for its length and lightness: and whereas some object against its
colour and stiffness, I answer, both these inconveniences are easily
remedied; the colour by covering it with thin leather or parchment,
and those dyed into what colour you please; or you may colour the
cane itself, as you see daily done by those that sell them in London,
especially if you scrape off the shining yellow outside, but that
weakens the rod. The stiffness of the cane is helped by the length and
strength of the top, which I would wish to be very much taper-grown,
and of the full length I spoke of before, and so it will kill a very
good fish without ever straining the cane, which will, as you may
observe, yield and bend a little; neither would I advise any to use a
reed that will not receive a top of the fore-mentioned length. Such
who most commend the hazel-rod, (which I also value and praise, but
for different reasons), above the cane; do it because, say they, the
slender rod saveth the line; but my opinion is, that the equal bending
of the rod chiefly, next to the skill of the Angler, saveth the line,
and the slenderness I conceive principally serveth to make the fly-rod
long and light, easy to be managed with one hand, and casteth the fly
far, which are to me the considerations chiefly to be regarded in a
fly-rod; for if you observe the slender part of the rod, if strained,
shoots forth in length as if it were part of the line, so that the
whole stress or strength of the fish is borne or sustained by the
thicker part of the rod, which is no stronger than the stronger end of
such a top as I did before direct for the ground-rod, and you may prove
what I say to be true, if you hang a weight at the top of the fly-rod,
which you shall see ply and bend, in the stiff and thick part, more
or less as the weight is heavy or light. Having made this digression
for the cane, I return to the making up of the top, of which at the
upper or small end, I would have you to cut off about two feet, or
three quarters of a yard at most; and then piece neatly to the thick
remaining part, a small shoot of black thorn or crab tree, gathered in
due season as before, fitted in a most exact proportion to the hazel,
and then cut off a small part of the slender end of the black thorn or
crab tree, and lengthen out the same with a small piece of whale-bone,
made round, smooth, and taper; all which will make your rod to be very
long, gentle, and not so apt to break or stand bent as the hazel, both
which are great inconveniences, especially breaking, which will force
you from your sport to mend your top.
2. To teach the way or manner how to make a line, were time lost, it
being so easy and ordinary; yet to make the line well, handsome, and to
twist the hair even and neat, makes the line strong. For if one hair
be long and another short, the short one receiveth no strength from
the long one, and so breaketh, and then the other, as too weak, breaks
also; therefore you must twist them slowly, and in the twisting, keep
them from entangling together, which hinders their right plaiting or
bedding. Further, I do not like the mixing of silk or thread with hair,
but if you please, you may, to make the line strong, make it all of
silk, or thread, or hair, as strong as you please, and the lowest part
of the smallest lute or viol strings, which I have proved to be very
strong, but will quickly rot in the water, you may however help that
in having new and strong ones to change for those that decay; but as
to hair, the most usual matter whereof lines are made, I like sorrel,
white, and grey best; sorrel in muddy and boggy rivers, and both the
latter for clear waters. I never could find such virtue or worth in
other colours, to give them so high praise as some do, yet if any other
have worth in it, I must yield it to the pale or watery green, and if
you fancy that, you may dye it thus. Take a pottle of allum water, and
a large handful of marigolds, boil them until a yellow scum arise, then
take half a pound of green copperas, and as much verde-grease, beat
them into a fine powder, then put those with the hair into the allum
water, set all to cool for twelve hours, then take out the hair and lay
it to dry. Leave a bought, or bout, at both ends of the line, the one
to put it to, and take it from your rod, the other to hang your lowest
link upon, to which your hook is fastened, and so that you may change
your hook as often as you please.
3. Let your hooks be long in the shank, and of a compass somewhat
inclining to roundness, but the point must stand even and straight, and
the bending must be in the shank; for if the shank be straight, the
point will hang outward, though when set on it may stand right, yet
it will after the taking of a few fish, cause the hair at the end of
the shank to stand bent, and so, consequently cause the point of the
hook to lie or hang too much outward, whereas upon the same ground the
bending shank will then cause the point of the hook to hang directly
upwards.
When you set on your hook, do it with strong but small silk, and lay
your hair upon the inside of the hook, for if on the outside the silk
will cut and fret it asunder; and to avoid the fretting of the hair by
the hook on the inside, smooth all your hooks upon a whetstone, from
the inside to the back of the hook, slope ways.
