The Blue, Black and Dun Gnats are at times on the water from May to August, and when the fish are taking them they generally refuse the larger flies.
The Blue Gnat may be made thus: A blue feather from a Titmouse's tail for wings, body from pale blue floss silk, on a cypher hook, which means the smallest hook made; or the wings may be had from Heron's plumes, with same or primrose silk.
Black Gnat—Starling's breast and black silk, cypher hook; or black Ostrich strand and inside wing feather of Starling for wings.
Dun Gnat—from inside wing feather of a Landrail and fawn coloured silk—cypher hook.
Observe, that you may put more feather on your hackle flies in the Spring than in the Summer; when the water is low and clear, a very small quantity of hackle is sufficient, and it should by no means descend much, if any, below the bend of the hook.
In low waters, except when the blue, dun and brown drakes are on, the hackle flies will generally be found to kill better than the winged flies.
REMARKS ON THE MARCH BROWN OR DUN DRAKE.
The March Brown is well known to all anglers as a fly to which they are chiefly indebted for the greatest portion of their sport in the Spring, commencing as its name indicates in March, and continuing the whole of April and into May. They appear on the water each succeeding day about eleven in the forenoon, and retire about half-past two p.m. Few rivers or brooks produce March Browns that are exactly alike;—I mean with regard to the same shade of colour, even in the same river there are frequently darker and lighter flies. For the lighter one I recommend the hen pheasant's or brown owl's wing feather, dubbed with hare's ear and yellow silk; for the dark, the tail feather of a partridge, a brown red hackle underneath the wings, and dark orange silk, or a woodcock's feather for wings, and a dark red hackle with dark orange silk,—kills exceedingly well. When the water is low and fine, I consider your chance of killing fish far greater with two, than three of the large spring flies. If you put the brown, and blue dun on your stretcher, three quarters of a yard apart, you will find your cast will be much lighter with the two than three; this plan also holds good in reference to hackle flies, provided that you know what the fish are taking.