The Salmon Fly - How to Dress It and How to Use It is a fly fishing book written by George M. Kelson published in London in 1895 by Messers. Wyman & Sons, Limited. This Victorian guide to fly fish tying built up the illusion that angling for salmon required feathers of exotic bird species.
In The Salmon Fly, Kelson boldly and confidently distilled a lifetime of salmon fishing wisdom into this privately published work. The book contains 510 pages of text and 46 pages of illustrations plus 8 coloured plates showing 52 flies. Many of the black & white illustrations are of fly-fishing contemporaries of Kelson, including Mr. A.V. Wells-Ridley J.P, Major J.P. Traherne and Mr. Barclay Field. The first part of the book is devoted to the techniques of tying the salmon fly as well as patterns for individual flies. Here's a typical pattern write-up:
BODY. In two equal sections : No. 1, of yellow silk (butter-cup colour) ribbed with narrow silver tinsel, and butted with Toucan above and below, and black herl : No. 2, black silk, ribbed with broad silver tinsel.
HACKLE. A natural black hackle, from centre.
THROAT. Gallina.
WINGS. Two strips of black Turkey with white tips, Golden Pheasant tail, Bustard, grey Mallard, Peacock (sword feather) Swan dyed blue and yellow, red Macaw, Mallard, and a topping.
SIDES. Jungle.
CHEEKS. Chatterer.
HORNS. Blue Macaw.
HEAD. Black herl.
It is only just possible to find a river or a catch, be it in pools, streams, rapids, or flats, shaded or exposed to the light of day, in which a "Jock Scott," when dressed properly, has not made for itself a splendid reputation.[1]
The second part of the book is devoted to the practical aspects of fishing for salmon with the fly—locating fish, casting techniques, catching and landing fish and various accessories and equipment. The Salmon Fly also includes 46 full page black and white advertisements for mostly angling and sporting pursuits.
Reviewsedit
James Robb in Notable Angling Literature (1945) wrote:
The Salmon Fly by G. M. Kelson was published in 1895; the sub-title is: How to dress and how to use it. It is a handsome quarto of more than 500 pages and beautifully illustrated. Kelson is regarded as the first writer to whom the amateur could go for proper guidance in salmon fly-dressing[2]
The Salmon Fly enjoys a unique position in the literature of fly dressing since it brought order and system to the classification of salmon flies and the methodology of salmon fly dressing.[3]
In 1987 Paul Schullery in American Fly Fishing-A History said of Kelson's The Salmon Fly:
Fly tiers in the Old World responded to an increased availability of exotic feathers and furs with ever more elaborate patterns, the trend reaching is finest statement in George Kelson's The Salmon Fly (1895) and T. E. Pryce Tannant's How to Dress Salmon Flies (1914). Kelson's book, with its excellent color plates and dressings for some three hundred patterns, became the salmon fly's equivalent to Mary Orvis Marbury's Favorite Flies; what the latter book did for the nineteenth-century American wet fly, Kelson's did for the late-Victorian salmon fly.[4]
Kelson's book is considered one of the greatest works on the subject of salmon fishing. The book was not without its controversy as it rekindled some of the rivalry between R. B. Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette and Kelson. Marston insisted that many of the patterns claimed by Kelson in the book were actually the works of other salmon fishers, not Kelson. Marston also claimed that many patterns attributed to one tier were actually the design of another tier. In the end much of Kelson's reputation was tarnished but the book is still one of the great classics of the era.[5]
According to Kirk Johnson, the author of The Feather Thief (2018) the idea of using of exotic feathers and the suggestion that it increased the success rate of anglers was a pseudoscience spread effectively by Kelson's book. Kelson suggested the use of feathers of such birds as the banded chatterer, the Great American cock, the Nankeen night heron, the South American bittern, and the Ecuadorian cock of the rock. He also considered that it would be a good idea to use the feathers of the Golden Bird of Paradise. This was one of the factors that contributed to a major heist and destruction of scientifically valuable bird specimens from the Natural History Museum at Tring.[6]
Contentsedit
Chapter I. Introductory.
Chapter II. Salmon Flies: Their Kinds, Qualities and Materials.
Chapter III. Salmon Flies: How to "Dress" Them.
Chapter IV. A List of Standard Flies, With Their "Dressings."
Chapter V. The Choice of Flies.
Chapter VI. The Rod and Special Equipments.
(1) The Rod
(2) The Line.
(3) The Winch.
Chapter VII. The Rod at the Riverside.
The Various Methods of Casting, Illustrated, &c., &c.
Chapter VIII. Miscellaneous.
(1) Silkworm Gut
(2) Knots
(3) Twisting Gut for Loops
(4) The Necklace
(5) Fly Boxes
(6) The Opening Seasons, &c.
