float on the sur- face. Now drain off the cold water, and put the clean roe into a hair sieve, or suspend it on a coarse linen cloth, for the purpose of get- ting rid of all the water. To about three pounds of roe, cleaned in the manner described above, add about five or six ounces of table- salt. Mix the salt well with the ova with your fingers, taking care not to break them. The salted roe must now be put into a hair sieve or cullender, and allowed to stand a few hours till the whole of the brine is drained off. Having got rid of nearly all the brine, spread your roe on a large shallow plate, and place it at a convenient distance before the fire, turning it gently, now and then, with a flat stick, in order to dry it without its getting incrusted. The plate, containing the roe, must be placed before the fire in an oblique or sloping position. This favours the separa- tion of any brine which may be left in the roe, OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 85 as the brine will gravitate or fall to the bot- tom, or lower part of the plate, when it must be removed with a spoon. As soon as your roe has acquired a proper degree of consistency, you must set it aside to cool ; for you must by no means put it into pots before it is quite cold, otherwise it would cer- tainly spoil. When quite cold, put it into earthen jars, and press it well down. The jars ought to be filled nearly to the brim, and covered with a piece of linen cloth, smeared with hog's lard ; then cover up the whole with a piece of bladder, which must be neatly tied down to exclude the air. Some anglers, in salting their roe, add a small quantity of salt-petre, in order, I pre- sume, to heighten its natural colour. This practice, however, is essentially bad, and can- not be too strongly reprobated. Of par- boiling roe, smearing it with sweet spirit of nitre, and other wonderful secrets, I need say nothing, as all such methods are erroneous and absurd. ROE-FISHING. In the first place, the river must be flooded ; that is, full and muddy. The rod used in roe-fishing must be very stiff, and, at the same time, strong, without being too heavy; the stiffness must extend to the point. Rods made of East India bamboo cane are undoubt- edly the best. A roe-rod ought by no means to be slack or supple in the middle. The reel-line must also be strong. To the reel- line loop a tackle or bottom, made of about four lengths of very strong gut. To this bottom must be looped or tied a length of gut, on the end of which is securely tied a No. 1 or 2 hook, of the Kirby-bend, and short in the shank. Put a few split shot, more or less, according to the strength of the current you are fishing in, on the last length of gut, about six or seven inches from the hook. In fishing what is called the running bait, your line must be a foot or two shorter than the rod; this will enable you to command your stroke OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 87 well. Put upon your hook a quantity of roe, about the size of a small hazel nut, which must completely fill the bend and cover the point. You must throw your bait in well above you, and let it gradually tumble down at the bottom until it gets a little lower than where you stand, following it with your rod. You will thus be enabled to give what roe-fishers term the ready stroke, which is made by jerk- ing the rod suddenly upwards. To throw in your bait above you ; to follow it with your hand, as it trundles past you ; to lift out your bait when it stops ; and to strike the fish, at the least touch, are nearly all the circum- stances the roe-fisher need bear in mind. Some, indeed, allege, that it is quite impossible to distinguish the touch of a trout from that of a stone, or any thing else that may stop the bait. Such anglers always strike as soon as the bait stops. This practice appears to be good, and is certainly liable to no objections that I am aware of. In fishing the running- bait, indeed, you can seldom throw in half-a- dozen times without losing it ; but the oftener you lose it, so much the better. For this 88 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; encourages the trout to feed at the place where you are fishing. The roe-fisher ought to be well acquainted with the localities of the river ; he ought to know the nature of the bottom, and the haunts of the trout. The head of a stream, where the current is not too strong, or the bottom of a stream where it forms a gentle eddy, is, in general, a good situation. When you intend to fish what is called the lying bait, throw in a few pieces of roe to encourage the fish to feed at the place. It must be fished when the river is brown and very full, in pools, or where the water runs log. The line must be well loaded with shot, and kept under the rod ; or, rather, it must form a right angle with the rod. When a trout touches the bait, allow it a little time by moving the rod gently ; and, on its touching a second time, strike it, and boldly pull it out ; for in roe-fishing, you must give a fish no quarter. The pea-roe is tried when the river is clear, for killing brandlings, or par. These little fishes generally take this bait very greedily. OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 89 Tie a No. 6 or 7 hook, of the Kirby-bend, on a fine round piece of gut, on which must be fastened two pellets of shot to cause it to sink to the bottom ; put on two of the ova, or peas, as they are called, and fish at the bottom of a stream, where the brandlings are likely to be met with. Fish with a short line, and allow the bait to trundle at the bottom in the same way as in fishing the running bait for trout. It is unnecessary here, I presume, to advise the reader, particularly should he be an expe- rienced