Fishing from the earliest times - Blog

190 ^LIAN—FIRST ARTIFICIAL FLYseems to me to have been for a long time in more or less regularuse. The materials necessary or employed for dressing fliesare set forth in two other places by ^lian in this same work.The Macedonian fly is described at length and in special detail,probably because it marked an advance in making up a fly.I have not been able so far to find the passages in Bk. III.43, and Bk. XV. lo, mentioned (except in Bliimner's generallist of fishing weapons under " Fischfang " i) or alluded toin connection with fly-making, much less brought into theprominence which their special pertinence of a surety deservesand demands.This omission may be due to previous writers being contentwith the authority and researches of Oliver and of Westwoodand Satchell, and on the line of least exertion not pursuing thesubject any further even in the pages of ^Elian himself. Ifthey had so pursued, they would have discovered in the firstpassage in Bk. XII. 43, which is separated by only three books,and in the second passage in Bk. XV. 10, which is separatedby only nine chapters from the locus classicus in Bk. XV. i,strong reasons for qualifying their statement as to the Macedonian" invention."In Bk. XII. 43, Fishing is divided into four kinds— byNets, Spears, Weels, and Hooks ; that by hooks {ajKiaTpua)is adjudged " the most skilful, and the most becoming for freemen," that by Weels {Kvpraia) the least so. In each classvElian carefully enumerates the articles necessary or generallyused.The list of those necessary for fishing with hooks, or Angling,recounts " natural horsehair, white, and black, and flamecoloured,and half-grey ; but of the dyed hair, they select onlythose that are grey, or of true sea-purple, for the rest, theysay, are pretty poor. They use, too, the straight bristles ofswine, and thread, and much copper and lead, and cords."Now follow the important words—" and feathers, chieflywhite, or black, or various. They use two wools, red and blue. " 2^ Die romischen Privataltertumer (Munich, 191 1), pp. 529-30.2 Kat impols, fxaKicrra /xlv XevKo7s Ka\ ueAatriv Kal TroiKtKois. XP^^"''"-'- 7* 1"^'' "'a\iHS Kol