Quill Gordon

Fly: Bob Petti, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann

Hook: TMC 100BL
Thread: Gray
Tail: Dun Grizzly
Body: Stripped Peacock
Wing: Woodduck, upright and split
Hackle: Dun Grizzly

Note: The original fly, as dressed by Mr. Gordon, called for a natural dun hackle. The dressing above is Del Mazza's, a fly tyer from Utica, New York. Del uses various dyed and bleached grizzly hackles for most of his Catskill style dry flies. Del also advocates the use of two woodduck feathers for the wings, which I find nice for flies #12 and larger, but a bit much for smaller flies. It's also painful for people who don't know duck hunters, as woodduck flank is quite expensive. The Quill Gordon is a very early season hatch, one that I seldom catch, so I most often fish this fly as an attractor pattern.

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© 1999 Hans Weilenmann
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