fly-fisher, never to resort to killing brandlings, either with the pea-roe, or with any other bait ; such sport is only fit for chil- dren. Besides, brandlings are, as I shall hereafter prove, the young of the salmon. As roe-fishing is so destructive to the breed of salmon, and so ungenial to the feelings of the true sportsman, I cannot dismiss the subject without hoping that it will seldom or never be followed, even by those who angle for a livelihood. N MINNOW-FISHING. This species of angling may be practised in the spring, summer, and autumn, when the river is clearing after a flood, and a little too full and thick for fly-fishing ; or, in other words, when the river is rather full, and of a black- brown colour. Under such circumstances, the minnow generally proves a very killing bait. The largest trout are most apt to take it, and in such a way as to afford the sports- man excellent amusement ; for they do not rise at it quietly, as they do at a fly ; but spring, open-mouthed, furiously upon it, often from a distance of several feet. Although an artificial minnow will answer remarkably well, yet the natural one is gene- rally preferred. The artificial minnow, if used at all, must be very skilfully made, other- wise it will not spin well in the water, and will, consequently, be altogether useless. Of the natural minnows, those of a middle size are reckoned the best; the common loche, too, OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 91 is considered good ; but the stickle-back has not been found to answer. As it is often rather difficult to procure fresh minnows, some are in the habit of salting them, so that they may always have a good supply, when wanted. The salted minnow, I believe, will answer nearly as well, when well preserved, and of a fine bright colour, as the fresh one. These little fishes, however, may be kept alive for any length of time in a well or tank of fresh water. When taken out to fish with, they must be put into a small box, and covered with a little wet sand, to keep them moist and fresh. The rod for fishing with the minnow must be strong, such as is used for roe-fishing, longer or shorter, according to the size of the river. The reel-line and tackle must likewise be strong. The bottom or casting-line must consist of three lengths of twisted gut ; to this a tackle must be looped, consisting of one length of twisted, and two lengths of strong single gut. There must be one swivel be- tween the first two lengths, and another between the last two lengths of the tackle. 92 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; Upon the last length of single gut must he tied three No. 1 or 2 hooks, of the Kirby- bend, and short of the shank. The first hook must be tied on about an inch and a half from the end of the gut ; the extremity of the shank of the second must be laid upon the gut near the bend of the first, the backs of the hooks being opposed to each other, and tied firmly down ; and the last hook must be tied upon the end of the gut. In tying on these three hooks, the amateur must, of course, begin with the last, or the hook at the end of the gut, and proceed upwards ; for I have above described the operation of tying on the hooks inversely, thinking such a description would be more clear. This is the common minnow tackle. In addition, however, to the three hooks already mentioned I would recom- mend one No. 3 or 4 hook, to be placed by the side of the fish. When such a tackle is used, the minnow will not only spin better, but a fish will very seldom escape being hooked. A few split shot must be fastened on the gut, about four or five inches from the hooks. This is done to cause the minnow to OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 93 spin. The minnow is put on the hooks in the following way : The first hook is intro- duced from behind its head, through its mouth, or under-jaw, and the second through the back, while the tail is turned to one side, so as to give the fish a considerable curvature, and held in that position by the third ; other- wise it would not spin. The loose hook must lay by the side. Although trout will take the minnow during the whole season, I believe it kills best in summer, or towards autumn. Early in the morning is, perhaps, in general, the best time; but, with regard to this, I believe no general rules can be laid down. In fishing with this bait, it is generally unne- cessary to wade, as, the river being rather full, the trout are feeding near the banks. It would be quite ridiculous to fish in pools, or very shallow water. Streams or currents of a sufficient depth, provided they be not too rapid, where there are rocks, or large stones, or near the banks, are the best places. But the angler ought to know where the largest trout are to be met with ; for small ones will not 94 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; take his bait. He must fish with a shortish line, and throw the minnow up the stream, or current, and cause it to spin rapidly across, or allow it to descend, and spin it upwards, causing it to traverse the stream in a zig-zag manner. The whole art and mystery, indeed, of minnow-fishing, consists in causing the min- now to spin quickly. This it will not do, unless it be put on the hooks in a proper man- ner, and drawn through the water with suffi- cient rapidity. The angler must bear in mind, that the more rapidly the minnow shall spin, the more apt will the trout be to take it. When a trout rises at the bait, the angler must not strike him immediately ; but allow him to turn, and carry it away a little, and then strike him. In summer, the minnow is an excellent bait, in clear water, for night-fishing. It must then be fished in the streams where the trout come out to feed. As in the