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Squirrel

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92-521: Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae ( / s ɪ ˈ j uː r ɪ d eɪ , - d iː / ), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents . The squirrel family includes tree squirrels , ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs , among others), and flying squirrels . Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa, and were introduced by humans to Australia. The earliest known fossilized squirrels date from

184-500: A 'backlash' in the US. This problem spurred the invention of the regulator to evenly spool the line out and prevent tangling. An American, Charles F. Orvis, designed and distributed a novel reel and fly design in 1874, described by reel historian Jim Brown as the "benchmark of American reel design", and the first fully modern fly reel. The founding of The Orvis Company helped institutionalize fly fishing by supplying angling equipment via

276-540: A bait fish or crustacean , others attractors are known to attract fish although they look like nothing in nature. Flies range in size from a few millimeters to 30 cm (12 in) long; most are between 1 and 5 cm (0.39 and 1.97 in). The dry fly is a floating fly which does not pierce the water surface significantly; other kinds of fly, whether floating or sinking, are often referred to as wet flies. Artificial flies are made by fastening hair, fur, feathers, or other materials, both natural and synthetic, onto

368-457: A consensus over time. The naming of families is codified by various international bodies using the following suffixes: The taxonomic term familia was first used by French botanist Pierre Magnol in his Prodromus historiae generalis plantarum, in quo familiae plantarum per tabulas disponuntur (1689) where he called the seventy-six groups of plants he recognised in his tables families ( familiae ). The concept of rank at that time

460-446: A family, yet in the realm of plants, these classifications often rely on both the vegetative and reproductive characteristics of plant species. Taxonomists frequently hold varying perspectives on these descriptions, leading to a lack of widespread consensus within the scientific community for extended periods. The continual publication of new data and diverse opinions plays a crucial role in facilitating adjustments and ultimately reaching

552-460: A few fragmented references little was written on fly fishing until The Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle was published (1496) within The Boke of Saint Albans attributed to Dame Juliana Berners . The book contains instructions on rod, line and hook making and dressings for different flies to use at different times of the year. By the 15th century, rods of approximately fourteen feet length with

644-459: A general discourse of angling, imparting many of the aptest ways and choicest experiments for the taking of most sorts of fish in pond or river . Another Civil War veteran to enthusiastically take up fishing was Richard Franck . He was the first to describe salmon fishing in Scotland, and both in that and trout-fishing with artificial fly he was a practical angler. He was the first angler to name

736-413: A great number of special casts meant to evade problems like trees behind the angler (roll cast), the pulling of the line on the fly by the action of the stream, or to make the fly land more softly. Spey casting is a casting technique used in fly fishing. Spey casting requires a longer, heavier two-handed fly rod , referred to as a "Spey rod". Spey casting is essentially a large roll cast, developed on

828-781: A hook. The first flies were tied with natural materials, but synthetic materials are now popular and prevalent. Flies are tied in sizes, colors and patterns to match local terrestrial and aquatic insects, bait-fish, or other prey attractive to the target fish species. Fly fishing is most renowned as a method for catching trout , grayling and salmon , but it is also used for a wide variety of species including pike , bass , panfish , and carp , as well as marine species, such as redfish , snook , tarpon , bonefish and striped bass . Many fly anglers catch unintended species such as chub , bream and rudd while fishing for 'main target' species such as trout. A growing population of anglers attempt to catch as many different species as possible with

920-521: A large stray dog in Lazo, Russia . Squirrel attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, but do occur. Whitaker examined the stomachs of 139 thirteen-lined ground squirrels and found bird flesh in four of the specimens and the remains of a short-tailed shrew in one; Bradley, examining the stomachs of white-tailed antelope squirrels , found at least 10% of his 609 specimens' stomachs contained some type of vertebrate, mostly lizards and rodents. Morgart observed

1012-446: A lifespan of 5 to 10 years in the wild. Some can survive 10 to 20 years in captivity. Premature death may occur when a nest falls from the tree, in which case the mother may abandon her young if their body temperature is not correct. Many such baby squirrels have been rescued and fostered by a professional wildlife rehabilitator until they could be safely returned to the wild, although the density of squirrel populations in many places and

