I tied a Professor wet fly for a customer this week; he wanted to add it to his fly collection. I took a couple photos of the fly before mailing it. Back in 2006, I wrote an article in Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine on the Professor, including information on the pattern history. The Professor was created in Scotland in 1820, and according to Mary Orvis Marbury’s book, Favorite Flies and Their Histories, 1892, was named for Professor John Wilson, who was also known as Christopher North. Perhaps that was a pen-name. John’s brother, the naturalist, James Wilson, and John are also credited with the creation of the Queen of the Waters.
The Professor went on to secure a place in American fly fishing history, became more popular in America than its country of origin, and is one of a few patterns that was made into just about every other style of fishing fly except for a nymph. Though it would probably be a good fly if the Professor was “nymphed.” A Professor nymph would be similar to the Tellico, though perhaps with the wing case like a Zug-Bug. I can vouch for the effectiveness of both the Tellico Nymph and Zug Bug.
The Professor was traditionally made as a trout wet fly, but it also because popular as a large lake fly, a dry fly, fan-wing dry fly, streamer, and hairwing steelhead pattern.
Professor:
Hook: Standard wet fly hook, size #1 to #12
Thread: Danville #1 White Flymaster for body; #100 Black for head.
Tag: Flat gold tinsel
Tail: Scarlet quill section(s); scarlet ibis was traditionally used for tailing
Ribbing: Flat (oval on 1800’s Orvis patterns) gold tinsel
Body: Yellow floss
Hackle: Brown
Wing: Gray mallard
Head: Black
Fishing With the Fly, 1883, coauthored by Charles F. Orvis and A. Nelson Cheney, lists the Professor as pattern No. 11 on one of the color plates as a Lake Fly Pattern. Lake Flies were traditionally dressed on larger hooks, for brook trout and land locked salmon, that is why I listed hook size above as large as size #1. The Professor Lake Fly dressing is identical to this recipe but also has white slips married into the tail, underneath the scarlet ibis.
Pennsylvania author James “Jim” Bashline, indicates the Professor is a good fly in sizes #2, #4, and #6 in his book, Night Fishing forTrout. I can also vouch for the effectiveness of the Professor as a large night fly. And it just hit me, there really isn’t that much difference between “night flies” and the old “lake flies.” With the exception that night flies were dressed with a focus on brown trout, which according to scientific research on their optic system, have better night vision that other species of the trout family. Brown trout were still living in Europe and the British Isles when American Lake Flies were originated.
My research for the last nine months on the 1800’s Orvis flies, including actual visual inspection of Marbury’s book flies and her 1893 display, (lucky me), indicates most all of the tags on those flies were flat tinsel, and the ribbing was most often oval.
On this wing I used two large, select gray mallard flank feathers, a matched pair forming a left and a right wing using the same method as when cutting equal-width slips when using a matched pair of wing quills. The historic patterns, and all that I have seen size #6 and larger, used tips of whole feathers to make the wings. These were placed bottom, concave sides facing together. Whole feather wings would be especially true on the Lake Flies. The Professor’s companion pattern, the Grizzly King, was also made as a Lake Fly.
The hackle was tied in at the clipped butt section, wound three times, then the barbs were folded down, divided, and wrapped over a few times with tying thread to secure it.
My plan for the Arts of the Angler Show at the Ethan Allen Inn, Danbury, Connecticut, on November 10 and 11; and The International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset, New Jersey, November 17 and 18 is to have a big inventory of a wide range of Collector’s Edition wet fly styles in stock. More than usual. At least that’s my plan.
Along with 20th century wet flies, representative of the dressings and patterns in Ray Bergman’s books, I also hope to include new (for me) patterns from Helen Shaw’s book, Flies for Fish and Fishermen: The Wet Flies, 1989; J. Edson Leonard’s 1950 book, Flies, and H. J. Noll’s Guide to Trout Flies and How to Tie Them, 1965. I have been using these resources for some years already, but there are new patterns that I want to include. There is a wealth of additional wet fly patterns in these sources that I have not previously tapped. I also will be presenting many more of the 18th century Lake and Bass Fly patterns, including some previously unpublished patterns I have discovered that are presently unknown. I’ll be including at least thirty previously unpublished 19th century trout and lake flies to my current book, The Favorite Flies of Mary Orvis Marbury.
The flies I recently posted in The Fly Young Knight were dressed in the tip-down style of wings.
Lovely job there, Don. Your wet flies were so exemplary. That is probably your most known work. People are realizing your streamers are to be truly respected too, in a very tight playing field. Well done as usual!!!
Thank you Kelly, for your continual support and comments here. I really appreciate it! Thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you found this post enjoyable!
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Don, love the fly, love the tie… nice!
Hi Doug;
I’m glad I scored twice with you on this one! Thank you very much! Appreciate your comment!
Super-Sweet fly and article, Don. Thanks so much for sharing this !
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer,
Marc
Hi Marc;
Thank you for your words of appreciation for the Professor and article. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Hope your summer is enjoyable as well!
Thanks!
The tie is excellent, DB, as is the norm for your efforts. But I also find your comments regarding the historical background and wing mounting technique to be equally valuable. Great post!
Hello Bill;
Thanks very much for your compliments and enjoyment of the fly and this article. I appreciate it! I’m glad any time others enjoy the history of flies. That’s part of what makes it (and most things) so interesting. Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Hi Don Bastian
I love your work. Can you help me to set up a community fly tying school in Kenya? I am carrying out research on how to go about it in terms of equipment, furniture design, curricular, etc, needed to run the initiative so as to meet the international standard rating.
I hope you can volunteer and help.
George Obanda
Founder/ Chairman
Helgeo Foundation Kenya
e-m: helfoken@gmail.com
Hello Mr. Obanda;
Thank you for your appreciation of my work! I appreciate your interest in my advice and expertise, if in fact genuine or not. If my personal circumstances were different, I might be interested in taking you up on it. Presently I have several aspects of my life, work, and future plans that require priority effort, so I respectfully decline. Thank you for your comment. Good luck!