The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
FLIES OF ARTISTIC MAKE.
RlRE FE< TIERS THAT HUsT ALWAYS
MAKE THEM DEAR.
Birds of Far Countries and Others Almost
Extinct That Provide Lures for Trout
and Hnlmou-Curious Differences of


A large stock OF knowledge is required by the
maker of artificial flies for anglers He must be
thoroughly familiar with patterns OF flies for
all waters and must have some knowledge Of
entomology and considerable knowledge Of
ornithology From the former he knows what
moths bugs and other insects will appear upon
different waters In different months, and what
changes will take place in these creatures; how
they will. after a little time. cast off their skins
or shells and appear in entirely different forms
and colors His knowledge Of ornithology will
tell him what birds will furnish feathers To match
almost exactly the colors of the different insects
he counterfeits The ordinary cheap fly maker
uses feathers OF turkeys, pigeons and chickens,
and few Of the ducks feathers only; these to
gether with dye pot form his full stock in trade,
He pays no attention TO natural insects his flies
contain a cheap hook, some feathers and silk
or wool and there, as a fly II ends OF course,
his products are called by the names Of the popu
lar flies but II is sometimes impossible for either
the maker an angler to recognize which is
which Not 40 with the educated and panstak-
ing fly tier He takes pride in his work, makes
his goods strong and serviceable. and charges
accordingly. His pride is touched when he hears
that any of his goods have proved unserviceable.
Bird skins and feathers imported from India
and other tropical countries are expensive and
sometimes very difficult to obtain. For instance,
there is little South American bird called the
light blue chatterer two feathers from which are
put in many Of the salmon flies These little birds
are hardly larger than the common sparrow and
are worth from So 10 SO each The feathers are
quoted at retail at five cents each yet the artistic
fly tier uses these feathers Then skins Of the
gigantic argus the feathers from which are among
the most beautiful created, are quoted in Europe
today at 500 each and none is in the markc.
the Malay Peninsula They have been prac-
tically exterminatcd in the latter place, and in
Borneo the natives attach religious character
to them: consequently it is doubtful If these skins
will get to be much cheaper in the near future.
Another rare bird much used in fly tying is the
forican or light bustard This bird is like the
American bison-a thing Of the past The cheap
fly tier never attempts 10 use any Of these birds
and the few high-grade manufacturers who have
them in stock guard them icalously.
Salmon flies ore so different from trout flies
that they form a distinct and Separate class They
not intended TO represent any natural insect
They are simply an artistic combination OF colors
Some are used in England only. some only in
Ireland. others are tied 10 attract the salmon of
Norway. while still other patterns are used only
in Canadian and other waters on this continent
Like trout flies few patterns are 81 service On all
that these flies are all or nearly all patterned from
living creatures This Is a mistakc-thcy are
like no living Ing thing John tng9 t in his
the ground when he says: Some tell me that
salmon flies are taken for butterflies or for birds
by salmon, God bless my heart! We have no
humming birds in this country England or
insects of Cashmere. Look at the goldhnch fly,
insect 4 like hat Look a, that gorgeous ga art
fetal the shannon. and tell me where in this
cline OF ours; you will find living thing possess
t.,nth fNf nf tic l.stlIt ut
these splendid formations of feather gold and
dyed fur are especial attractions for the salmon
flies bred on the hanks Of the nver2I. The salmon
Of other rivers dcsplsc them In Tweed waters
the salmon prefer Subian beauty, fog instance
the dusty toppy Does the Tweed produce black
insects with wings tipped with white" Further
along he says; NO man can imagine for an
the counterfeit presentmen, Of any sort OF edible
IT, has ever tastsd d, takes ~ nnquesn%nebpy
is all | know about the matted"
Every one knows that certain fabrics will change
their color to a darker or an entirely different
to q large extent in artificial flies Not many
anglers even know that silver tinsel, made up
ny will d from SIGH urd%T
flies close enough to them. while in use, to be able
TO note all the peculiar effects, water has upon
them. Take the fly called the silver doctor which
has body of bright silver tinsel with head Of
red wool at one end and butt Of the same ma
drawn through the wafer the silver body will en-
tirely disappear when the fly passes from shadow
into bright sunlight !, is strange o watch this
fly the silver OF which shows brightly while in
Illuminated by the direct rays Of The sun the silver
two disconnected knobs Of red, which color always
| shows, either in sunlight or shadow
An opposite effect may he obtained by fly
that has a wing made from what is called brown
mallard feather This feather is pluckcd from the
scapular region Of the wild nallard drake. The
outside is Of a beautiful glossy Photographic
brown. and is much used, particularly in salmon
flies This feather in die shadow shows as a
dark brown, but Immediately upon the fy's en-
lering the bright sun.lit water IL changes To n
silvery hue. AS few OF these feathers grow on
each bird it is difficult 10 obtain them in quaint
tier he dips some gray maard feathers, which ore
easy TO obtain, into some brown dye. and sells
hs flies mnds sh So as brown msard WINGED
until washed out, and never change their hue
whether in sunlight OF. shadow Well informed
anglers always are suspicious Of fly Of this kind
il offered al less than the regular price. They
know that flies with the genuine feather will take
fish where the other will not
In other patterns al salmon flies II may not
always make much difference as TO the exact
feather that is nsed. provided it is very nearly
fsh and not 10 the angler. Salmon flies are an
expensive luxury and anglers are, apt to feel,
therefore. that they should have what they pay
for. II fly tier leaves out an expensive feather
or two, the angler pay not be able to tell just
WHAT missing, hut he will know that the ily does
European fishing tackle establishment Hooded
this country with its catalogues II advertised
extensively and sent its list 10 every angler whose
name II could obtain. In this catalogue the
firm stated, under the heading Of salmon flies
that II was satisfied the salmon could not distin-
guish between the feathers Of the blue chatterer
and those Of the blue kingilsher any more than
they could between the barred feathers Of the
wood duck and the feathers from the flank Of
the widgeon. Consequently II made the cheeks
OF its salmon flies Of blue kingfsher instead Of
chatterer. and used strips Of widgron instead Of
wood duck in the wings Possibly the concern
was right in its statement that the salmon
would not know the difference. II did not take
the anglers into consideration however. and
these did know the difference and as they wanted
their flies made right the sales Of that particular
firm. in this country, have not been very heavy
The only difference 10 the firm was that chattrrcr
skins cost SO each, and are hard 10 find while
kingfishers may he bought in any quantitv ut
fifteen cents each In regard 10 the other feathers
some flies call for both wood duck and widgcon
in the wings The firm was silent as Ia how II
would get over thai point,
England has always pretended 10 be the great
est artificial ny-producng country, and her pre-
tensions were Justified until lately Now the
United States produce many times the number
manufactured m the British Isles In fact Amer
leans have pushed the manufacture Of flies 10
such an extent that the ly-tiers Of England are
either coming over here for work or else going
out OF business. A former Dublin man, now
and for many years resident Of Brooklyn, made
a visit 10 his old home this summer When his