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1104-592: A line twice your rod's length of three hairs' thickness... and if you have learnt the cast of the fly." The art of fly fishing took a great leap forward after the English Civil War , where a newly found interest in the activity left its mark on the many books and treatises that were written on the subject at the time. The renowned officer in the Parliamentary army , Robert Venables , published in 1662 The Experienced Angler, or Angling improved, being

1196-434: A loop. Experienced fishermen also improve the speed of the line leaving the rod tip by a technique called hauling , applying a quick fast pull with the hand holding the line. At the end of the cast when the line is stretched the line as a whole will still have speed and the fisherman can let some extra line through their fingers making a false throw, either forward or backward or to finish the cast and start fishing. There are

1288-494: A market leader for the next century. He received a royal warrant and became the official supplier of fishing tackle to three successive monarchs starting with King George IV over this period. Some have credited Onesimus with the invention of the multiplying winch , although he was certainly the first to advertise its sale. Early multiplying reels were wide and had a small diameter, and their gears, made of brass , often wore down after extensive use. His earliest advertisement in

1380-460: A much greater casting distance. However, these early fly lines proved troublesome as they had to be coated with various dressings to make them float and needed to be taken off the reel and dried every four hours or so to prevent them from becoming waterlogged. Another negative consequence was that it became easy for the much longer line to get into a tangle – this was called a 'tangle' in Britain, and

1472-628: A near-cosmopolitan distribution. This further supports the hypothesis that the common ancestor of all squirrels, living and fossil, lived in North America, as these three most ancient lineages seem to have radiated from there; if squirrels had originated in Eurasia , for example, one would expect quite ancient lineages in Africa , but African squirrels seem to be of more recent origin. The main group of squirrels can be split into five subfamilies:

1564-707: A period of diurnality during the summer. During hot periods, squirrels have been documented to sploot , or lay their stomachs down on cool surfaces. Squirrels, like other rodents, employ species-specific strategies to store food, buffering against periods of scarcity. In temperate regions, squirrels commonly cache nuts beneath leaf litter, inside hollow trees, or underground. However, in subtropical and humid environments, traditional caching can lead to mold growth, decomposition, or premature germination. To counteract these challenges, some squirrels, particularly in subtropical zones, hang nuts or mushrooms on tree branches. This behavior, believed to minimize fungal infections and reduce

1656-401: A properly cast fly line, which is heavier at the distal end and therefore more castable than lines used in other types of fishing. Due to the added mass (and thus often bigger diameter) of the fly line, a tapered leader line , sometimes also a secondary leader called a tippet , is used to secure the lure to the fly line. The physics of flycasting can be described by the transfer of impulse ,

1748-446: A solid core that were superior to anything that preceded them. George Cotton and his predecessors fished their flies with long rods and light lines, allowing the wind to do most of the work of getting the fly to the fish. Tackle design began to improve from the 1880s. The introduction of new woods to the manufacture of fly rods made it possible to cast flies into the wind on silk lines, instead of horse hair . These lines allowed for

1840-519: A twisted line attached at its tips were probably used in England. The earliest English poetical treatise on Angling by John Dennys , said to have been a fishing companion of Shakespeare , was published in 1613, The Secrets of Angling . Footnotes of the work, written by Dennys' editor, William Lawson, make the first mention of the phrase to 'cast a fly': "The trout gives the most gentlemanly and readiest sport of all, if you fish with an artificial fly,

1932-470: A white-tailed antelope squirrel capturing and eating a silky pocket mouse . The living squirrels are divided into five subfamilies , with about 58 genera and some 285 species . The oldest squirrel fossil, Hesperopetes , dates back to the Chadronian (late Eocene , about 40–35 million years ago ) and is similar to modern flying squirrels. A variety of fossil squirrels, from the latest Eocene to

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2024-434: A wide gap, or diastema . The typical dental formula for sciurids is 1.0.1.3 1.0.1.3 . The purposes of squirrels' tails, to benefit the squirrel, include: The hairs from squirrel tails are prized in fly fishing when tying fishing flies . Squirrel hair is very fine, making it better for tying fishing flies. When the squirrel sits upright, its tail folded up its back may stop predators looking from behind from seeing

