In the U.S. such authors as Edward R. Hewitt and
Vincent Marinaro expanded upon the material provided by Ward and
Harding. To my mind the finest assessment of these matters was
covered by Marinaro in Chapter 3 of his classic book, A Modern
Dry Fly Code. Here he takes an otherwise dry, scientific subject
and converts it into a living, breathing on-stream experience.
Reading Marinaro many years ago motivated
me to build a small glass slant-tank, through which I could get
a trout's underwater view of floating insects and/or fly patterns
representing them. It was a revelation.
I shot many macro-photographs of both insects
and fly patterns viewed from a trout's perspective. When projected
onto a wide screen, the detail shown gave credence to the writings
of the researchers. I was particularly facinated by a magnified cross-
section of the surface film. It is a relatively thick, multilayered skin
which stretches like a drumhead from bank to bank in river and lake.
It allows our dry flies to float and often prevents our leaders from
sinking. And it proved some of our old assumptions to be off the
mark.
For example, one ancient shibolleth assured us
that using stiff hackle would cause our dry flies to sit up "on their
toes." Actually, flies will perform this way on a hard surface but
on water the sharp points of the hackle barbs, pointing directly
downward will penetrate the film, leaving the job of support to the
lateral barbules. This may be observed when a hackled dry fly is
dropped into a glass of water. Actually this penetration may be
beneficial to such dries as tailless skaters, holding them upright
on the surface and preventing rolling.
When I began tying flies immediately following
World War II there was virtually no word of endangered animal
species. Material suppliers stocked - and we purchased - just about
every conceivable kind of animal hair, fur or plumage. They
included polar bear hair, condor wing and tail feathers and dik-
dik skins, among many others. I remember purchasing from E. Hille -
in 1947, I believe - a condor wing primary for $1.50. It was 18 inches
long and had to be cut in half to fit into the mailing carton. The
individual quill fibers make wonderful segmented nymph bodies and the
flue was a good representation of external gills.
Within a few years we began to recognize
that many animal species were becoming endangered and sensibly, their
import and sale became prohibited. But for fly tyers it wasn't the end
of the world. We found substitutes and in many cases the alternatives proved
equal or better than the originals. For nymph bodies I substituted goose and turkey
biots. They were shorter than condor but I found I could wrap two together
to cover the larger sizes.
Tying threads have moved progressively from silk to
nylon to the present day poly, with strength and fineness unimagined just
a few years ago, and available in every color of the rainbow. We have
dubbing materials available in natural and synthetic furs, along with the
ability to come up with delicate hues by mixing in a blender or coffee
mill. ~ Chauncy Lively
Concluded next time. Chauncy's article appears
in the Spring Issue of the RIVERWATCH, the quarterly publication
of the Anglers of the AuSable, Grayling Michigan.
FAOL is proud to be a member of this fine organization,
dedicated to the protection of the AuSable River, its watershed
and environs. Dues are $25 per
year. For membership contact:
The Anglers of the AuSable
403 Black Bear Drive
Grayling, Michigan 49738
and visit their
website!
|
