Brook and river trouting / A manual of modern north country methods, with coloured illustrations of flies and fly-dressing materials

by Harfield H. Edmonds; Norman N. Lee

When a reach of quiet steady-flowing water is ruffled by a wind, it will often yield good results to a minnow carefully fished. The edges should be thoroughly worked and the angler should never fail to spin his minnow alongside all patches of weed, as in such places minnows frequently congregate, and a feeding trout knows where to find them.

Another type of spinning is afforded by a long reach of rapid water that is broken up all over by boulders of every possible shape and size. In such water the trout will not follow the minnow far; they will either seize their prey as it passes them, or turn round and make a sudden rush at it before it can get many inches below. Therefore it is best to fish the minnow here with a short line and to spin the bait briskly down past each boulder. For such water the longer fly rod will be found to be the better weapon. The minnow is also sometimes useful when a gale of wind in the middle of summer puts fly fishing out of the question.

To be able to command success with the minnow, either in clear water or in brooks, is an accomplishment worth striving for. It is a sport that gives the fisherman excitement in plenty, as the whole actions of the trout are seen from beginning to end. And it is impossible to describe adequately the fascination which holds the angler whose eyes are riveted upon a fish rushing down upon his minnow, nor to tell the difficulty of refraining from incontinently snatching away the minnow from a fish in the act of seizing it.

Although minnow fishing has many attractions, when followed in times of bright skies and low waters, it is perhaps more open to abuse than any other of the fair methods of angling. For not only does the indiscriminate use of the minnow, especially with the long-distance casting reel in the hands of a persevering man—not necessarily a very skilful one—work havoc amongst the fish, but it spoils the sport of others, as a spun minnow usually puts fish down for some considerable time. Therefore, in Club waters particularly, a man should be careful and circumspect in the use of the minnow. For while its judicious use will do good in removing fish that can well be done without, and will sometimes provide a dish of trout when the fly is at a discount during the heat of the day, say, in August, its use out of season will call down many hard words. And while it is possible for one to work rapidly downstream, raking the whole river across and across and thus spoil the sport of all others on the water, a sportsman will choose his reach, fish it quietly upstream, and leave his brethren of the fly in peace and undisturbed enjoyment.

INDEX.

