The Catskills dry fly is considered the ultimate fly-tying challenge (unless you’re into full-dress salmon flies). Getting the proportions correct is the key, and you need the finest materials to ensure you can get that silhouette right. Starting in the 1890s, Theodore Gordon began defining the American dry fly, and his Quill Gordon pattern became the first in a line of Catskill School trout flies representative of American insects.
In this week’s great video from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, he shows you how to tie a Quill Gordon. It’s all about choosing the right materials, placing them properly on the hook, and maintaining those correct proportions. As usual, Tim has tips to help you with all of these, and soon you’ll be able to create your own American masterpieces that will sit perfectly on the water’s surface and draw strikes from even picky trout.
Quill Gordon Dry
Hook: 1X-long dry-fly hook (here a Dai-Riki #300), size 14.
Thread: Tan, 8/0 or 70-denier.
Tail: Medium-dun hackle fibers.
Body: Stripped peacock quill.
Wings: Lemon barred wood-duck feather.
Hackle: Medium dun.
Head: Tying thread.
Adhesive: Head cement.
Tools: Whip-finish tool, bodkin.
Credit: Source link
