A Boy's Workshop: With plans and designs for in-door and out-door work

by Harry Craigin

FIG. 3.

First, get a good hook. The good hook is as sharp as a needle, and the barbed end points nearly exactly in a line with the end of the shank; not inside of the “line of pull,” a, b (see [fig. 1]), lest the point come not in contact with the fish; nor too far out, lest the barb be pulled flatwise against the fish’s mouth, and thus not pierce it readily; nor exactly in the line of pull, for, though in that case it would pierce anything between the point and end of shank, it might slip out without touching the unclosed jaws before the jaw had passed the line of pull. A point like x would be bad, so would one like z; but one like y would be about right. Now take the hook between the forefinger and thumb of your left hand, the shank pointing to your right, as in [fig. 2]. Say the end of a strong piece of silk, well waxed, on the hook near the bend, and, holding it firmly with your forefinger and thumb, wrap it tightly around the hook nearly to the end of the shank, as in [fig. 3]. Now coil a piece of silkworm-tug that has been soaked ten or fifteen minutes, and lay it on the hook with the coil to your right, and wrap it with your silk carefully and firmly down to the bend of the hook, cutting off the silkworm-gut a little before you get to the bend, so as to cover it well with the wrap, like [fig. 4], at first; it looks like [fig. 5] after wrapping. Now take two of the fibres of a peacock’s feather, technically known as peacock’s herl, and a piece of silver or gilt tinsel; lay the tinsel on near the bend, and then, after two wraps of the silk, lay on the two pieces of peacock’s herl, which must be fastened by two or three wraps, as in [fig. 6]. Now fasten in with a turn or two of the silk the dubbing for the body of the fly. Supposing it to be peacock’s herl, three or four pieces will do, as in [fig. 7]. Then take a hackle-feather, shaped like [fig. 8], from the neck or rump of a gamecock or brown leghorn, and fasten in the point with three wraps of your silk, as in [fig. 9].

FIG. 4.

You have now a hook, a, wrapped with well-waxed silk, b, with a piece of silkworm-gut, c, a piece of tinsel, d, two tail-pieces, e, e, dubbing for body, f, f, f and hackle for legs, g.