2116-589: A wide variety of plants, as well as nuts , seeds , conifer cones , fruits , fungi , and green vegetation . Some squirrels, however, also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. Squirrels have been known to eat small birds , young snakes , and smaller rodents, as well as bird eggs and insects . Some tropical squirrel species have shifted almost entirely to a diet of insects. Squirrels, like pigeons and other fauna, are synanthropes , in that they benefit and thrive from their interaction in human environments. This gradual process of successful interaction

2208-743: Is called synurbanization, wherein squirrels lose their inherent fear of humans in an urban environment. When squirrels were almost completely eradicated during the Industrial Revolution in New York , they were later re-introduced to "entertain and remind" humans of nature. The squirrel blended into the urban environment so efficiently that when synanthropic behavior stops (i.e. people do not leave trash outside during particularly cold winters), they can become aggressive in their search for food. Aggression and predatory behavior has been observed in various species of ground squirrels, in particular

2300-437: Is heavy enough to send the fly to the target. The main difference between fly fishing and spin or bait fishing is that in fly fishing the weight of the line carries the hook through the air, whereas in spin and bait fishing the weight of the lure or sinker at the end of the monofilament or braided line gives casting distance. Artificial flies are of several types; some imitating an insect (either flying or swimming), others

2392-699: Is not as frequently used); the Norwegian ikorn / ekorn ; the Dutch eekhoorn ; the Swedish ekorre and the Danish egern . A group of squirrels is called a "dray" or a "scurry". Squirrels are generally small animals, ranging in size from the African pygmy squirrel and least pygmy squirrel at 10–14 cm (3.9–5.5 in) in total length and just 12–26 g (0.42–0.92 oz) in weight, to

2484-432: Is still followed today. Describing methods, techniques and, most importantly, artificial flies , in a meaningful way for the angler and illustrating them in colour is a method of presentation that can be seen in most fly-fishing literature today. The book was mostly about the aquatic insects— mayflies , caddisflies and stoneflies —that trout and grayling feed on and their counterpart artificial imitations. About half

2576-560: Is the same length. Then they throw their snare, and the fish, attracted and maddened by the color, comes straight at it, thinking from the pretty sight to gain a dainty mouthful; when, however, it opens its jaws, it is caught by the hook, and enjoys a bitter repast, a captive. In his book Fishing from the Earliest Times , however, William Radcliff (1921) gave the credit to Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis), born some two hundred years before Aelianus, who wrote: ...Who has not seen

2668-657: The Genera Plantarum of George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker this word ordo was used for what now is given the rank of family. Families serve as valuable units for evolutionary, paleontological, and genetic studies due to their relatively greater stability compared to lower taxonomic levels like genera and species. Fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly , which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish . Because

2760-518: The Bhutan giant flying squirrel at up to 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) in total length, and several marmot species, which can weigh 8 kg (18 lb) or more. Squirrels typically have slender bodies with very long very bushy tails and large eyes. In general, their fur is soft and silky, though much thicker in some species than others. The coat color of squirrels is highly variable between—and often even within—species. In most squirrel species,

2852-643: The Callosciurinae , 60 species mostly found in South East Asia ; the Ratufinae , 4 cat-sized species found in south and southeast Asia ; the Sciurinae , which contains the flying squirrels (Pteromyini) and the tree squirrels , 83 species found worldwide; Sciurillinae , a single South American species; and Xerinae , which includes three tribes of mostly terrestrial squirrels, including

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2944-673: The Eocene epoch, and among other living rodent families, the squirrels are most closely related to the mountain beaver and dormice . The word squirrel , first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escurel , the reflex of a Latin word sciurus , which was taken from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος ( skiouros ; from σκία-ουρος ) 'shadow-tailed', referring to

3036-611: The Marmotini ( marmots , chipmunks , prairie dogs , and other Holarctic ground squirrels), Xerini (African and some Eurasian ground squirrels), and Protoxerini (African tree squirrels). Family (biology) Family ( Latin : familia , pl. : familiae ) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy . It is classified between order and genus . A family may be divided into subfamilies , which are intermediate ranks between

3128-494: The Miocene , have not been assigned with certainty to any living lineage. At least some of these probably were variants of the oldest basal "protosquirrels" (in the sense that they lacked the full range of living squirrels' autapomorphies ). The distribution and diversity of such ancient and ancestral forms suggest the squirrels as a group may have originated in North America. Apart from these sometimes little-known fossil forms,