• Across stream fly fishing, [39]
• Ant, Dressing for, [29]
• Ant, Season for, [14]
• Ariel Tackle, [94]
• Artificial Flies, [See Flies]
• August Dun, Dressing for, [28]
• August Dun, Season for, [14]
• Autopsy, [34], [57], [63]
• Bites, Method of detecting in upstream Worm Fishing, [90]
• Black Gnat, [56], [57], [60]
• Black Gnat, Dressing for, [24]
• Black Gnat, Season for, [13]
• Bodies of Flies, [8], [10]
• Broughton’s Point, Dressing for, [18]
• Broughton’s Point, Season for, [13]
• Brown Owl, Dressing for, [20]
• Brown Owl, Season for, [13]
• Cast, [37], [64], [66], [73], [95]
• Cast, Gut, How to Taper, [38]
• Casts, Rapidity of in Wet-fly Fishing, [46]
• Casting Reel, [92], [93]
• Chalk Streams, [37], [42], [53]
• Chuck and Chance it, [42], [93]
• Coachman, [58], [60]
• Coloured Water, Size of Flies for, [10]
• Costa, [53]
• Creeper, Description of, [63]
• Creeper Fishing, Rod for, [64]
• Creeper Fishing, Tackle for, [64]
• Creeper, Method of Baiting, [64]
• Creeper, Method of Collecting, [63]
• Creeper, Method of Fishing, [65]
• Dark Needle, Dressing for, [19]
• Dark Needle, Season for, [13]
• Dark Olive Dun, [60]
• Dark Sedge, Dressing for, [25]
• Dark Sedge, Season for, [14]
• Dark Silverhorns, Dressing for, [28]
• Dark Silverhorns, Season for, [14]
• Dark Snipe, Dressing for, [17]
• Dark Snipe, Season for, [13]
• Dark Watchet, Dressings for, [20], [21]
• Dark Watchet, Season for, [13]
• Devon Minnows, [94]
• Diptera, [52]
• Dotterel, Dressing for, [22]
• Dotterel, Season for, [13]
• Downstream, When to Fish Fly, [40]
• Drag, [46], [60], [78], [81], [87], [88], [89]
• Dressings of Flies, [16 et seq.]
• Droppers, Dressed to Hair, [9]
• Dry Flies, List of, [60]
• Dry-Fly Fishing, Rod for, [37]
• Dry-Fly, Times for Fishing, [54]
• Dubbing, Mixture of, [9]
• Eden, [82]
• Entomology, [34]
• Evening Rise, [57]
• Evening, Size of Flies for, [58]
• Far-off and Fine, [45]
• Fisherman’s Curse, [59]
• Flies, Bodies of, [8], [10]
• Flies, Dressed lightly, [10]
• Flies, Dressed to gut, [8]
• Flies, Dressed to hair, [8]
• Flies, Dressings of, [16 et seq.]
• Flies, Heads of, [10]
• Flies, Number on cast in Wet-fly Fishing, [36]
• Flies, Seasons of, [10], [13 et seq.]
• Flies, Size of, for Coloured Water, [10]
• Flies, Size of, for Evening Fishing, [58]
• Flies, Tables of, [13 et seq.]
• Flies, To err on small side, [10]
• Flies, Winged, [9], [11]
• Fly Dressing, McClelland’s Book on, [7]
• Fly, Taking, Fished as point, [12]
• Formalin, Minnows preserved in, not recommended, [96]
• General Use, Rod for, [37]
• Ginger Spinner, Dry, Dressing for, [30]
• Ginger Spinner, Dry, Season for, [14]
• Ginger Spinner, Wet, Dressing for, [24]
• Ginger Spinner, Wet, Season for, [13]
• Gnats, [57]
• “Gossamer,” Pearsall’s Silk, [9]
• Gravel Bed, Dressing for, [23]
• Gravel Bed, Season for, [13]
• Greased Line, [64], [90]
• Green Insect, Dressing for, [29]
• Green Insect, Season for, [14]
• Greenheart Rod, [36]
• Greenwell’s Glory, Dressing for, [16]
• Greenwell’s Glory, Season for, [13]
• Gut, Tapered Cast, [38]
• Gut, Flies dressed to, [8]
• Hackle Points, [11]
• Hair, Flies dressed to, [8]
• Halford, Mr. F. M., Patterns of Flies of, [60]
• Hardy’s Hooks, [8]
• Heads of Flies, [10]
• Hickory Rod, [36]
• Hooks, [8], [64], [66], [73], [74]
• Hooks, Hardy’s, [8]
• Hooks, Short in Shank, [8]
• Inner Side of Feather, [9]
• Insect Life, Knowledge of, [33], [34]
• Iron Blue Dun, [56], [60]
• “Jacks,” [66]
• July Dun, Dressing for, [26]
• July Dun, Season for, [14]
• Kinking, [93], [95]
• Knotted Midge, Dressing for, [23]
• Knotted Midge, Season for, [13]
• Leads, [74], [89], [94], [95], [99]
• Light Needle, Dressing for, [21]
• Light Needle, Season for, [13]
• Light Sedge, Dressings for, [25]
• Light Sedge, Season for, [14]
• Light Silverhorns, Dressing for, [27]
• Light Silverhorns, Season for, [14]
• Light Snipe, Dressing for, [19]
• Light Snipe, Season for, [13]
• Lightly Dressed Flies, [10]
• Line, [37], [64], [66], [73], [90], [93], [95]
• Line, Short for Upstream Fly Fishing, [45]
• Line, To be greased, [64], [90]
• Lune, [54]
• Maiden Dew Worms, [74]
• March Brown, Dressings for, [18], [19]
• March Brown, Season for, [13]
• McClelland’s Book on Fly Dressing, [7]
• Metamorphosis of Creeper, [65]
• Minnow Fishing, in a clear water, [98]
• Minnow Fishing, in a coloured water, [96]
• Minnow Fishing, in a wind, [101]
• Minnow Fishing, Rod for, [93], [100]
• Minnow Fishing, Season for, [92]
• Minnow Fishing, Tackle for, [94]