above article, I have described the common minnow-tackle only, it may not be amiss to subjoin a few diagrams, illustrat- OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 95 ing others that have been highly approved of by anglers of great experience. Should the angler feel inclined to try the artificial minnow, I would advise him to use a small one ; those which are sold in the shops are, for the northern rivers, generally too large, too bright, and, I may add, not suffici- ently curved. I cannot recommend metallic tails ; this appendage ought to be formed of the strong scale of the carp, whalebone, or some such substance. The small cork min- now certainly looks very well in the fishing- case, but is otherwise utterly worthless, par- ticularly in the north. WATER-CRICKET, OR CREEPER- FISHING. This insect is found in April, below large stones, and (as I have already informed the reader) becomes the May or stone-fly. As it would perhaps be somewhat difficult to recog- nise it from a mere description, I have consi- dered it proper to subjoin a drawing. The creeper is a very killing bait. In a clear day, from the middle of April till the latter end of May, it is not uncommon for an expert angler to kill twenty or thirty pounds of trout in a few hours, and these of the largest size. It is a bait, indeed, that seldom disappoints those whom practical experience hath taught to fish it in a proper manner. The angler must be provided with a rather long, stiff fly rod. The bottom or casting- line must be strong, and at the same time very fine ; the tackle ought to be of three lengths of fine, strong, round gut ; a No. 3 hook of the round bend must be tied on the OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 97 end of the last length of the tackle, leaving about the eighth part of an inch of the extre- mity of the shank without any lapping ; and two split shot must be fastened on the gut, four inches from the hook. The creeper must be put on the hook in the following way : Introduce the point of the hook into the belly of the insect, near the breast, and turn it over the bend, so that the point shall come out near the tail ; then push the extremity of the shank of the hook through its head to pre- vent it from slipping up the line. The hook will thus be completely covered. The creeper must be fished, when the water is very clear, in the rough streams, with a line not much longer than the rod. The angler must commence at the bottom of a stream, and cautiously wade upwards, so as to disturb the water as little as possible ; he must throw his bait directly up the stream, and allow it to trundle down at the bottom, while he carefully follows the line with his rod. Should the bait stop, at any time, he must immediately strike by giving his rod a jerk, downwards rather than otherwise, as the trout 98 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; cannot lie well in & current, except with their heads against it. He will thus strike the hook into the jaw of the fish. But should he be too slow in striking when the bait stops, the fish on feeling the hook, would be apt to disgorge it. When the angler hooks a trout, he must be careful to disturb the water as little as pos- sible on landing him. Among the minnow-tackles, the reader will find a drawing of a creeper-tackle with two hooks. The creeper is put upon the large hook in the way already pointed out, and the small hook is introduced through its head. Similar to this species of angling is fishing with the worm a very killing bait, particu- larly in the streams, when the water is clear. But as ground-fishing is seldom resorted to as an amusement by those who excel in fly-fishing, I shall treat the subject as briefly as possible. Various sorts of worms are used for ground angling, as the lob or dew worm, the common earth worm, the brandling, and the red worm. The lob or dew worm may be found in gardens, late in a summer evening. It is a OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 99 large worm, has a red head, a streak down the back, and a broad flat tail. It is said to be a good bait for salmon. Of the common earth worms, those of a middle size, which have shining blue heads, and are free from knots, are considered the best ; but these worms, particularly for clear water, are very inferior to the brandling and red worms. The brandling and red worms are found in old dung-hills, in old hot-beds, in the rich soil near tan-pits, &c. The brandling worm is a beautifully-streaked variety, and is somewhat larger than the red worm. Worms, before used, are generally kept about a week in fresh moss, with the intention of cleansing and toughening them. The moss ought to be changed every day. Some recommend a spoonful of cream or sweet milk to be added to the moss, in order to keep it moist. In fishing with the worm, a large hook must be used. A few split shot must be fas- tened on the bottom line, a few inches from the hook, to cause the bait to sink. Some 100 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; anglers are in the habit of putting two worms upon the hook ; but this method of baiting need only be tried when the water is discoloured. The hook must be completely concealed by the bait. The worm kills well, both in muddy and clear water. In muddy water, this species of bait-fishing requires but little art. When the water is clear, however, the angler must strictly observe the rules which I have given for fishing with the creeper. 