Other Editionsedit
Kelson, George M. (1979). The Salmon Fly: How to Dress and How to Use It (Facsimile ed.). Goshen, CT: Anglers and Shooter's Press.
Kelson, George M. (1995). The Salmon Fly: How to Dress and How to Use It (Centennial ed.). Camden, SC: John Culler & Sons. ISBN1-887269-00-2.
Kelson, George M. (1995). The Salmon Fly: How to Dress and How to Use It (Fly Fisher's Classic Library Centenary ed.). Devon U.K.: Bovey Tracy.
George Mortimer Kelson was born 8 December 1836 in Sevenoaks, Kent, the son of George Kelson and Charlotte Louisa Rich. He died 29 March 1920. He married Emma Herbert in 1866; they had eight children. He was a member of Kent County Cricket Club. He was a juror at the 1883 International Fishing Exhibition in London.[citation needed]
^Kelson, George M. (1895). The Salmon Fly and How to Dress It. London: Wyman & Sons. pp. 171–173.
^Robb, James (1945). Notable Angling Literature. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd. p. 195.
^Jackson, Alec (Summer 1980). "Salmon Systematics-A review of Two Editions of George Kelson's Monumental Book on Salmon Flies and Salmon Fishing". The American Fly Fisher. 7 (3): 24–28.
^Schullery, Paul (1996). American Fly Fishing-A History. Norwalk, CT: The Easton Press. p. 163.
^Herd, Andrew Dr (2001). The Fly. Ellesmere, Shropshire: Medlar Press. pp. 338–39. ISBN1-899600-19-1.
^Johnson, Kirk Wallace (2018). The Feather Thief. Viking.
Further readingedit
Bates, Joseph D. (1970). Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN0-8117-0180-8.
Gingrich, Arnold (1974). The Fishing In Print-A Guided Tour Through Five Centuries of Angling Literature. New York: Winchester Press. ISBN0-87691-157-2.
Herd, Andrew Dr (2001). The Fly. Ellesmere, Shropshire: Medlar Press. ISBN1-899600-19-1.
External linksedit
Online version at the Internet Archive
January 24, 2024
salmon, salmonfly, insect, pteronarcys, pteronarcyidae, artificial, pteronarcys, flies, salmon, patterns, dress, fishing, book, written, george, kelson, published, london, 1895, messers, wyman, sons, limited, this, victorian, guide, fish, tying, built, illusio. For salmonfly the insect Pteronarcys see Pteronarcyidae For Artificial Pteronarcys flies see Salmon fly patterns The Salmon Fly How to Dress It and How to Use It is a fly fishing book written by George M Kelson published in London in 1895 by Messers Wyman amp Sons Limited This Victorian guide to fly fish tying built up the illusion that angling for salmon required feathers of exotic bird species The Salmon Fly How to Dress It and How to Use ItAuthorGeorge M KelsonCountryGreat BritainLanguageEnglishSubjectFly fishingPublisherMessers Wyman amp Sons Limited LondonPublication date1895Pages510 Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Reviews 3 Contents 4 Other Editions 5 Gallery 6 Biography 7 See also 8 Notes 9 Further reading 10 External linksSynopsis edit nbsp Illustration of parts from the bookIn The Salmon Fly Kelson boldly and confidently distilled a lifetime of salmon fishing wisdom into this privately published work The book contains 510 pages of text and 46 pages of illustrations plus 8 coloured plates showing 52 flies Many of the black amp white illustrations are of fly fishing contemporaries of Kelson including Mr A V Wells Ridley J P Major J P Traherne and Mr Barclay Field The first part of the book is devoted to the techniques of tying the salmon fly as well as patterns for individual flies Here s a typical pattern write up Jock Scott G S John Scott TAG Silver twist and yellow silk TAIL A topping and Indian Crow BUTT Black herl BODY In two equal sections No 1 of yellow silk butter cup colour ribbed with narrow silver tinsel and butted with Toucan above and below and black herl No 2 black silk ribbed with broad silver tinsel HACKLE A natural black hackle from centre THROAT Gallina WINGS Two strips of black Turkey with white tips Golden Pheasant tail Bustard grey Mallard Peacock sword feather Swan dyed blue and yellow red Macaw Mallard and a topping SIDES Jungle CHEEKS Chatterer HORNS Blue Macaw HEAD Black herl It is only just possible to find a river or a catch be it in pools streams rapids or flats shaded or exposed to the light of day in which a Jock Scott when dressed properly has not made for itself a splendid reputation 1 The second part of the book is devoted to the practical aspects of fishing for salmon with the fly locating fish casting techniques catching and landing fish and various accessories and equipment The Salmon Fly also includes 46 full page black and white advertisements for mostly angling and sporting pursuits Reviews editJames Robb in Notable Angling Literature 1945 wrote The Salmon Fly by G M Kelson was published in 1895 the sub title is How to dress and how to use it It is a handsome quarto of more than 500 pages and beautifully