3220-564: The Roman Claudius Aelianus near the end of the 2nd century. He described the practice of Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River: ..they have planned a snare for the fish, and get the better of them by their fisherman's craft... They fasten red wool... round a hook, and fit on to the wool two feathers which grow under a cock's wattles, and which in color are like wax. Their rod is six feet long, and their line

3312-526: The burbot , and commended the salmon of the River Thames . The Compleat Angler was written by Izaak Walton in 1653 (although Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century) and described the fishing in the Derbyshire Wye . It was a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse; 6 verses were quoted from John Dennys 's earlier work. A second part to the book

3404-465: The phylogeny of the living squirrels is fairly straightforward. The three main lineages are the Ratufinae (Oriental giant squirrels), Sciurillinae and all other subfamilies. The Ratufinae contain a mere handful of living species in tropical Asia . The neotropical pygmy squirrel of tropical South America is the sole living member of the Sciurillinae. The third lineage, by far the largest, has

3496-469: The seaside or to rivers for fishing. Richer hobbyists ventured further abroad. The large rivers of Norway replete with large stocks of salmon began to attract fishermen from England in large numbers in the middle of the century - Jones's guide to Norway, and salmon-fisher's pocket companion , published in 1848, was written by Frederic Tolfrey and was a popular guide to the country. In southern England, dry-fly fishing acquired an elitist reputation as

3588-399: The thirteen-lined ground squirrel . For example, Bernard Bailey, a scientist in the 1920s, observed a thirteen-lined ground squirrel preying upon a young chicken . Wistrand reported seeing this same species eating a freshly killed snake . There has also been at least one report of squirrels preying on atypical animals, such as an incident in 2005 where a pack of black squirrels killed and ate

3680-493: The Chalk Stream , and The Way of a Trout with a Fly , which greatly influenced the development of wet fly fishing. In northern England and Scotland, many anglers also favored wet-fly fishing, where the technique was more popular and widely practiced than in southern England. One of Scotland's leading proponents of the wet fly in the early-to-mid 19th century was W.C. Stewart, who published "The Practical Angler" in 1857. In

3772-487: The Kirby bend, a distinctive hook with an offset point, still commonly used today. The 18th century was mainly an era of consolidation of the techniques developed in the previous century. Running rings began to appear along the fishing rods, which gave anglers greater control over the cast line. The rods themselves were also becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialized for different roles. Jointed rods became common from

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3864-570: The United States, attitudes toward methods of fly fishing were not nearly as rigidly defined, and both dry- and wet-fly fishing were soon adapted to the conditions of the country. Fly anglers there are thought to be the first anglers to have used artificial lures for bass fishing . After pressing into service the fly patterns and tackle designed for trout and salmon to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass, they began to adapt these patterns into specific bass flies. Fly anglers seeking bass developed

3956-401: The angler is attempting to cast in such a way that the line lands smoothly on the water and the fly appears as natural as possible. At a certain point, if a fish does not strike, depending upon the action of the fly in the wind or current, the angler picks up the line to make another presentation. On the other hand, if a fish strikes, the angler pulls in line while raising the rod tip. This "sets"

4048-444: The backcast and the forward cast, operates the rod. Casting without landing the fly on the water is known as 'false casting', and may be used to pay out line, to dry a soaked fly, or to reposition a cast. Other casts are the roll cast, the single- or double-haul, the tuck cast, and the side- or curve-cast. Dropping the fly onto the water and its subsequent movement on or beneath the surface is one of fly fishing's most difficult aspects;

4140-445: The basal frequency of a rod and the transfer of the speed from the tip of the rod to the fly line. At the moment the rod tip reaches its highest velocity the direction of the cast is determined. The type of cast used when fishing varies according to the conditions. The most common cast is the forward cast, where the angler whisks the fly into the air, back over the shoulder until the line is nearly straight, then forward, using primarily

4232-473: The book is devoted to observations of trout, their behaviour, and the methods and techniques used to catch them. Most of this information, although enhanced by Ronalds' experiences and observations, was merely an enhancement of Charles Bowlker's Art of Angling (first published in 1774 but still in print in 1836). In Chapter IV - Of a Selection of Insects, and Their Imitations, Used in Fly Fishing - for

