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| First documents |
It has to go back several centuries back to find first
documents written in which pronounces the interest by the trout.
Given the importance that trout had like gastronomical plate
between kings and other nobility, the first laws arose that regulated
the trout fishing to preserve a remarkable piscícola population.
"Natural History de Ælian" turned in
Greek, made the first reference to the fishing with artificial fly.
This probably was written in year 200 of ours was. In the
Astrænos river,
between Borea and Thessalonica, the Macedonians used
speckled pieces of pen since the fish fed themselves on an insect that
floated on the water of the river. The native ones called Hippouros. These insects looked
for their food on the surface, thing that it smoothly urged the fish
and sucking them, took the fly to their mouth. The fishermen did
not use the natural ones like bait since when having contact with
them, lost their natural color and their wings are made wither.
In the Iberian Peninsula, Suintila king visigodo in year 654,
began to worry so that it did not need this rich fish one in his
plate. In 1258 Alfonso X the wise person wrote up the Ordering
of Fishing and Hunting of Cortes of Valladolid.
Later king Juan II dictated the 26 of August of 1448 in Astorga
more concrete decrees and with pains for that failed to fulfill them:
"..We order that does not fish trouts from half-full of
the month of Noviembrte to half-full of the month of Hebrero, under
penalty of 200 maravedís per time, being time in which they
procreate.."
"..And does not fish trouts with networks, nor paradexos that
does not pass through each mesh a eight segovian real.."
"..Any person who threw in waters morga, alive lime or
another any pollution thing, can be caught by to person nobodies
and to take to him 100 mrs. and Regiment 200 mrs. and the Concexo of the
average district sang of wine and 200 mrs."
Wolfram Von Eschenbach, of German origin, wrote in 1210 a
collection of ballads whose protagonist, Schionatulander, fished trouts and
graylings using something similar to a fly, literally a "hook with pens".
Other German texts count of the practice of the fly fishing
from the Swiss plains to Syria.
In Great Britain during centuries XIV and XV manuscripts were
written that although do not spoken of the technique, they
refered the practice of the fly fishing on the part of the
native ones of the zone.
On the other hand, there were people who, to the margin of
mentions, regulations and laws, dedicated themselves to write on the
knowledge merely technicians to fish the trout. The languages are
diverse in which we can find some of most well-known treaties of
fishing.
At the beginning of century XV a Bavarian manuscript describes
about fifty models of artificial flies for the fishing of different
species, between which is the trout.
Perhaps but the three more important treaties of century XV are:
First, British Library Harley 2389 that it describes like fishing the trout:
"...in
June, iuly an agust in the vpper part of the water with an
artificiall flye, made vppon your hooke with sylke of dyverse
coloures lyke vnto the flys which be on the waters in these
monethes, and fethers be good & pecokes and
popiniayes..."
The second, "Piscium Medicine"
(conserved in the library of Bodleian) describes flies to
fish trouts and salmons:
"...And iff ye fische for hym
in the lapyng tyme ye must dubbe your hoke with the federys of
a pertriche or with the federysse of a whyld doke and ye must
loke what colowre that the fley is that the trowgth lepythe
aftir and ye same colowre must the federisse be and the same
colowre must the sylke be of for to bynde the federysse to
your hoke..."
Third, "A Treatyse of Fysshynge
with an Angle". This book, was published like
part of the second edition of "The Book of St.
Albans" in 1496Two versions written by hand exist, dated
before 1450, unfortunately, the most complete copy is lost
part of the printed text, in individual the list of the flies.
It is known that the publisher of this treaty was Wynkyn
deWorde, an apprentice of the Caxton house and its successors.
The identity of the author, as well as the evidences that try to
prove it are quite uncertain, the custom indicates that it is Julian
Dame Berners.
The Treaty is the oldest work and complete work on the fly
fishing. The text includes instructions on construction of the
rod, the line, hooks; passages for twelve patterns and advice
detailed of like capturing the more common British species.
The Treaty is the first book printed on fly fishing and its
influence was immense. The work enjoyed great popularity and was
reprinted in repeated occasions during that century.
During two later centuries to his publication, there was no
another work similar on the fly fishing, since
The Treatyse by itself constitutes an
extraordinary file, independently of his origin and of whom in fact it
has written it.
For practical effects, we know nothing on the fly fishing
in the period between the publication of The
Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle and the end of
the English civil war.
The war impelled a five group of man that wrote on the
fly fishing. They were:
Thomas Barker wrote and published in
1659 the book: Barker's Delight: or, The
Art of Angling.
Colonel Robert Venables
(1612-1687), published in 1662 The Experienced Angler.
Isaac Walton (August 9, 1596 -
December 15 1683) is known like the author of The
Compleat Angler (1653), one of three more published books
in the history of English Literature (the other two are the Bible
and the complete Works of Shakespeare). The Compleat Angler has
had more than 300 editions.
Charles Cotton
(April 28, 1630 -
February 16, 1687) to request of Walton, Cotton wrote his celebrated
second part of The Compleat Angler. It does not stay clear as
happened that he was expert of the fly fishing
but is very probable that he passed his days in the
Dove river studying the life of May flies (ephemeral).
Richard Franck was fisherman of
salmons and he was one of the first authors in writing about his extensive
personal experiences on like fishing salmons with an artificial fly.
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| Our Origins |
In which it refers our origins, in 1539 Fernando Basurto
was the author of the Treaty of fly fishing,
which it explains like capturing the trout. Basurto
established differences between the fishing and other sports.
This Aragonese explained the technique that used to deceive the
trouts. A jointed bar with the last wood segment to which it
tied a braided silk was his equipment of fishing. The technique
that it recommended was to send to the fly waters down and to recover
it in surface at a moderate speed. Basurto gave much importance
to the observation, one of the keys of all fisherman who boasts.
He described the form in which the trouts ate the natural flies,
and he put emphasis in capturing these insects to guess right with the
color of the imitations.
The mythical Manuscript of Astorga was written in 1624. In that year Juan de Bergara put record of the
existence of the Roosters of Leon and the use of theirs pens for the
preparation of 33 models of artificial flies. These patterns were
very complex and elaborated, having certain similarity with the
British assemblies of the time. In a fly even five different pens
were used, which makes think that perhaps they were
made to float. In addition Juan de Bergara recommended the
use of the flies in certain months of the year.
Juan de Bergara mentions in his text that his manuscript is an
adaptation and it receives the influence of other books written by
recognized foreign fishermen. It is possible that Juan de
Bergara knew other treaties like the one Julian Dame Berners.
Considering that the Manuscript of Astorga did not come to the
light until 1935, it is possible to think that other original lost ones
exist in Spanish private bookstores.
Later in 1825, Luis Peña published an extension of the Manuscript of Astorga that
gathered a total of 41 artificial flies, was called Manuscript of Leon.
At that time the assemblies were made on great and coarse hooks,
being the effectiveness so proven that nowadays the criteria and
techniques stay to mount wet flies. The materials
and tools of assembly have evolved, but the patterns of Juan de
Bergara continue valid and being used by the fishermen.
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