• Minnow Fishing, Upstream, [98], [99], [102]
• Minnow, Where to Fish, [96]
• Minnows, Better too small than too large, [99]
• Minnows, in Formalin, [96]
• Minnows, Method of Baiting with, [94]
• Minnows, Method of keeping alive, [96]
• Minnows, Natural better than Artificial, [94]
• Minnows, Salted, [96]
• Oil Tip, [36], [55], [90]
• Olive Bloa, Dressing for, [20]
• Olive Bloa, Season for, [13]
• Olive Dun, [60]
• Orange Partridge, Dressing for, [17]
• Orange Partridge, Season for, [13]
• Outer Side of Feather, [9]
• Pale Watery Dun, Dressing for, [27]
• Pale Watery Dun, Season for, [14]
• Pearsall’s “Gossamer” Silk, [9]
• Pennell Tackle for Creeper and Stone-Fly Fishing, [64]
• Pennell Tackle for Upstream Worm Fishing, [73]
• Phantom Minnow, [95]
• Pinktail Worms, [74]
• Pink Wickham, [58], [60]
• Point Fly, [12]
• Poult Boa, Dressing for, [22]
• Poult Bloa, Season for, [13]
• Primary Feathers, [9]
• Rapidity of Casts in Wet-Fly Fishing, [46]
• Red Quill, [60]
• Red Spinner, dry, Dressing for, [30]
• Red Spinner, dry, Season for, [14]
• Red Spinner, wet, Dressing for, [26]
• Red Spinner, wet, Season for, [14]
• Reel, [37], [73], [92], [93]
• Ribble, [54]
• Rod for Creeper Fishing, [64]
• Rod for Dry-Fly Fishing, [37]
• Rod for General Use, [37]
• Rod for Minnow Fishing, [93], [100]
• Rod for Stone Fly Fishing, [66]
• Rod for Upstream Worm Fishing, [73]
• Rod for Wet-Fly Fishing, [36]
• Rough-Bodied Poult, Dressing for, [27]
• Rough-Bodied Poult, Season for, [14]
• Salted Minnows, [96]
• Season of Flies, [10], [13 et seq.]
• Secondary Feathers, [9]
• Sedge Flies, [57]
• Short-Bodied Flies, [8]
• Short Line for Upstream Fly Fishing, [44]
• Silk, Pearsall’s “Gossamer”, [9]
• Silk, Shades of, [9]
• Silk, Waxed, [9]
• Silver Sedge, [57], [60]
• Single Hook Worm Tackle, [73]
• Small Side, Artificials to err on, [10]
• Smuts, [52]
• Spinners, [8], [52], [57]
• Spinners, Wing for, [11]
• Spinning, Rod for, [93], [100]
• Split-Cane Rod, [37], [93]
• Split Shot, [74], [89]
• Spring Black, Dressing for, [17]
• Spring Black, Season for, [13]
• Stewart, Rod recommended by, [72]
• Stewart Tackle, [74]
• Stone Flies, Females, [66]
• Stone Flies, Males, [66]
• Stone Fly, Description of, [62]
• Stone-Fly Fishing, Rod for, [66]
• Stone-Fly Fishing, Tackle for, [66]
• Stone Fly, Method of Baiting, [66]
• Stone Fly, Method of Fishing, [66]
• Stone Midge, Dressing for, [23]
• Stone Midge, Season for, [13]
• Strike, Timing of, [41], [56], [65], [67], [78], [81], [86], [98]
• Swivels, [95]
• Tackle for Creeper Fishing, [64]
• Tackle for Minnow Fishing, [94]
• Tackle for Stone-Fly Fishing, [66]
• Tackle for Upstream Worm Fishing, [73], [74]
• Tail of Pool, Upstream Worm Fishing of, [88]
• Taking Fly, Fished as Point, [12]
• Tapered Cast, How to Make, [38]
• Trace, [95]
• Transparent Wax, [9]
• Under Side of Wing of Artificial, [9]
• Upstream Fly Fishing, [41]
• Upstream Fly Fishing, Short Line for, [44]
• Upstream Minnow Fishing, [98], [99], [102]
• Upstream Worm Fishing in still water, [85]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Method of, [76]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Method of detecting Bites, [90]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Rod for, [73]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Season of, [70]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Secret of Success in, [72]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Tackles for, [73], [74]
• Upstream Worm Fishing, Wrong Method of, [82]
• Vibrate Rod Point, [41]
• Waders for Upstream Worming, [74]
• Waterhen Bloa, Dressing for, [16]
• Waterhen Bloa, Season for, [13]
• Wax, Transparent, [9]
• Waxed Silk, [9]
• Wet Flies, Number on Cast, [36]
• Wet-Fly Fishing, Methods of, [39]
• Wet-Fly Fishing, Rod for, [36]
• Wharfe, [54], [57]
• Wind, Effect of, on Haunts of Flies, [52]
• Wind, Upstream Worm Fishing in a, [87]
• Wing for Spinners, [11]
• Wing of Artificial, under side, [9]
• Winged Flies, [9], [11]
• Winter Brown, Dressing for, [16]
• Winter Brown, Season for, [13]
• Wool on Cast in Upstream Worm Fishing, [90]
• Worm Tackles, [73], [74]
• Worms, [74]
• Yellow-Legged Bloa, Dressing for, [22]
• Yellow-Legged Bloa, Season for, [13]
• Yellow Partridge, Dressing for, [21]
• Yellow Partridge, Season for, [13]

Printed by Percy Lund, Humphries &. Co., Ltd., Priestman Street, Bradford, and 3, Amen Corner, London, E.C.

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