4324-514: The book's morphological section, where he delved into discussions regarding the vegetative and generative aspects of plants. Subsequently, in French botanical publications, from Michel Adanson 's Familles naturelles des plantes (1763) and until the end of the 19th century, the word famille was used as a French equivalent of the Latin ordo (or ordo naturalis ). In zoology ,

4416-408: The characteristic shape of a small mammal. Squirrels live in almost every habitat, from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert , avoiding only the high polar regions and the driest of deserts . They are predominantly herbivorous , subsisting on seeds and nuts, but many will eat insects and even small vertebrates. Many juvenile squirrels die in the first year of life. Adult squirrels can have

4508-422: The circulation of his tackle catalogs, distributed to a small but devoted customer list. Albert Illingworth, 1st Baron Illingworth , a textiles magnate, patented the modern form of fixed-spool spinning reel in 1905. When casting Illingworth's reel design, the line was drawn off the leading edge of the spool, but was restrained and rewound by a line pickup, a device which orbits around the stationary spool. Because

4600-435: The constant care required by premature squirrels means that few rehabilitators are willing to spend their time doing this and such animals are routinely euthanized instead. Squirrels mate either once or twice a year and, following a gestation period of three to six weeks, give birth to a number of offspring that varies by species. The young are altricial , being born naked, toothless, and blind. In most species of squirrel,

4692-402: The distinction is between game fishing for trout and salmon versus coarse fishing for other species. Techniques for fly fishing differ with habitat (lakes and ponds, small streams, large rivers, bays and estuaries , and open ocean.) In fly fishing, fish are caught by using artificial flies that are cast with a fly rod and a fly line. The fly line (today, almost always coated with plastic)

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4784-662: The efforts of Edward Wilson's Acclimatisation Society of Victoria with the aim to "provide for manly sport which will lead Australian youth to seek recreation on the river's bank and mountainside rather than in the Cafe and Casino. " The first successful transfer of Brown Trout ova (from the Itchen and Wye) was accomplished by James Arndell Youl , with a consignment aboard The Norfolk in 1864. Rainbow Trout were not introduced until 1894. Alfred Ronalds ' daughter Maria Shanklin established Australia's first significant fly tying business. It

4876-540: The family as a rank intermediate between order and genus was introduced by Pierre André Latreille in his Précis des caractères génériques des insectes, disposés dans un ordre naturel (1796). He used families (some of them were not named) in some but not in all his orders of "insects" (which then included all arthropods ). In nineteenth-century works such as the Prodromus of Augustin Pyramus de Candolle and

4968-491: The female alone looks after the young, which are weaned at six to ten weeks and become sexually mature by the end of their first year. In general, the ground-dwelling squirrel species are social, often living in well-developed colonies, while the tree-dwelling species are more solitary. Ground squirrels and tree squirrels are usually either diurnal or crepuscular , while the flying squirrels tend to be nocturnal —except for lactating flying squirrels and their young, which have

5060-525: The first American-made design, in 1810. The material used for the rod itself changed from the heavy woods native to England, to lighter and more elastic varieties imported from abroad, especially from South America and the West Indies . Bamboo rods became the generally favoured option from the mid-19th century, and several strips of the material were cut from the cane, milled into shape, and then glued together to form light, strong, hexagonal rods with

5152-413: The first time is discussed specific artificial fly imitations by name, associated with the corresponding natural insect. Organized by their month of appearance, Ronalds was the first author to begin the standardization of angler names for artificial flies. Prior to The Fly-fisher's Entomology , anglers had been given suggestions for artificial flies to be used on a particular river or at a particular time of

5244-433: The fly. With the advancement of technology and the development of stronger rods and reels, larger predatory saltwater species such as wahoo , tuna , marlin and sharks have become target species on fly. Realistically any fish can be targeted and captured on fly as long as the main food source is effectively replicated by the fly itself and suitable gear is used. Many credit the first recorded use of an artificial fly to