illustrated Kelson is regarded as the first writer to whom the amateur could go for proper guidance in salmon fly dressing 2 The American Fly Fisher in 1980 The Salmon Fly enjoys a unique position in the literature of fly dressing since it brought order and system to the classification of salmon flies and the methodology of salmon fly dressing 3 In 1987 Paul Schullery in American Fly Fishing A History said of Kelson s The Salmon Fly Fly tiers in the Old World responded to an increased availability of exotic feathers and furs with ever more elaborate patterns the trend reaching is finest statement in George Kelson s The Salmon Fly 1895 and T E Pryce Tannant s How to Dress Salmon Flies 1914 Kelson s book with its excellent color plates and dressings for some three hundred patterns became the salmon fly s equivalent to Mary Orvis Marbury s Favorite Flies what the latter book did for the nineteenth century American wet fly Kelson s did for the late Victorian salmon fly 4 Kelson s book is considered one of the greatest works on the subject of salmon fishing The book was not without its controversy as it rekindled some of the rivalry between R B Marston editor of the Fishing Gazette and Kelson Marston insisted that many of the patterns claimed by Kelson in the book were actually the works of other salmon fishers not Kelson Marston also claimed that many patterns attributed to one tier were actually the design of another tier In the end much of Kelson s reputation was tarnished but the book is still one of the great classics of the era 5 According to Kirk Johnson the author of The Feather Thief 2018 the idea of using of exotic feathers and the suggestion that it increased the success rate of anglers was a pseudoscience spread effectively by Kelson s book Kelson suggested the use of feathers of such birds as the banded chatterer the Great American cock the Nankeen night heron the South American bittern and the Ecuadorian cock of the rock He also considered that it would be a good idea to use the feathers of the Golden Bird of Paradise This was one of the factors that contributed to a major heist and destruction of scientifically valuable bird specimens from the Natural History Museum at Tring 6 Contents editChapter I Introductory Chapter II Salmon Flies Their Kinds Qualities and Materials Chapter III Salmon Flies How to Dress Them Chapter IV A List of Standard Flies With Their Dressings Chapter V The Choice of Flies Chapter VI The Rod and Special Equipments 1 The Rod 2 The Line 3 The Winch Chapter VII The Rod at the Riverside The Various Methods of Casting Illustrated amp c amp c Chapter VIII Miscellaneous 1 Silkworm Gut 2 Knots 3 Twisting Gut for Loops 4 The Necklace 5 Fly Boxes 6 The Opening Seasons amp c Other Editions editKelson George M 1979 The Salmon Fly How to Dress and How to Use It Facsimile ed Goshen CT Anglers and Shooter s Press Kelson George M 1995 The Salmon Fly How to Dress and How to Use It Centennial ed Camden SC John Culler amp Sons ISBN 1 887269 00 2 Kelson George M 1995 The Salmon Fly How to Dress and How to Use It Fly Fisher s Classic Library Centenary ed Devon U K Bovey Tracy Gallery edit nbsp Jock Scott fly Plate I nbsp Frontispiece George M Kelson nbsp Plate I Salmon Flies nbsp The Switch Cast Illustration 1 nbsp Hardy s Tackle advertisementBiography editGeorge Mortimer Kelson was born 8 December 1836 in Sevenoaks Kent the son of George Kelson and Charlotte Louisa Rich He died 29 March 1920 He married Emma Herbert in 1866 they had eight children He was a member of Kent County Cricket Club He was a juror at the 1883 International Fishing Exhibition in London citation needed See also editBibliography of fly fishingNotes edit Kelson George M 1895 The Salmon Fly and How to Dress It London Wyman amp Sons pp 171 173 Robb James 1945 Notable Angling Literature London Herbert Jenkins Ltd p 195 Jackson Alec Summer 1980 Salmon Systematics A review of Two Editions of George Kelson s Monumental Book on Salmon Flies and Salmon Fishing The American Fly Fisher 7 3 24 28 Schullery Paul 1996 American Fly Fishing A History Norwalk CT The Easton Press p 163 Herd Andrew Dr 2001 The Fly Ellesmere Shropshire Medlar Press pp 338 39 ISBN 1 899600 19 1 Johnson Kirk Wallace 2018 The Feather Thief Viking Further reading editBates Joseph D 1970 Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing Harrisburg PA Stackpole Books ISBN 0 8117 0180 8 Gingrich Arnold 1974 The Fishing In Print A Guided Tour Through Five Centuries of Angling Literature New York Winchester Press ISBN 0 87691 157 2 Herd Andrew Dr 2001 The Fly Ellesmere Shropshire Medlar Press ISBN 1 899600 19 1 External links editOnline version at the Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Salmon Fly amp oldid 1082664574, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