4. Get the best cork you can without flaws or holes, as quills and pens
are not of sufficient strength in strong streams; bore the cork through
with a small hot iron, then put into it a quill of a fit proportion,
neither too large to split it, or so small as to slip out, but so as
it may stick in very closely; then pare your cork into the form of a
pyramid, or small pear, and of what size you please, then on a smooth
grindstone, or with pumice make it complete, for you cannot pare it so
smooth as you may grind it: have corks of all sizes.
5. Get a musquet or carbine bullet, make a hole through it, and put in
a strong twist, hang this on your hook to try the depth of river or
pond.
6. Take so much parchment as will be about four inches broad, and five
long, make the longer end round, then take so many pieces more as will
make five or six partitions, sew them all together, leaving the side of
the longest square open, to put your lines, spare links, hooks ready
fastened, and flies ready made, into the several partitions; this will
contain much, and will also lie flat and close in your pocket.
7. Have also a little whetstone about two inches long, and one quarter
square; it’s much better to sharpen your hooks than a file, which
either will not touch a well-tempered hook, or leave it rough but not
sharp.
8. Have a piece of cane for the bob and palmer, with several boxes of
divers sizes for your hooks, corks, silk, thread, lead, flies, &c.
9. Bags of linen and woollen, for all sorts of baits.
10. Have a small pole, made with a loop at the end, like that of your
line, but much larger, to which must be fastened a small net, to land
great fish, without which, should you want assistance, you will be in
danger of losing.
11. Your pannier cannot be too light; I have seen some made of osiers,
cleft into slender long splinters, and so wrought up, which is very
neat, and exceeding light: you must ever carry with you store of hooks,
lines, hair, silk, thread, lead, links, corks of all sizes, lest you
should lose or break, as is usual, any of them, and be forced to leave
your sport in quest of supplies.
CHAP. II.
DIVERS SORTS OF ANGLING; FIRST, OF THE FLY.
As there are many kinds and sorts of fish, so there are also various
and different ways to take them; and, therefore, before we proceed to
speak how to take each kind, we must say something in general of the
several ways of angling, as necessary to the better order of our work.
Angling, therefore, may be distinguished either into fishing by day,
or, which some commend, but the cold and dews caused me to dis-relish
that which impaired my health, by night; and these again are of two
sorts, either upon the superficies of the water, or more or less under
the surface thereof: of this sort is angling with the ground-line, with
lead, but no float, for the Trout, or with lead and float for all sorts
of fish, or near the surface of the water for Chub, Roach, &c. or with
a troll for the Pike, or a minnow for the Trout; of which more in due
place.
That way of angling upon or above the water, is with cankers, palmers,
caterpillars, cad-bait, or any worm bred on herbs or trees, or with
flies as well natural as artificial; of these last shall be our first
discourse, as comprising much of the other last-named, and as being the
most pleasant and delightful part of angling.
But I must here beg leave to dissent from the opinion of such who
assign a certain fly to each month, whereas I am certain, scarce
any one sort of fly continues its colour and virtue one month; and
generally all flies last a much shorter time, except the stone-fly, by
some called the May-fly, which is bred of the water cricket, creeps out
of the river, and getting under the stones by the water side, turns to
a fly, and lies under the stones; the May-fly and the reddish fly with
ashy grey wings. Besides the season of the year may much vary the time
of their coming in; a forward Spring brings them in sooner, and a late
Spring the later. Flies being creatures bred of putrefaction, take life
as the heat furthers or disposes the seminal virtue by which they are
generated into animation: and therefore all I can say as to time is,
that your own observation must be your best instructor, when is the
time that each fly comes in, and will be most acceptable to the fish,
of which I shall speak more fully in the next section. Further also I
have observed, that several rivers and soils produce several sorts of
flies; as the mossy boggy soils have one sort peculiar to them; the
clay soil, gravely and mountainous country and rivers; and a mellow
light soil different from them all; yet some sorts are common to all
these sorts of rivers and soils, but they are few, and differ somewhat
in colour from those bred elsewhere in other soils.
In general, all sorts of flies are very good in their season, for such
fish as will rise at the fly, viz. Salmon, Trout, Umber, Grayling,
Bleak, Chevin, Roach, Dace, &c. Though some of these fish do love some
flies better than other, except the fish named, I know not any sort or
kind that will ordinarily and freely rise at the fly, though I know
some who angle for Bream and Pike with artificial flies, but I judge
the labour lost, and the knowledge a needless curiosity; those fish
being taken much easier, especially the Pike, by other ways. All the
fore-mentioned sorts of fish will sometimes take the fly much better at
the top of the water, and at another time much better a little under
the superficies of the water; and in this your own observation must
be your constant and daily instructor; for if they will not rise to
the top, try them under, it being impossible, in my opinion, to give
any certain rule in this particular: also the five sorts of fish first
named will take the artificial fly, so will not the other, except an
oak-worm or cad-bait be put on the point of the hook, or some other
worm suitable, as the fly must be, to the season.