5336-411: The forearm. The objective of this motion is to "load" (bend) the rod tip with stored energy, then transmit that energy to the line, resulting in the fly line (and the attached fly) being cast for an appreciable distance. However, just bending the rod and releasing it to jerk the fly line forward (like a bowstring or a catapult) will not propel the fly line and fly very far. More important is the movement of

5428-405: The form of a trading card date from 1768 and was entitled To all lovers of angling . A full list of the tackles he sold included artificial flies, and 'the best sort of multiplying brass winches both stop and plain'. The commercialization of the industry came at a time of expanded interest in fishing as a recreational hobby for members of the aristocracy . The impact of the Industrial Revolution

5520-431: The hind limbs are longer than the forelimbs, while all species have either four or five toes on each foot. The feet, which include an often poorly developed thumb , have soft pads on the undersides and versatile, sturdy claws for grasping and climbing . Tree squirrels , unlike most mammals, can descend a tree headfirst. They do so by rotating their ankles 180 degrees, enabling the hind feet to point backward and thus grip

5612-404: The hook in the fish's mouth. The fish is played either by hand, where the angler continues to hold the fly line in one hand to control the tension applied to the fish, or by reeling up any slack in the line and then using the hand to act as a drag on the reel. Most modern fly reels have an adjustable, mechanical drag system to control line tension during a fish's run. Beginners tend to point with

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5704-463: The ideas that eventually were published in The Fly-fisher's Entomology in 1836. He combined his knowledge of fly fishing with his skill as an engraver and printer, to lavish his work with 20 color plates. It was the first comprehensive work related to the entomology associated with fly fishing and most fly-fishing historians credit Ronalds with setting a literature standard in 1836 that

5796-441: The latter part of the 18th century, and the predominant model in use was known as the ' Nottingham reel'. The reel was a wide drum which spooled out freely, and was ideal for allowing the bait to drift a long way out with the current. Geared multiplying reels never successfully caught on in Britain, but had more success in the United States, where similar models were modified by George Snyder of Kentucky into his bait-casting reel,

5888-418: The line did not have to pull against a rotating spool, much lighter lures could be cast than with conventional reels. By the mid to late 19th century, expanding leisure opportunities for the middle and lower classes began to have its effect on fly fishing, which steadily grew in mass appeal. The expansion of the railway network in Britain allowed the less affluent for the first time to take weekend trips to

5980-468: The line on the surface of the stream. These methods became the foundation of all later dry-fly developments. F. M. Halford was a major exponent and is generally accepted as "The Father of Modern Dry Fly Fishing." However, there was nothing to prevent the successful employment of wet flies on these chalk streams, as G. E. M. Skues proved with his nymph and wet fly techniques. To the horror of dry-fly purists, Skues later wrote two books, Minor Tactics of

6072-485: The local fish, Ayu , trout and char for selling and providing a meal to their guests. Primarily a small-stream fishing method that was preferred for being highly efficient, where the long rod allowed the fisherman to place the fly where the fish would be. Another style of fishing in Japan is Ayu fishing . As written by historian Andrew Herd , in the book "The Fly", "Fly fishing became popular with Japanese peasants from

6164-511: The long bushy tail which many of its members have. Sciurus is also the name of one of its genuses. The native Old English word for the squirrel, ācweorna , only survived into Middle English (as aquerne ) before being replaced. The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognates of which are still used in other Germanic languages , including the German Eichhörnchen (diminutive of Eichhorn , which

6256-746: The mass of the fly lure is insufficient to overcome air resistance , it cannot be launched far using conventional gears and techniques, so specialized tackles are used instead and the casting techniques are significantly different from other forms of angling. It is also very common for the angler to wear waders , carry a hand net , and stand in the water when fishing. Fly fishing primarily targets predatory fish that have significant amount of very small-sized prey in their diet, and can be done in fresh or saltwater . North Americans usually distinguish freshwater fishing between cold-water species ( trout , salmon ) and warm-water species (notably black bass ). In Britain, where natural water temperatures vary less,

6348-574: The menus of fly dressings in his book The Moor and Loch detailing the wings, body and hackle of artificial flies in use at the time), the history of stillwater trout fishing in English reservoirs goes back little more than a century. The simple reason for that was because (apart from the Lake District which was somewhat isolated before the construction of the railways) England possessed few large stillwaters that contained trout. That all changed when