41L~ ON THE SALMO SALAR, OR COM- MON SALMON. Notwithstanding the researches of the most learned zoologists, our knowledge of that section of ichthyology to which the salmo salar, or common salmon, belongs, is still very imper- fect. In the estuary of the Tay, Dr. Flem- ming met with seven species of the genus salmo. These are, 1 Salmo salar, or common salmon ; 2 Salmo eriox, the grey or shewn; 3 Salmo trutta, or sea-trout ; 4 Salmo albus, or whitling ; 5 Salmo huco, or bull-trout ; 6 Salmo fario, or river-trout ; 7 Salmo eperlanus, the sperling, or smelt. I do not mean to state, however, that all the individuals enumerated above are charac- terised as distinct species. This class, or family, according to Dr. Flemming and others, may be divided into " those which are migratory, and those which 102 THE NORTHERN ANGLER; are not migratory to the sea." As I have had but few opportunities of studying the natural history of the salmonidae, I shall only notice the salmo salar, or common salmon. The evidence contained in the " Reports of a Select Committee of the House of Commons, on the Salmon-fisheries of the United King- dom," distinctly proves, that in the months of August, September, and October, the salmon begin to enter the rivers to deposit their spawn, and that when about to perform this process, they follow the mid-channel of the river, and appear instinctively to seek its sources. The fish, however, it would seem, if stopped by some insurmountable obstacle, always endeavour to find a stream, lower down the river, suitable for the process of spawning. I may here remark, that fish, which are very full bellied when they enter the river, never proceed very far up to deposit their spawn. The reason of this is obvious. Salmon spawn from about the beginning of November till the latter end of January, or even later. According to Mr. Halliday and Mr. Little, two witnesses examined before a OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 103 committee of the House of Commons, this pro- cess is accomplished in the following manner. The male and female fish select a suitable place in the running water, where the bottom is gravelly, and play round it for some time. They then begin to make a furrow, by work- ing up the gravel with their noses. When the furrow is made, they throw themselves on their sides, and, rubbing against each other, shed their spawn into it ; and they cover the furrow with loose gravel, as they proceed upwards. In making the furrow, they always work against the stream. Some suppose that the furrow is made by the male fish alone ; but this is incorrect. The male, indeed, is undoubtedly more active than the female in this operation ; but the hook at the extremity of the lower jaw appears only to be character- istic of the male, and could not, I think, be produced by mechanical means. Although the roe of the female contains from 17,000 to 20,000 eggs, one only can be excluded at a time. The fish, therefore, con- tinue daily increasing the number of furrows for several davs, and form a bed of about 12 104 THE NORTHERN ANGLER J feet, by 8 or 10. The spawning bed is easily known, says Mr. Little, by the thrown-up gravel; by some it is said to resemble an onion-bed. Mr. Halliday states that he has seen, on one spawning-bed, three pair of fish at one time. Should the male fish be destroyed in the act of spawning, the female leaves the bed, and retires to some deep pool, to find another mate. Grilse spawn in the same manner as salmon. The spawning-beds are generally haunted by a number of small fishes, which come to feed on the ova. According to Mr. Little, the ova remain in these beds, completely covered with loose gravel, for several weeks, or till the genial warmth of spring occasions their evolution. From the gravel, the young fish, their tails appearing first, are said to spring up like a braird of corn. Mr. Shaw, of Dumfries-shire, in a late number of the " Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," states, that on the 10th January, 1836, he obtained a quantity of the ova of the salmon, three days after they had been deposited, and covered them with gravel in a OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 105 stream of pure spring water. He assiduously watched their progress from day to day, and discovered appearances of animation forty- eight days after they had been deposited, by observing a minute streak of blood, which originated near two small dark spots, which he afterwards discovered to be the eyes of the embryo fish. On the 8th April, ninety days after the ova had been deposited in the gravel, he found that the fishes were completely excluded. The temperature of the water in which the evolution of the embryo fishes took place, was 43 ; the temperature of the water in the river, 45 ; and the temperature of the air, 39. " On its first exclusion," says Mr. Shaw, the head is large in proportion to the body, which is exceedingly small, and measures about five-eighths of an inch in length, of a pale blue or peach-blossom colour. But the most singular part of the fish is the appendage of a bag which adheres to the neck, or upper part of the belly. It is of a conical shape, the base being attached to the fish. The bag is about two-eighths of an inch in length, of a beautiful transparent red, very 106 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; much resembling a red currant, and in conse- quence of its colour, it may be seen at the bottom of the water, when the fish itself can with difficulty be perceived. It also presents another singular appearance, namely, a fin or fringe, resembling that of the tail of the tad- pole, running from the dorsal and anal fins to the termination of the tail, slightly indented. It does not appear that this little fish leaves the gravel immediately after its exclusion from the egg ; but rather, that it remains upwards of fifty days more under the gravel with this bag, as a supply of nourishment during that period, on the same principle as the umbilical supplies of other animals. By