You may also observe, what my own experience taught me, that the fish
never rise eagerly and freely at any sort of fly, until that kind come
to the water’s side; for though I have often, at the first coming in of
some flies, which I judged they liked best got several of them, yet I
could never find that they did much, if at all value them, until those
sorts of flies began to flock to the rivers sides, and were to be found
on the trees and bushes there in great numbers; for all sorts of flies,
wherever bred, do, after a certain time, come to the banks of rivers,
I suppose to moisten their bodies dried with the heat; and from the
bushes and herbs there, skip and play upon the water, where the fish
lie in wait for them, and after a short time die, and are not to be
found: though of some kinds there come a second sort afterwards, but
much less, as the orange fly; and when they thus flock to the river,
then is the best season to angle with that fly. And that thou may the
better find what fly they covet most at that instant, do thus:
When you come first to the river in the morning, with your rod beat
upon the bushes or boughs which hang over the water, and by their
falling upon the water you will see what sorts of flies are there in
greatest numbers; if divers sorts, and equal in number, try them all,
and you will quickly find which they most desire. Sometimes they change
their fly; though not very usual, twice or thrice in one day; but
ordinarily they do not seek another sort of fly till they have for some
days even glutted themselves with a former kind, which is commonly when
those flies die and go out. Directly contrary to our London gallants,
who must have the first of every thing, when hardly to be got, but
scorn the same when kindly ripe, healthful, common, and cheap; but the
fish despise the first, and covet when plenty, and when that sort grow
old and decay, and another cometh in plentifully, then they change;
as if nature taught them, that every thing is best in its own proper
season, and not so desirable when not kindly ripe, or when through long
continuance it begins to lose its native worth and goodness.
I shall add a few cautions and directions in the use of the natural
fly, and then proceed:
1. When you angle for Chevin, Roach, or Dace, with the fly, you must
not move your fly swiftly; when you see the fish coming towards it,
but rather after one or two short and slow removes, suffer the fly to
glide gently with the stream towards the fish; or if in a standing or
very slow water, draw the fly slowly, and not directly upon him, but
sloping and sidewise by him, which will make him more eager lest it
escape him; for, should you move it nimbly and quick, they will not,
being fish of slow motion, follow as the Trout will.
2. When Chub, Roach, or Dace shew themselves in a sun-shiny day upon
the top of the water, they are most easily caught with baits proper for
them; and you may chuse from amongst them which you please to take.
3. They take an artificial fly with a cad-bait, or oak-worm, on the
point of the hook; and the oak-worm, when they shew themselves is,
better upon the water than under, or than the fly itself, and is more
desired by them.
CHAP. III.
OF THE ARTIFICIAL FLY.
Having given these few directions for the use of the natural fly of all
sorts, and shewed the time and season of their coming, and how to find
them, and cautioned you in the use of them, I shall proceed to treat
of the artificial fly. But here I must premise, that it is much better
to learn how to make a fly by sight, than by any written direction
that can possibly be expressed, in regard the terms of art do in most
parts of England differ, and also several sorts of flies are called
by different names; some call the fly bred of the water cricket or
creeper a May-fly, and some a stone-fly; some call the cad-bait fly
a May, and some call a short fly, of a sad golden green colour, with
short brown wings, a May-fly: and I see no reason but all flies bred
in May, are properly enough called May-flies. Therefore, except some
one that hath skill, would paint them, I can neither well give their
names nor describe them, without too much trouble and prolixity; nor,
as I alledged, in regard of the variety of soils and rivers, describe
the flies that are bred and frequent each: but the angler, as before
directed, having found the fly which the fish at present affect,
let him make one as like it as possibly he can, in colour, shape,
proportion; and for his better imitation let him lay the natural fly
before him. All this premised and considered, let him go on to make his
fly, which according to my own practice I thus advise.