6440-537: The middle of the century and bamboo came to be used for the top section of the rod, giving it a much greater strength and flexibility. The industry also became commercialized - rods and tackle were sold at the haberdashers store. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, artisans moved to Redditch which became a centre of production of fishing related products from the 1730s. Onesimus Ustonson established his trading shop in 1761, and his establishment remained as

6532-495: The mortise-tenon joint in carpentry. Because squirrels cannot digest cellulose , they must rely on foods rich in protein , carbohydrates , and fats . In temperate regions, early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels because the nuts they buried are beginning to sprout (and thus are no longer available to eat), while many of the usual food sources are not yet available. During these times, squirrels rely heavily on tree buds. Squirrels, being primarily herbivores , eat

6624-552: The mountains. Fishing flies are thought to have originated in Japan for Ayu fishing over 430 years ago. These flies were made with needles that were bent into shape and used as fishing hooks, then dressed as a fly. The rods along with fishing flies, are considered to be a traditional local craft of the Kaga region . Although anglers in Scotland and Ireland had been fishing the lochs and loughs for trout with an artificial fly for several generations (as far back as 1840 John Colquhoun listed

6716-524: The only reliable method of fishing the slower, clearer rivers of the south such as the River Test and the other chalk streams concentrated in Hampshire , Surrey , Dorset and Berkshire (see Southern England Chalk Formation for the geological specifics). The weeds found in these rivers tend to grow very close to the surface, and it was necessary to develop new techniques that would keep the fly and

6808-831: The popularity of fly fishing in the region and in the United States as a whole. Albert Bigelow Paine , a New England author, wrote about fly fishing in The Tent Dwellers , a book about a three-week trip he and a friend took to central Nova Scotia in 1908. Participation in fly fishing peaked in the early 1920s in the eastern states of Maine and Vermont and in the Midwest in the spring creeks of Wisconsin . Along with deep sea fishing , Ernest Hemingway did much to popularize fly fishing through his works of fiction, including The Sun Also Rises . Fly fishing in Australia took off when brown trout were first introduced by

6900-410: The product of mass and speed through the rod from base to top and from the transfer of impulse through the fly line all the way to the tip of the leader. Because both the rod and the fly line are tapered the smaller amount of mass will reach high speeds as the waves in rod and line unfurl. The waves that travel through the fly line are called loops . Determining factors in reaching the highest speeds are

6992-491: The ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae , but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". The delineation of what constitutes a family— or whether a described family should be acknowledged— is established and decided upon by active taxonomists . There are not strict regulations for outlining or acknowledging

7084-413: The risk of food loss, also inadvertently aids certain trees, like Cyclobalanopsis , in expanding their range, with forgotten or dislodged nuts sprouting in new locations, influencing forest ecology. Two species of flying squirrel, the particolored flying squirrel and Hainan flying squirrel aid such cacheing by carving grooves into the nuts to fix the nuts tightly between small intersecting twigs, akin to

7176-429: The rod through an arc acting as a lever, magnifying the hand movement of the caster (of about a foot) to an arc at the rod tip of several feet. Here the rod acts as a class 3 lever, where the force is applied between the fulcrum and the load. The fulcrum in the fly cast is below the caster's hand gripping the rod; the load is at the rod tip; the hand exerts the force between. The caster's "stroke" backwards and forwards, for

7268-399: The rod to where they want to throw, but the movement of the hand has to be a controlled speed-up and then come to an abrupt stop. The rod will then start to unfurl and the tip of the rod will reach a high speed in the required direction. The high speed of the rod tip toward the target gives the impulse to make the cast, the abrupt stop and retreat of the rod tip is essential for the formation of

7360-437: The scarus rise, decoyed and killed by fraudful flies... The last word, somewhat indistinct in the original, is either "mosco" (moss) or "musca" (fly) but catching fish with fraudulent moss seems unlikely. The traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing is known as " Tenkara " ( Japanese : テンカラ , literally: "from heaven"). Tenkara originated in the mountains of Japan as a way for professional fishermen and inn-keepers to harvest

