TREATISE OF FISHING WITH A FLY


In 1450 a manuscript entitled The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle, attributed to one Dame Juliana Berners, a nun and noblewoman. The first printed copy was included in the second Book of St. Albans, printed in 1496. In addition to explaining how to make your own rods, hooks and lines the book contained a list or jury of twelve artificial flies. Dame Juliana was far from a purist fly fisher, and much of her Treatise is devoted to fishing with a variety of live baits. With due respect to Dame Juliana I offer the following modernized version of her Treatise.