Tying, photos, and scans by Gord Duval

HOOK:1x, 2x, or 3x long. Sizes 6 to 12. THREAD: Black. BODY: Black wool or dubbing or floss. RIB: Flat silver or gold tinsel. TAIL: Grizzly hackle fibers or guinea fowl. LEGS: Grizzly neck or guinea fowl tied back along sides and bottom of fly. WING: Ringneck pheasant tail. HEAD: Peacock herl.

TYING TIPS:
Probably one of the most popular flies in British Columbia. The fly was originated by Dick Pranckard. It is presumed that the pattern probably originated for caddis hatches in central British Columbia lakes. An all purpose fly, the pattern can be used to represent most major insects in British Columbia, as well as leeches. When tying the Doc Spratley, vary the your hook sizes in order to cover a broad spectrum of insects represented. Smaller sizes, especially when trimmed down, are good chironomid imitations. Also try varying your tying style....tie some thin and sparse, and others fat. Larger hook sizes are useful representations of nymphs and/or leeches. Variations included changing the color of the body. Experiment with olive, red, brown, and sage colored bodies, in a variety of materials.

The following example of tying a Doc Spratley is based on tips from Jack Dennis' western fly tying manuals, as well as experiments by the tyer. This particular version has proven extremly effective on both Vancouver Island and Central Interior lakes.

1. Start by preparing your hook with black thread.		2. Tie in the tail, here we used guinea fowl, and then a legnth of silver tinsel.
3. Tie in or dub the body, here we used floss.		4. Wrap the body forward and tie off at 3/4 shank length.
5. Wrap the tinsel forward as evenly as possible to create the body segments		6. Tie in the legs, here again we used guinea fowl.
7. Tie in the wing, using several strands of pheasant tail.		8. Tie in 2-3 strands of peacock herl just ahead of the wing.
9. Wrap the herl to form a rounded head, whip finish, and cement.		10. Voila!.....now go fishing!!!

FISHING THE DOC SPRATLEY:
Almost all British Columbian anglers have successfully fished the Doc Spratley at one time or another. It is such a versatile pattern that many anglers consider this fly pattern a "must have" for any lake in British Columbia. While the fly itself doesn't represent any particular insect, it nonetheless serves as an adequate representation of all major insects found in British Columbia. In larger sizes, it represents leeches well, and has been known to produce both large trout and smallmouth bass.

One of the best features about this fly is that is probably one of the best searching patterns you will ever find for British Columbia's lakes. This highly productive pattern is often the first choice of most anglers anywhere in the province, especially when the waters are unfamiliar. The most common method of fishing the Doc Spratley is to troll it with a full sink line (type II or III ) in 8 to 15 feet of water, with a 9 foot tapered leader of four to six pound test, close to the bottom. Your fly should hit bottom occasionally when fishing the fly properly. Vary your speed while trolling the fly.