7452-553: The spinner/fly lure and bass popper fly, which are still used today. In the late 19th century, American anglers, such as Theodore Gordon in the Catskill Mountains of New York , began using fly tackle to fish the region's brook trout -rich streams such as the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek. Many of these early American fly anglers also developed new fly patterns and wrote extensively about their sport, increasing

7544-400: The sport's visibility. Unlike other casting methods, fly fishing can be thought of as a method of casting the line rather than the lure. Non-flyfishing methods rely on the lure's own weight to pull line from the reel during the forward motion of a cast. By design, a fly lure is too light and generates too much drag to be cast by its own momentum , and thus simply follows the unfurling of

7636-494: The subject of fly tying and fly fishing techniques. Alfred Ronalds took up the sport of fly fishing, learning the craft on the rivers Trent , Blythe and Dove . On the River Blythe, near what is today Creswell Green , Ronalds constructed a bankside fishing hut designed primarily as an observatory of trout behaviour in the river. From this hut, and elsewhere on his home rivers, Ronalds conducted experiments and formulated

7728-444: The tree bark from the opposite direction. As their large eyes indicate, squirrels have excellent vision , which is especially important for the tree-dwelling species. Many also have a good sense of touch , with vibrissae on their limbs as well as their heads. The teeth of sciurids follow the typical rodent pattern, with large incisors (for gnawing) that grow throughout life, and cheek teeth (for grinding) that are set back behind

7820-482: The twelfth century onward...fishing was promoted to a pastime worthy of Bushi (warriors), as part of an official policy to train the Bushi's mind during peacetime." This refers primarily to Ayu fishing , which commonly uses a fly as lure, uses longer rods, but there is no casting technique required, it's more similar to dapping . Ayu was practiced in the lowlands (foothills), where the Bushi resided, tenkara practiced in

7912-531: The water supply reservoirs began to be built to meet the increasing demand for water from the big cities. The earliest of these reservoirs to be stocked with trout were Thrybergh Reservoir close to Doncaster completed around 1880, Lake Vyrnwy, Powys in 1891, Ravensthorpe Reservoir in Northamptonshire in 1895 and Blagdon Lake in Somerset which was first opened as a trout fishery in 1904. Other than

8004-425: The worm—"use him as though you loved him, that is, harm him as little as you may possibly, that he may live the longer"—appears in the original edition. Cotton's additions completed the instruction in fly fishing and advised on the making of artificial flies where he listed sixty five varieties. Charles Kirby designed an improved fishing hook in 1655 that remains relatively unchanged to this day. He went on to invent

8096-525: The year, but those suggestions were never matched to specific natural insects the angler might encounter on the water. According to Ernest Schwiebert : "Ronalds is one of the major milestones in the entire literature of fly-fishing, and with his Entomology the scientific method has reached angling in full flower. Ronalds was completely original in its content and research, setting the yardstick for all subsequent discussion and illustration of aquatic fly hatches. Modern reel design had begun in England during

8188-434: Was added by Walton's friend Charles Cotton . Walton did not profess to be an expert with a fishing fly; the fly fishing in his first edition was contributed by Thomas Barker, a retired cook and humorist , who produced a treatise of his own in 1659; but in the use of the live worm , the grasshopper and the frog "Piscator" himself could speak as a master. The famous passage about the frog, often misquoted as being about

8280-400: Was first felt in the manufacture of fly lines. Instead of anglers twisting their own lines - a laborious and time-consuming process - the new textile spinning machines allowed for a variety of tapered lines to be easily manufactured and marketed. British fly-fishing continued to develop in the 19th century, with the emergence of fly fishing clubs, along with the appearance of several books on

8372-488: Was not yet settled, and in the preface to the Prodromus Magnol spoke of uniting his families into larger genera , which is far from how the term is used today. In his work Philosophia Botanica published in 1751, Carl Linnaeus employed the term familia to categorize significant plant groups such as trees , herbs , ferns , palms , and so on. Notably, he restricted the use of this term solely within

8464-428: Was the development of inexpensive fiberglass rods, synthetic fly lines, and monofilament leaders, however, in the early 1950s, that revived the popularity of fly fishing. In recent years, interest in fly fishing has surged as baby boomers have discovered the sport. Movies such as Robert Redford 's film A River Runs Through It , cable fishing shows, and the emergence of a competitive fly casting circuit have added to

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