First, I begin to set on my hook, placing the hair on the inside of its
shank, with such coloured silk as I conceive most proper for the fly,
beginning at the end of the hook, and when I come to that place which I
conceive most proportionable for the wings, then I place such coloured
feathers there, as I apprehend most resemble the wings of the fly,
and set the points of the wings towards the head; or else I run the
feathers, and those must be stripped from the quill or pen, with part
of it still cleaving to the feathers, round the hook, and so make them
fast, if I turn the feathers round the hook; then I clip away those
that are upon the back of the hook, that so, if it be possible, the
point of the hook may be forced by the feathers left on the inside of
the hook, to swim upwards; and by this means I conceive the stream will
carry your flies’ wings in the posture of one flying; whereas if you
set the points of the wings backwards, towards the bending of the hook,
the stream, if the feathers be gentle as they ought, will fold the
points of the wings in the bending of the hook, as I have often found
by experience. After having set on the wing, I go on so far as I judge
fit, till I fasten all, and then begin to make the body, and the head
last; the body of the fly I make several ways; if the fly be one entire
colour, then I take a worsted thread, or moccoda end, or twist wool or
fur into a kind of thread, or wax a small slender silk thread, and lay
wool, fur, &c. upon it, and then twist, and the material will stick to
it, and then go on to make my fly small or large, as I please. If the
fly, as most are, be of several colours, and those running in circles
round the fly, then I either take two of these threads, fastening them
first towards the bend of the hook, and so run them round, and fasten
all at the wings, and then make the head; or else I lay upon the hook,
wool, fur of hare, dog, fox, bear, cow, or hog, which, close to their
bodies, have a fine fur, and with a silk of the other colour bind the
same wool or fur down, and then fasten all: or instead of the silk
running thus round the fly, you may pluck the feather from one side of
those long feathers which grow about a cock or capon’s neck or tail,
by some called hackle; then run the same round your fly, from head to
tail, making both ends fast; but you must be sure to suit the feather
answerable to the colour you are to imitate in the fly; and this way
you may counterfeit those rough insects, which some call wool-beds,
because of their wool-like outside and rings of divers colours, though
I take them to be palmer worms, which the fish much delight in. Let me
add this only, that some flies have forked tails, and some have horns,
both which you must imitate with a slender hair fastened to the head or
tail of your fly, when you first set on your hook, and in all things,
as length, colour, as like the natural fly as possibly you can: the
head is made after all the rest of the body, of silk or hair, as being
of a more shining glossy colour than the other materials, as usually
the head of the fly is more bright than the body, and is usually of
a different colour from the body. Sometimes I make the body of the
fly with a peacock’s feather, but that is only one sort of fly, whose
colour nothing else that I could ever get would imitate, being the
short, sad, golden, green fly I before mentioned, which I make thus:
take one strain of a peacock’s feather, or if that be not sufficient,
then another, wrap it about the hook, till the body be according to
your mind; if your fly be of divers colours, and those lying long ways
from head to tail, then I take my dubbing, and lay them on the hook
long ways, one colour by another, as they are mixed in the natural fly,
from head to tail, then bind all on, and fasten them with silk of the
most predominant colour; and this I conceive is a more artificial way
than is practised by many anglers, who use to make such a fly, all of
one colour, and bind it on with silk, so that it looks like a fly with
round circles, but in nothing at all resembling the fly it is intended
for: the head, horns, tail, are made as before. That you may the better
counterfeit all sorts of flies, get furs of all sorts and colours you
can possibly procure, as of bear’s hair, foxes, cows, hogs, dogs, which
close to their bodies have a fine soft hair or fur, moccado ends,
crewels, and dyed wool of all colours, with feathers of cocks, capons,
hens, teals, mallards, widgeons, pheasants, partridges, the feather
under the mallard, teal or widgeon’s wings, and about their tails,
about a cock or capon’s neck and tail, of all colours; and generally
of all birds, the kite, &c. that you may make yours exactly of the
colour with the natural fly. And here I will give some cautions and
directions, as for the natural fly, and so pass on to baits for angling
at the ground.
1. When you angle with the artificial fly, you must either fish in
a river not fully cleared from some rain lately fallen, that had
discoloured it; or in a moorish river, discoloured by moss or bogs;
or else in a dark cloudy day, when a gentle gale of wind moves the
water; but if the wind be high, yet so as you may guide your tools with
advantage, they will rise in the plain deeps, and then and there you
will commonly kill the best fish; but if the wind be little or none at
all, you must angle in the swift streams.
2. You must keep your artificial fly in continual motion, though the
day be dark, the water muddy, and the wind blow, or else the fish will
discern and refuse it.
