#20 - Supervisor

Tied by: Don Bastian , Harri Lehtonen
Originated by: Joseph S. Stickney
Sources: How to Tie Flies - E.C. Gregg Pg. 45
Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing - Joseph D. Bates Pg. 345-346

Hook: #1 8xl Gaelic Supreme Mike Martinek Rangeley Steamer
Thread: Black
Tail: Red wool
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Ribbing: Oval silver tinsel (optional)
Throat: White hackle fibers (optional)
Underwing: A small bunch of white bucktail
Wing: 4 light blue hackles
Shoulder: Light green hackles 2/3 the length of the wing
Topping: Peacock herl 6-7
Eye: Jungle cock nail
Head: Black

Notes: The supervisor is considered to be one of Maine's most important streamer flies and has remained a popular fly over the century since it's inception. The Supervisor was the creation of Joseph S. Stickney, Supervisor of Wardens for the State of Maine of Saco Maine, concieved while fishing at Moose Pond in Maine in 1925. It was created to mimic the finger smelt, a common prey item for the Eastern brook trout. Interestingly, Mr. Stickney wasn't a tyer, but had commissioned Carrie Stevens and other tyers to tie the streamer. Carrie occasionally called the pattern her Lake Supervisor. The original Supervisor did not include the jungle cock or peacock in the dressing. These were added later and the resulting pattern was called the Supervisor Imperial. The "Imperial" was later discarded, and shortened back down to the Supervisor, and is now the accepted dressing. The pattern is thought to have been inspired from a simpler "Terror" streamer tied by Hardy for Atlantic salmon in England.

It should also be noted that there are several slight variations of the dressing. In particular, the dressing in E.C. Gregg How to Tie Flies calls for an underwing of white polar bear, and the peacock herl tied along the side rather than as a topping.