the end of fifty days, or the 30th of May, the bag disap- peared, or rather contracted, and formed the belly of the fish. The fin, or tadpole-like fringe, also disappeared by dividing itself into the dorsal, adipose, and anal fins, all of which then became perfectly developed." The reader will not be a little surprised when he is in- formed that this little fish turned out to be a parr or brandling. This, however, Mr. Shaw assures us was actually the case. This gentle- OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 107 man performed another experiment, which completely corroborated the former. " On the 8th January, 1836, Mr. Shaw says, I had an opportunity of practising this experiment by taking a male and female adult salmon, the apparent weight of which was from 161b. to 20lb. each, while in the act of spawning. Preparative to my experiment, I dug a trench in the gravel, through which I caused a cur- rent of water to flow, two inches deep. I then had the two living fish held in the trench, side by side, while with 1he hand I pressed the ova and seminal liquor out of their bodies, which mixed freelv together in the stream. A / o few minutes after this process, I removed the ova to a stream of water, to which no other fish had access, and on the llth of April, ninety-four days after the process of artificial impregnation, the young fish was excluded from the egg. They had precisely the same appearance in every respect as those in the former experiment, with the exception of being somewhat lighter in colour. It will appear, from these experiments, that the ova, artificially impregnated, have taken four days 108 THE NORTHERN ANGLER ; more to perfect the embryo, than those impreg- nated in the natural way." Mr. Shaw also took several par or brand- lings from the river, and kept them in suit- able ponds till they became salmon fry. " On the llth July," says he, " I caught seven pars, and put them in a pond, supplied with a stream of wholesome water. In this pond they continued to thrive remarkably well, taking flies, and sporting on the surface in perfect health. In the April following, (1834) they began to assume a different appearance from what they had when first put into the pond, which was evident enough, even when they continued to swim at large in the water ; but wishing to examine them more minutely, and, at the same time, to convince my friends of the fact of their changing their appear- ance, I caught them with the cast net, on the 17th May, 1834, and satisfied every individual present that they had assumed the perfect appearance of what is called salmon-fry. About the first week in June, after they had undergone the change which I have men- tioned, I was surprised to find that they were OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. 109 decreasing in number ; and on examination, I found that they had leaped out of the pond altogether, and were lying dead at a short distance from the edge." Mr. Shaw states that the number of the vertebrae of these little fishes was sixty. He repeated this experi- ment, on parrs of different sizes, with precisely similar results. This gentleman has, there- fore, clearly proved that parr or brandlings are the young of the salmon, and that they remain upwards of one year in the river where they were bred, before they migrate to the sea. In the spring, the salmon-fry, keeping the mid-channel of the river, descend in shoals to the sea. But whether they return to the river again as small salmon, or grilse, or in some other shape, I know not ; for, on this subject, the testimony of some fishermen is quite at variance with the statements of others. The female spawned salmon generally remain two or three months in the fresh water before they attempt their migration to the sea, where they very soon recover their strength. Kelt salmon, indeed, which had gone down to the sea in the spring, have been 110 THE NORTHERN ANGLER; known, to return to the river in autumn, in breeding condition. The male fish repair to the sea immediately after spawning. The clean salmon, or salmon in good con- dition, have also a disposition to enter the rivers, at short intervals, during the spring and summer months, to free themselves, as some suppose, of the sea-lice. They appear, indeed, for some purpose or other, to be con- stantly migrating between the rivers and the sea, and this appears to be favoured by floods more than any other cause. I believe they always ascend those rivers in which they were bred. In the spring, they proceed up some rivers at a much earlier period than others. In such rivers the spawning season is also earlier. This appears to depend, in some measure, on the temperature of the water; for those rivers, the temperature of which is most equable, as those which flow from lakes are the earliest. Besides, the melting of snow on the mountains has a tendency to prevent the clean fish from entering the estuaries and rivers. Foul water, too, as water from a peat-bog, does not appear OR, FLY-FISHER'S COMPANION. Ill to be suitable for salmon, as they generally avoid it. Salmon obtain the principal part of their food in the sea and estuaries of rivers. In the salt water, they subsist chiefly on small monoculi, the ova of the star fish, small fishes, sand eels, &c. At the mouths of rivers, they feed chiefly on common earth-worms, flies, &c. I must now, gentle reader, conclude my little book, and I hope, although I cannot exclaim with the poet, " Nor shall the funeral Pyre consume my fame," that thou wilt consider me at least an honest angler, inasmuch as I have freely disclosed the arcana of my art. Nothing, indeed, have I witheld from thee That I have not written well on our favourite theme, thou wilt blame me not ; for I am but a poor