Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-02-27
TIME TO BEGIN
Feathers,
HoirMoke
Trout Fly
BY Charles COven
outdoor Editor

A bit OF gray from a Plym-
outh Rock rooster and a
duck, a touch of red from
a gamecock, three strands
of moose name, a hook,
a piece of thread, a dab of
lacquer cement and what do you
have? A trout ny, Of course.
John T. Marek of Columbia
Oaks. near Annandale, Va, is
one Of the many top-fiight trout
fishermen who tie their own
flies. Not so much as a hobby,
perhaps, but as q necessity.
Flies can be bought easily
enough, but good ones are
scarce. There's q flood of cheap
foreign limitations. Finally,
there's no Joy like catching fish
on q lure you've made yourself.
Resemble Insects or MinnOws
Trout feed on insects, their
larvae and minnows. All these
artificial flies can represent.
They are Of many types. wet
flies. dry flies, nymphs, buck
tails, streamers, maribou
streamers and hair flies.
Dry flies are Subdivided into
several types-bi-visibles, spent
wings, spiders, variants and fan
wings.
In our waters, small stream
ers, particularly m aribou
steamers, dun-colored flies
and nymphs are best. Maribou
Streamers are made from the
soft, downy Gail feathers Of the
Maribou stork.
A fly tiers bench has strange
asSortments. He also may
have peacock, ostrich, condor,
woodcock, curlew, turkey and
swan feathers. Some are costly
and some not. Feathers from
the emu and jungle cock COM
mand fancy prices.
May Use Bat Hair
Then there's assorted deer
hair for bucktails, moose hair,
squirrel tails, jackal tails, Chi
nese mink, skunk and even
hair from the South American
vampire bat.
Spring trout fishing still is
some weeks of and there's
time to order a kit and start
tying. Maryland's 11-month
season closes March IA and
reopenS April Is after stocking.
Virginia fishing starts April ID.
A successful angler chooses
a 1ly most closely resembling
what the fish are feeding on at
that moment. Perhaps it will
be May flies. An expert will
take his kit along in a Separ-
ate tackle box and tie up q
May fly on the scene.
Ties Fly on Scene
That is what Marek does.
Into the car with his tackle
goes the kit and if he finds a
new hatch along his favorite
stream he catches a fly, hurries
back to the station wagon and
tries his best to initiate it.
Results? Sure. He caught
144 trout in Virginia last year,
few of them puny.
Fly-tying tools, materials
and instructions may be OBJ
tanned from such sources as
Herter'S at Waseca, Mimi, or
E. Hille, 815 Railway street,
Williamsport, Pa. If lessons are
desired, the c. g. w. Sports
store in Hyattsville conducts
classes. 1t also carries supplies.
First off, good tools are
necessary. something not found
in the fly-tying kits sold in
some shops. You will need a
special wise, a bobbin for
thread, a stand for the bob
bin, a pair of hackle pliers,
manicure-Size scissors, bodkin
and whip 11nisher.
! Less essential are jewelers.
magnifying glass, trays for
bottles of lacquer and enamel
and boxes to store your flies.
OF couSe, you will need hooks
In assorted sizes and thread.
: Use 40 thread for wet and
dry flies and go for Streamers.
1t should be silk, not nylon.
Old Sock Put to Use
Sometimes materials found
/ at home can supplement those
purchased. Marek has one
! short strand of heather yarn
from an old sock that he
breads to see disappear.
r The yarn was used for the
body of a nymph the trout
liked. No other yarn would do
Marek's favorite streamer is
a Black Ghost and second
: choice, Royal Coachman, both
! tied with white maribou
feathers on a No. 8 or No. 6
hook with long shank. In dry
7 flies, tied on No. IL hooks, he
5 likes the Gray Haekle. March
: Brown and Royal Coachman.
: To illustrate tying a dry fly
/ Marek fastened a No. IL hook in
2 his wise, then near the eye TIED
two feathers, one red from the