Since we’ve done a number of postings about the recorded history of fly fishing, it seems only fair to provide a little more detail about a book that we’ve referred to more than once, The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle. The work refers to the use of flies month by month, which may be of interest to you modern day anglers. The following is an extract.
March: The Dun Fly. Body of dun wool; wings of partridge.This fly could well be the March Brown. Another Dun Fly. Body of black wool; wings of the blackest drake; jay under wings and tail. Some believe that this fly was the large Dark Olive, but with its overall black appearance it is more likely to be an early Black Gnat of the Bibio species. April: The Stonefly. Body of black wool with yellow under the wings and tail; wings of a drake. As its name implies this is a stonefly imitation. The Roddyd Fly. A reddish wool body, with a black silk rib; wings of a drake and a red capon’s hackle. This fly is thought to be the Red Spinner. May: The Yellow Fly. Body of yellow wool; wings of red cock hackle and of the drake this fly could well be the mayfly ephemera danica, or the Yellow May Dun; or even the stonefly Yellow Sally. The Black Louper. Body of black wool; peacock herl from an eye feather and wings of a red capon with a blue head. A looper caterpillar of some species, this could well be the original palmer fly.
We’ll bring you more interesting stuff about fly fishing for beginners in future blogs.