tackle-maker, and could not attempt to describe the plea- sures of angling, as these are, as thou well- knowest, of the purest kind. No one, indeed, could explain the feelings and sympathies of a warm heart, acted upon by the impulses of nature. That thou mayest long enjoy those pleasures, gentle reader, it is my most sincere 112 THE NORTHERN ANGLER; wish. Betake thyself, then, to the clear spark- ling stream, when the lark, " the herald of the morn," tunes her soft lays on high, and vernal airs fill every grove, while " Universal Pan, Knit with the Graces, and the Hours in dance, Lead on the Spring." APPENDIX. Abstract from " The Popular Encyclo- paedia " : " Angling. Among no people has this art attracted so much attention, and no where have so many persons of all classes, both clerical and secular, resorted to angling as an amusement, as in England, whose literature is richer than that of any other country in works relating to this sport, both in prose and verse. A similar fondness for angling exists in the United States. In both countries, in England and North America, angling is followed by many sportsmen with a kind of passion. In England, it has been thought of sufficient importance to be pro- tected by statute ; and a series of acts, from the reign of Edward I. to George III., exists, relating to angling and fishing. In the United States of America, angling, like all other kinds of sport, is free to every body. In a rude state of society, angling was resorted to from necessity. This occupation soon Q 114 APPENDIX. became an amusement for those who had leisure enough to spend time in it, as it affords, to most people, much pleasure. We find occasional allusions to this pursuit among the Greek writers, and throughout the most ancient books of the Bible. Plutarch men- tions an amusing anecdote of Antony's unsuc- cessful angling in the presence of Cleopatra, and a fine trick which she played him. It is said that angling came into repute in England about the period of the Reformation, when both secular and regular clergy, being prohi- bited by the common law from the amuse- ments of hunting, hawking, and fowling, directed their attention to this recreation. The invention of printing aided in drawing attention to this subject, and made known its importance 'to cause the helthe of your body, and specyally of your soul,' as the first treatise concludes. Wynkin de Worde gave the world, in 1496, a small folio repub- lication of the celebrated Book of St. Albans. It contained, for the first time, a curious tract, entitled 'The Treatyse of Fyshing with an Angle,' embellished with a wood-cut APPENDIX. 115 of the angler. This treatise is ascribed to dame Juliana Berners, or Barnes, prioress of a nunnery near St. Alban's. ' The angler,' she observes, * atte the leest, hath his holsom walke and mery at his ease, a swete ayre of the sweete sauoure of the meede flowers that makyth him hungry ; he hereth the melodyous arinony of the fowlls ; he seeth the yonge swannes, herrons, ducks, cotes, and many other fowles, with their brodes, which me seemyth better than alle the noyse of houndys, the blastes of hornys, and the scrye of fowles, that hunters, fawkeners, and fowlers can make. And if angler take fysshe, surely thenne is there noo man merier than he is in his spyryte.' Walton's inimitable discourse on angling was first printed in 1653, in an elegant duodecimo, with plates of the most considerable fish cut in steel. This edition, and three subsequent ones, consisted wholly of what is now called part the first of the * Complete Angler,' being Walton's individual portion of the work. ABSTRACT OF AN ACT " For the better Regulating and Improving the Fisheries in the Arm of the Sea, be- tween the County of Cumberland, and the Counties of Dumfries and Wigtown, and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright ; and also the Fisheries in the several Streams and Waters, which run into, or communicate with, the said Arm of the Sea." (Received the Royal Assent, 5th June, 1804.^ I. " Salmon, &c., shall not be taken, within certain limits, between 25th September, and 31st December (that is to say) in the River Eden, in the Counties of Westmor- land and Cumberland; in the Rivers Bladenock, Luce, and Poltanton, in the County of Wigtown ; in the River Cree, which is situate between the said County of Wigtown and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright; or in any River, Rivulet, Brook, Stream, Pond, Pool, or other Water, which runs into, or otherwise communicates with, the said Rivers, or any of them, at any Time or Times between the Twenty- fifth Day of September in any year, and the Thirty-first Day of December then next following ; in the Rivers Dee and Fleet, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, or in any River, Rivulet, Brook, Stream, Pond, Pool, or other Water which runs into, or otherwise communicates with, the said ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. 