mongrel Professor Fly Pattern
There is an old book titled: "Favorite Flies and Their History" by Mary Orvis Maybury which is compiled fly fishermen stories Mary accumulated from the late 1800s. One of the submitted stories is from W. P. Andrus from Minneapolis, MN about his times fishing the Namekagon River and one of his favorite flies...
In Wisconsin the Professor and Coachman are about a good average, but they are stock flies and good anywhere. On the Namekagon River I have taken some fine trout with a sort of mongrel Professor - scarlet silk lower half of body, peacock herl upper half, small gray mallard wings, and gray hackle.
His description is vague so based on the little we know I have tied my interpretation of his mongrel Professor.
mongrel Professor Fly Pattern
tied by John Simonson
Head: Black thread coated with clear lacquer
Hook size: Mustad #3906, size 6
Tail: 2 Red duck quill fibers
Ribbing: flat silver tinsel
Body: Red silk or floss with peacock herl laid over the top
Wing: Mallard flank feathers or duck quill slips
Hackle: gray mallard shoulder feather
Notes: Since the Professor had a tail I am guessing so does the mongrel Professor. To add durabilty and to keep the peacock herl laid over the top of the red silk or floss I added a silver tinsel ribbing. Also, I am not sure whether the wing was mallard flank feathers or mallard quill slips, so I tied it both ways.
