Waarschijnlijk de eerste, gedetaieerde, beschrijving van een zalmvlieg
Note; De foto's op deze pagina hebben geen betrekking op de betreffende text maar geven enkel aan hoe deze vliegen gebonden werden, zonder gebruik van een vise. Ze zijn overgenomen uit het boek "The Salmon Fly" van George Kelson.
Samual Taylor was waarschijnlijk de eerste die een volledige beschrijving, van een zalmvlieg, in een boek publiseerde ofschoon dit geen boek is dat specifiek over zalmvissen/-vliegen is.
Hier volgt de complete beschrijving, van alle 3 de zalmvliegen, die Talor, in zijn boek " Anglers in all its branches ' in 1800, beschreef. Aansluitend volgt nog een korte uitleg hoe hij zijn vliegen aanpaste voor de andere jaargetijden.
“ Those for the spring season must be made mutch larger, but not so gaudy as are used in summer.
Let the hook be No. 1; the feather for the wings, the darkish brown speckled part of a bitter's wing stripped of from the stem; the mixture for the body,the reddish brown part of hare's fur, and deep copper coloured mohair; the tail forked, with two single strips of the same feather as the wings; a bittern's hackle over the body for leggs; and the head the same colour as the body.
How to make this fly.
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Take three lenght of good strong silk-worm-gut properly twisted together, and having your silk well waxed (which must be of a brown colour), whip it round your gut five or six times about an inch from the end, which will prevent the shank of the hook from galling it; then take the hook, and put the end of the shank nearly to the top but you must cut off the ends of the gut before they come quit so low down, if found to be too long; next put on your strips of feather for the fork or wisks at the tail, with the fine points downwards, leaving them both exactly the same lenght, about an inch and half, and to stand open, and make two laps round with the silk; then take the hackle (which must be ready prepared by stripping off the downy part at top, and cutting the feahter across on each side near to |
the stem, about two or three tenth of an inch from the point, or by drawing the fibers back to prevent any of them from being bound down by the silk) and whip in the point of it two or three times round, leaving the largest end hanging downwards, and the right side uppermost, and make one lap round between it and the fork, and one below all round the bare hook tight and close to the fork, and cut off the superfluous ends of it if any remain in sight; then wax your silk asresh, and, having your stuff four the body well mixed and ready, twist it gently round the silk, leaving it fine next to the hook, but gradually thickening upwards; make one lap below the fork, and one or two (as required) between that and the hackle, and work it gradually upwards to you come close up to the feather for the wings; if any of the fur remains on the silk, after you have thus formed the body, take it off, and wind your silk lightly a little upwards to be out of the way; then take the hackle by the end of the stem, and rip it nearly, lapping it thicker as you go on, till you bring it up to the wings, and there bring it two or three times round as close as possible; and if any of the fibers remain strip them of from the stem, and, unwinding the silk to its proper place,make two or three laps to fasten the hackle, and cut away what remains of the stem;
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then take the feathers for the wings,which has lain back all this time, and turn it downwards towards the tail of the fly,and holding it down tightish
with the rest between your finger and thumb, having all the parts of the hackle out of the way, whip it three or for times round, with the silk just over the feather very tight, and then two laps close above it; Wax the silk again, and take a small bit of fluff (the same as used for the body), and twist it round the silk; whip this two or three times round up to the end of the shank, bringing the silk nearly back again, so as to fasten by noosing it about three times, between the head and the wings; and here the operation finishes with completing the head of the fly, without so much as one fastening or tying throughout the whole, exept at the last; but all is done by continually whipping and putting in your materials, as above directed, which renders the flies more neat and complete then is practicable by any other method.
N.B. It must be observed, that though the fly be thus completely made, it remains to put it in natural order, by first holding back the wings, then with a needle strocking the hackle for the legs upwards, and pincing them in good order; and if any ireagular past remains in the body, pick it properly loose, and draw it away with a pair of tweezers, or cut it off with your scissors, according as you find it with lenght the apperance most naturally; if any superfluous hairs are seen among the legs, take them away also, letting the fork at the tail be as before observed, and placing the wings aright to stand sloping towards the tail.