117 last-mentioned Rivers, or either of them, at any Time or Times between the Twenty-fifth Day of September in any Year, and the First Day of February then next following ; in the said Arm of the Sea, or in the Rivers Esk, Lyne, and Liddel, on the North Side of the said County of Cumber- land; in the Rivers Annan and Nith, in the County of Dumfries ; in the River Orr, otherwise Urr, in the Stew- artry of Kirkcudbright, or in any other River, Rivulet, Brook, Stream, Pond, Pool, or other Water, which runs into, or communicates with, any of the said last-mentioned Rivers, or the said Arm of the Sea, and not herein before particularly mentioned, at any Time or Times between the Twenty-fifth Day of September in any year, and the Tenth Day of March then next following. II. "And be it further Enacted, That all Owners and Occupiers of Fisheries shall Yearly and every Year, upon the said Twenty-fifth Day of September, or within two days afterwards, take away all Fishing Boats, Trows, Nets, Grates, Hecks, &c., which shall have been used in or about any such Fishery, in lawful times of the Year, for killing Salmon, Grilse, Sea Trout, Whiting, &c. III. " Provided always, and be it further Enacted, That it shall be lawful for any Owner or Occupier in any Fishery, in the said Arm of the Sea, or any of the Rivers aforesaid, to put one Fishing Boat or Boats, upon the said Arm of the Sea or Rivers aforesaid, for the purpose of crossing and re-crossing the said Arm of the Sea, &c. ; and also, that no- thing herein contained shall extend to passage or pleasure Boats. IV. " And be it further enacted, That if any Person 118 ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. or Persons whomsoever shall take, kill, or destroy any breeding Salmon, or any Grilse, Sea Trout, or Whiting, out of season in the said Fisheries, shall for the first offence forfeit and pay the sum of Five Pounds, for the second offence the sum of Fifteen Pounds, and for the third and every other offence the sum of Twenty Pounds, and more- over shall forfeit the sum of Twenty Shillings for every Breeding Salmon, Grilse, Sea Trout, or Whiting, which any such Person or Persons shall take, kill, or knowingly have in his or their possession. V. " Owners of Fisheries not to be subject to Penalties for taking Fish out of Season, provided they do and shall immediately after taking any such fish out of season as aforesaid, return and put the same at liberty, alive and unhurt, into the Water. VI. " And be it further Enacted, That if any Person or Persons shall fish with, or use, place, lay, set, continue, or draw, any Net, Grate, Heck, Gate, Creel, Hamper, Engine, &c., in the said Arm of the Sea, or in any River, Rivulet, &c., or in any Mill-pool, Mill-dam, Mill-lead, Sluice, or Cut, &c., in order to kill or destroy any Spawn, Fry, or Young Brood of any Salmon, Grilse, Salmon Trout, Sea Trout, or Whiting, at any Time or Times in the Year, every such Person or Persons, so offending, shall forfeit and pay for the first offence the sum of Five Pounds, for the second offence the sum of Fifteen Pounds, and for the third and every other offence the sum of Twenty Pounds. VII. " And be it further Enacted, That if any Person or Persons shall destroy the Fry of Fish by flooding lands, every such Person or Persons so offending shall ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. 119 for the first offence forfeit and pay the sum of Five Pounds, for the second offence the sum of Fifteen Pounds, and for the third and every other offence the sum of Twenty Pounds. VIII. " And be it Enacted, That it shall be lawful for Justices to order unlawful Nets, Grates, &c.,to be destroyed. IX. " And be it further Enacted, That it shall not be lawful for any Person or Persons, not being Owners or Occupiers of Fisheries, to take or kill Fish in the Arm of the Sea, or Rivers, &c., aforesaid, without being duly authorised, and that every such Person or Persons shall for the first offence forfeit and pay the sum of Five Pounds, for the second offence the sum of Fifteen Pounds, and for the third and every other offence the sum of Twenty Pounds, and shall also forfeit and lose the Fish by him or them taken, together with the Baskets, Creels, Packages, Rods, and Lines, Nets, &c., which shall have been used by any such Offender or Offenders. X. " Provided always, and be it further Enacted, That it shall be lawful for Owners and Occupiers of Fisheries, and others, with their leave in writing, to Fish with Rods or Lines between the First of June and Twenty-fifth of September. XI. " And be it further Enacted, That if any Person or Persons shall sell Fish out of Season, taken or killed in or near the said Arm of the Sea, &c., aforesaid, every such Person or Persons so offending shall forfeit and pay, and be liable to the same Penalty or Penalties, which he or they would have forfeited and been liable to pay, in case he 120 ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. or they had taken or killed such Fish in the said Arm of the Sea, &c. XII. " And be it further Enacted, That if any Person 4 or Persons shall beat the water, or lay any hot lime or filth, or steep any green lint or flax, &c., in or into the said Arm of the Sea, or any such River, Rivulet, &c., as aforesaid, every such Person or Persons so offending shall for the first offence forfeit and pay the sum of Five Pounds, for the second offence the sum of Fifteen Pounds, and for the third and every other offence the sum of Twenty Pounds. XIII. " Provided always, and be it further Enacted, Tha^ nothing herein contained shall affect the construction of Mill-dams, &c., heretofore legally established. XIV. " Provided also, and be it further Enacted, That nothing herein contained shall affect the present modes of fishing, which are to remain as before. XV. " And be it further Enacted, That no Person or Persons shall at any Time or Times in the Year, use in the said Arm of the Sea, any Net, Engine, or device whatsoever whereof the mesh shall be of a less size than one inch and three-fourth parts of an inch, at the least, from knot to knot, or seven inches round, except Nets which shall be solely used for the taking of Herring and Shrimps ; nor shall any Person or Persons, at any Time or Times in the Year, use in any River, Rivulet, Brook, Stream, Pond, Pool, or other Water which runs into, or otherwise com-' municates with, the said Arm of the Sea, any Net, Engine, or devise whatsoever, whereof the Mesh shall be of a less ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. 