General Practitioner

Fly of the week: General Practitioner This is yet another traditional Northwest salmon and steelhead pattern.  The General Practitioner is a classic pattern that still fishes well. Col. Edmund Drury developed this fly for Atlantic salmon as a shrimp imitation, originally tied it in 1953. Since that time, steelhead tiers worldwide have adopted it as their own.  It has often been referred to as the “G.P”.  I asked an acquaintance what he meant by the term “G.P.”, his response was a “General Proctologist”.  This fly can be a pain in the rear to tie!  Steelhead and Salmon alike have fallen prey to this exceptional pattern.  Its original color is that of orange and red, however, tied in black and purple seem to be more effective colors for steelhead. A darker tie of this fly shows true “presence” in the water especially in off color or turbulent rivers.    Charlie Bagley Hook: 7999, sizes 2-6 Thread: Purple or Black Tail: Golden pheasant and purple squirrel tail Rib: Oval gold tinsel Body: Purple goat fur or yarn, purple hackle wrapped palmered style Mid Wing: Two golden pheasant feathers, cut in a "V" Wing: Golden pheasant, died purple