“Doc Spratley” (modified)
Hook: Mustad 9671, whatever, sizes 8-10 (also 1x)
Tail and Beard Hackle: Grizzly (I prefer it thicker)
Body: Black wool
Rib: Silver tinsel
Wing: Pheasant tail
Head: Peacock herl
-As the story goes:
The late Dick Prankard of tulip infested Mt. Vernon Washington originated the pattern around 1949…While he was tying the fly, his friend doctor Spratley (I believe a dentist?) came into the store and asked Dick what the name was…Dick replied “I think I’ll call it the Doc Spratley.”
As a ‘wee little lad,’ this pattern was introduced to me for steelhead, tied in larger 1x sizes and it produces…However, a couple of years ago I started tying them in (original) smaller sizes and use them on lakes where the fat caddis flies roam (which is their purpose, I believe)…
This fly is deadly…My only problem with it is that the strand of peacock herl used for the head usually gets broken and comes unwound after a couple of fish slam it…I need to tinker with ‘fixing’ that somehow…
I was using this pattern to sore-mouth some trout the other night at a lake that I frequent regularly and know rather well…I had never used a “Doc Spratley” on that specific lake before…
It was tough to keep them off…I fished for 1 hour and released 14 trout all 11-13 inches…That’s not a fish story, I was amazed too, especially after opening weekend when this specific lake gets slammed:
Uh, so you might notice a broken net (handle and netting) in the above photo…I usually don’t net fish (don’t need to) but I did a few times that day for photos…Snap! I got my $19.99 and 5 years worth out of that net…I had to cut that fish loose from the netting…
Also, I caught 4 fat perch while using the “Doc Spratley.” I’ve never caught perch out of this lake before (probably because I don’t target them) but it was fun catching them (they come with the grill marks already on them!):
I had to keep that perch because she somehow a$$holed the fly…I guess that the “ol Doc Spratley” is rather versatile…
Here’s what was left of it afterwards:
And as for the net? Well, its stinky goodness rests with my dogs:
Great post you son of a bitch.
I’m already a fan of that fly…guess you better make some more!!
Nice Perch! When they’re on a hot bite they’ll hit a bare hook. It’s my favorite eating fish behind walleye.
Yeah, perch are good eating and usually easy to catch. When I was little we would use their eyeballs for bait!
….I was surprised with how big they were in that lake so I’m going to ‘target’ them next time and have a little fish-fry dinner…What’s that perch recipe again, Gerry?
[...] I was sitting at work, crazy with spreadsheets, when my fishing sensei called (aka JJ, aka the Fish Whisperer). He had been fishing one of our favorite local lakes the night before and the fishing was HOT. And that was all I needed to hear… (See his post http://scudmark.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/paging-doctor-spratley/) [...]