121 size than one inch, at the least, from knot to knot, or five inches round, except small Hand Nets used solely in Ang- ling ; ^and morever that no Person or Persons shall use in the said Arm of the Sea, or in any of the Rivers or Waters aforesaid, any Net, Engine, or device whatsoever, which be double or armoured ; and that every Person or Persons offending shall for every unlawful Net or device used as aforesaid, forfeit and pay the sum of Five Pounds. XVI. "And be it further Enacted, That any Person or Persons having his or their face or faces blackened or painted, or being masked or otherwise disguised, be in or upon the said Arm of the Sea, or any such Rivers or Fisheries, as aforesaid, with intent to kill any Salmon or other Fish, shall for every offence forfeit the sum of Ten Pounds, and moreover shall be committed to the common Goal or House of Correction for the County, and be impri- soned and kept at hard labour, without bail, for any time not exceeding two calendar months, nor less than fourteen days. XVII. " And be it further Enacted, That all Penalties and Forfeitures, hereby inflicted, may be sued for, reco- vered and adjudged, and all and every Offence and Offences against this Act heard and determined, by and before any one or more Justice or Justices of the Peace within that part of Great Britain called England, or any Justice or Justices of the Peace, or Sheriff, or Stewart Depute, within that part of Great Britain, called Scotland, for the County, Shire, &c., wherein any Offender or Offenders against this Act shall be or reside, or wherein or near to which the Offence or Offences shall be committed ; and moreover that it shall and may be lawful for Justices to mitigate Penalties, R 122 ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. and that it shall be lawful for Justices to commit Persons not paying the Penalties to Prison, or to grant Warrants against the Offender's goods, at the Election of the Informer, and that in case sufficient distress cannot be made, that it shall be lawful for the Justice or Justices of the Peace to commit every Offender or Offenders to such Gaol or House of Correction as aforesaid. XVIII. " And be it further Enacted, That it shall be lawful for any Person or Persons to seize Offenders and carry them before a Magistrate. XIX. " And be it Enacted That Justices on receiving informations may grant Warrants for apprehending Offenders. XX. " And be it Enacted, That Justices may act not- withstanding they may be interested in Fisheries, except in cases where they or their tenants are parties in that suit ; and, moreover, that Owners, &c., of Fisheries may be Witnesses to prove Offences. XXI. "And be it further Enacted, That Penalties may be sued for in the Courts at Westminster, &c. XXII. "And be it further Enacted, That Persons con- victed under this Act shall not be prosecuted under any other Act for the same Offence. XXIII. "And be it further Enacted, That Persons who shall think themselves aggrieved by the Judgment of any Justice or Justices of the Peace, may appeal to the Quarter Sessions, or Lords Commissioners of Justiciary. XXIV. " And be it further Enacted, That no Action at Law, or other Proceeding whatsoever shall be brought or commenced against any Person or Persons, until One Cal- ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. 123 endar Month after Notice thereof, in Writing, shall have been given to the Person or Persons, against whom such Action or Proceeding shall be intended to be brought, or left at his, her, or their last or usual place or places of abode, setting forth the Cause of such Action, or Proceed- ing, and containing the Name and Place of Abode of the Plaintiff, or Plaintiffs, and also of his or their Attorney ; and that every Action or Proceeding brought for anything done, or to be done, as aforesaid, shall be brought within the space of Six Calendar Months next, after the cause of Action or Complaint shall arise, and shall be laid and tried in the County, Shire, Stewartry, Division, or Place, where the Fact shall have been committed, and not elsewhere. XXV. "And whereas Disputes may arise touching the Limits of the said Arm of the Sea, Be it therefore further Enacted, That for the sole purpose of executing this Act, and no other, the same shall extend over and across the whole of the said Arm of the Sea, which lies Eastward from a place called The Hotel, at Skinburness in the Parish of Abbey Holme, in the said County of Cumberland, and from thence in a direct line across the said Arm of the Sea, extending Northward to the Large House at Carsethorn of Arbigland in the Slewartry of Kirkcudbright, and from thence West- ward along the Shore of the said Arm of the Sea, which adjoins the County of Dumfries, the Stewartry of Kirkcud- bright, and the County of Wigtown aforesaid, for Two Miles in breadth, pointing Southward from High-Water Mark down to a place called the Mull of Galloway, in the said County of Wigtown, and also in like manner extend- ing Westwards along the Shore of the said Arm of the Sea, 124 ABSTRACT OF AN ACT. which adjoins the said County of Cumberland, from The Hotel at Skinburness aforesaid, for Two Miles in breadth, pointing Northwards from High-Water Mark down to a place called Hodbarrow Point, in the Parish of Millom, in the said County of Cumberland; and likewise for the sole purposes of this Act, and no other, the Limits of the Mouth or Entrance of the river Nith, situate in the County of Dumfries aforesaid, shall for the future be deemed and taken to be and extend from the Large House at Carse- thorn of Arbigland aforesaid, in a line across the said River Nith, due East. CHARLES THURNAM, PRINTER, CARLISLE. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. A 000 039 548 3