The head being then nicely completed, the fly will be most natural and beautiful.
" The wings of all such large flies are left not divided, but to stand together on the hook as above discribed". |
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A second sort of fly.
let the hook be the same as the former; the wings, the mottled feather of a peacock's wing, intermixed with that of any fine plain dusky red, the mixture for the body, the light brown hair or fur of a bear next the skin, sable fur and gold-coloured mohair., gold twist, a large black cock's hackle, and a red one a little larger; and for the head, a bit of deep red mohair.
How to make this fly.
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Proceed in the same mannor as before discribed, until you come opposite of the point of the hook; then lay in the end of your hackles and twist them together, the red one undermost and the twist atop; and after whipping them there, make one lap below them; wax your silk afresh, and twist on the dubbing for the body, and go on as in the former case, next take the twist, and rib it up to the wings, each wrap about two tenth of an inch from the other; then take the black hackle, and work that upwards between te laps of the twist, rather lower than the middle of each space, and bring it twice around, close together, at the top of the body, and bringing on the red hackle in the same manner, work it very neatle above each lap of the black one, and finnish it the same way, contriving to leave the twist just to shew itslef between the hackles; and then complete your fly as discribed. |
N.B. This fly may be forked, if thought proper, with two or three hairs of a squirrel.
A third sort of fly.
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For this fly the hook also must be No. 1; the wings, blue feather of a heron, intermixed with the spotted redish part of that of a mallard; for the body, lead coloured mohair, small gold twist, a large white hackle dyed a deepish blue, a bit of the same feather as the wings for the tail; the head the same colour as thge body; and your silk a led colour.
How to make this fly
Proceed in the same way as be fore, whipping in the point of the hackle a little before you come opposite of the point of the hook, and go on a few laps; Then taking the twist and two strips of each |
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feather the same as the wings, whip in the ends of the twist and feathers together, letting the letter be topmost with the points downwards, and about a quarter of an inch in lenght, and cut away the other end of the feather; then twist on the mohair thin, work it up neat, and, having fastened it as before discribed, take the twist, make one lap with it close below the feather for the tail, (that it may stand in an oblique form together, and the pointseven,) then give one just above it, rib it neatly up also, and fasten that; next work the hackle between each lap of the twist, and go on as with the other two till you finish.
These three flies are sufficient to begin the season with, though indeed they will kill at all times of it; but as the spring and warm weather advances, they must be dressed more gaudy in proportion; and in the height of summer, particularly if the water be fine, must be adorned with the most glittering plumage (gold, silver, and silks) that can be produced; as the summer diclines, reduce the gaudiness of your flies gradually in the same proportions,till you come down to these three again, which continue till the Salmon fishing goes out of season.
It must be observed, that the Salmon hooks for the summer fishing should be about No.3, and strong made; and if the shanks are too long, there must be some taken off, according to the length and size of the fly you intend to make; and that your feather must be intermixed with differend gaudy shades, such as golden and other pheasant's, parrot's, peacock's, and in short, of all other birds that are fit for the purpose, either foreign or domestic; and other dyed, including hackles of various colours, as well as your mohair and other stuff for the body; but to render these flies more light in clear water, let the body be made more thin, of silk of a suitable colour (for it must alway be suited to the fly you make); a bit of a gaudy feather at the tail, with narrow gold or silver plating according as it matches, instead of twist; and the hackle for leggs, the blue spotted feather of a Jay's wing (the other part of it being stripped away) worked up, only from about half way below the wings, but pretty thick under them.
I have here mentioned this hackle in particular, because it is very excelent; but your hackles must always be suited to the shades of your other materials.
Further observe, that before you begin the head of the fly, you should take two gaudy strips of feather, and lay one on each side of the shoulders, to sland something longer then the other feathers, and whip them there, then finish the head; and the fly, when thus placed in proper order, willappear very beautiful.
For the better convenience of making these large flies, you should be provided wit a very small vice, for the purpose of holding the hook, that you may have both hands at liberty to put in your materials, which will enable you to dress the flies more neatly as well as more perfectly.
The same sort of flies are used for Salmon-trout and other fish of the Salmon kind, only smaller, the hooks being No. 4 or 5.
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