Flies for a Catskills Spring

March 13, 2005 By: Marshall Cutchin

“The Quill Gordon, Epeorus pleuralis, is our first major spring hatch. The fly, also known as the Gordon Quill, has a long history in American flyfishing. Many people regard it as the first truly American dry fly pattern because it was developed and popularized in the period before World War I by Theodore Gordon to match a fly common on streams in the Catskill Mountains. It is tied with wood duck flank wings, a stripped peacock herl body protected by a fine wire rib, and dun hackle.” George Grant talks about the darker patterns of early spring that are perfect for eastern U.S. mountain streams. On Tricities.com.