Anglers also make something having no counterpart in nature—a winged hackle—by tying the hackle in a winged fly back from the bend to the end of shank—a sort of winged caterpillar. Some fish, no doubt, are affected by it as by a caterpillar; others as by a fly; others just strike out of curiosity, as a kitten plays with a ball. Should you buy your tackle, buy from tackle-makers who angle occasionally themselves. They know more “wrinkles” in their “line” in a day than ordinary makers learn in a year. Some of the best houses in Boston, New York and Baltimore derive their most valuable specialties from the presence of one or more actual anglers in the firms.
Water-flies have generally, like the Mayfly, fig. 18, a body, wings, legs, and tail-like appendages, technically, so you will not be far wrong if you make your fly have those parts, though fish bite at flies with less than these enumerated. For black bass, greens, yellows and reds seem the best colors, though white and black are often used. I like, however, flies that are combinations of bright and sober tints. A favorite fly with me has a body of peacock’s herl brown; wings, yellowish-white feather of chicken-hawk with discolorations on them; legs, a reddish-brown hackle from a gamecock or brown leghorn cock; tail-pieces, two fibres, like wings. I put a red streak in each wing. I call it the “academy,” after a school once under my care.
IT is often the case that in households where even several magazines are taken, that little money can be afforded for the purpose of binding them; and it follows that they are soon destroyed, or else stored away and never looked at. The pretty covers provided for most magazines by the publishers are of course preferable; but they also, of course, cost something. Therefore I have concluded to tell you of a durable, cheaper, and on the whole, pretty way of binding your yearly, or half-yearly volumes.
For several years we have made it a business to bind up our magazines every spring before cleaning house time; and we proudly exhibit to our friends our collections of neat, strong books which would look well in any library. We usually turn a corner of the living-room into a bindery, as we have no workshop.