3. If you angle in a river that is mudded by rain, or passing through
mosses or bogs, you must use a larger bodied fly than ordinary, which
argues, that in clear rivers the fly must be smaller; and this not
being observed by some, hinders their sport, and they impute their want
of success to their want of the right fly, when perhaps they have it,
but made too large.
4. If the water be clear and low, then use a small bodied fly with
slender wings.
5. When the water begins to clear after rain, and is of a brownish
colour, then a red or orange fly.
6. If the day be clear, then a light coloured fly, with slender body
and wings.
7. In dark weather, as well as dark waters, your fly must be dark.
8. If the water be of a whey colour, or whitish, then use a black or
brown fly: yet these six last rules do not always hold, though usually
they do, or else I had omitted them.
9. Observe principally the belly of the fly, for that colour the fish
observe most, as being most in their eye.
10. When you angle with an artificial fly, your line may be twice the
length of your rod, except the river be much encumbered with wood and
trees.
11. For every sort of fly have three; one of a lighter colour, another
sadder than the natural fly, and a third of the exact colour with the
fly, to suit all waters and weathers, as before.
12. I never could find, by any experience of mine own, or other man’s
observation, that fish would freely and eagerly rise at the artificial
fly, in any slow muddy rivers: by muddy rivers, I mean such rivers,
the bottom or ground of which is slime or mud; for such as are mudded
by rain, as I have already, and shall afterwards further, shew at
sometimes and seasons I would choose to angle, yet in standing meers
or sloughs, I have known them, in a good wind, to rise very well, but
not so in slimy rivers, either the Weever, in Cheshire, or the Sow, in
Staffordshire, and others in Warwickshire, &c. and the Black-water in
Ulster; in the last, after many trials, though in its best streams, I
could never find almost any sport, save at its influx in Lough Neagh;
but there the working of the Lough makes it sandy; and they will bite
also near Tom Shane’s Castle, Mountjoy, Antrim, &c. even to admiration;
yet sometimes they will rise in that river a little, but not comparable
to what they will do in every little Lough, in any small gale of wind.
And though I have often reasoned in my own thoughts, to search out the
true cause of this, yet I could never so fully satisfy my own judgment,
so as to conclude any thing positively; yet have taken up these two
ensuing particulars as most probable.
1. I conjectured the depth of the loughs might hinder the force of the
sun beams from operating upon, or heating the mud in those rivers,
which though deep, yet are not so deep as the loughs; I apprehend that
to be the cause, as in great droughts fish bite but little in any
river, but not at all in slimy rivers, in regard the mud is not cooled
by the constant and swift motion of the river, as in gravelly or sandy
rivers, where, in fit seasons, they rise most freely, and bite most
eagerly, save as before in droughts, notwithstanding at that season
some sport may be had, though not with the fly, whereas nothing at all
will be done in muddy slow rivers.
2. My second supposition was, whether, according to that old received
axiom, suo quæque, similima cœlo, the fish might not partake of the
nature of the river, in which they are bred and live, as we see in
men born in fenny, boggy, low, moist grounds, and thick air, who
ordinarily want that present quickness, vivacity, and activity of body
and mind, which persons born in dry, hilly, sandy soils and clear air,
are usually endued withal. The fish participating of the nature of the
muddy river, which is ever slow, for if they were swift, the stream
would cleanse them from all mud, are not so quick, lively, and active,
as those bred in swift, sandy, or stony rivers, and so coming to the
fly with more deliberation, discern the same to be counterfeit, and
forsake it; whereas, on the contrary, in stony, sandy, swift rivers,
being colder, the fish are more active, and so more hungry and eager,
the stream and hand keeping the fly in continual motion, they snap the
same up without any pause, lest so desirable a morsel escape them.
You must have a very quick eye, a nimble rod and hand, and strike with
the rising of the fish, or he instantly finds his mistake, and forces
out the hook again: I could never, my eye-sight being weak, discern
perfectly where my fly was, the wind and stream carrying it so to and
again, that the line was never any certain direction or guide to me;
but if I saw a fish rise, I use to strike if I discerned it might be
within the length of my line.
Be sure in casting, that your fly falls first into the water, for if
the line falls first, it scares or frightens the fish; therefore draw
it back, and cast it again, that the fly may fall first.
When you try how to fit your colour to the fly, wet your fur, hair,
wool, or moccado, otherwise you will fail in your work; for though when
they are dry, they exactly suit the colour of the fly, yet the water
will alter most colours, and make them lighter or darker.