Fly of the Month 02.25 - Hendrickson
The Hendrickson fly pattern is a classic Catskill-style dry fly pattern created by Roy Steenrod of Liberty, New York in 1916, naming it after his fly fishing friend Albert Everett Hendrickson. The pattern became so associated with the mayfly that anglers now refer to the insect as the common name of Hendrickson. The original fly pattern was meant to imitate Ephemerella subvaria (ef-fem-er-ella sub-vary-uh) mayflies on the Beaverkill. The Hendrickson can be found from the southern Appalachians to Maine and as far west as Michigan.
The Hendrickson Hatch
The annual cycle of spring mayfly hatches, including blue-winged olives, blue quills, quill Gordons, and Hendricksons are known collectively as blue duns due to their opaque blue wings, these aquatic insects are distinctly different species and can easily be identified by size and color. Most published hatch charts present the individual spring hatches occurring sequentially (in reality they often overlap) with olives first, followed by quill Gordons, blue quills, and Hendricksons. The Hendrickson hatch occurs in late-March to early-April in the south and middle- to late-May in the north. Depending on the weather, these hatches can occur any time from late-March to the first of June. In our southernmost streams emergences start in late-March to mid-April, while the hatches in northern regions occur in mid- to late May. In Pennsylvania, the Hendricksons are generally on the water from mid- to late-April. In some cases, male and female duns of two or more species were on the water concurrently. On occasion, all four species hatched simultaneously.
With the spring hatches, trout invariably key on one species. After struggling through the winter for food one may assume that trout would gobble up every insect in sight. But they do not. They are often extraordinarily selective. From a distance, it is difficult to determine what the trout are taking. Selecting the right pattern is often a process of elimination. Use a two dry-fly rig to more quickly figure out the correct fly pattern.
For most mayfly species, the physical differences between the male and female duns are insignificant, because the variation in the color and size of males and females are obvious. Trout know and recognize these differences in the emergence of Ephemerella subvaria or the “Hendrickson hatch,” so two distinctly different fly patterns should be used to match them. The cream-colored females are recognized as Hendricksons or Light Hendricksons, while the reddish brown males are identified as Red Quills or Dark Hendricksons. Because the size of the naturals can vary from stream to stream, carry fly patterns for both males sizes 12 to 16 and females in sizes 10 to 14. There are variations in colors from region to region that may require slightly lighter or darker shades as well. Either fly pattern can be used as a general attractor in faster pocket water because it sits higher in the water column.
These insects emerge in riffles or the faster sections of a stream, so most of the feeding activity occurs in fast water. Individual trout move to a holding position in the center of the stream and take the bugs as they pass by. A Catskill style sits high on the water and will usually take trout in the riffles as trout have little time to study the fly and react. There may be some trout that move to the calmer water and side eddies, where they leisurely sip the bugs that have drifted into the slower water.
If there are two or more hatches on the water simultaneously, things become complicated. Simply tie and carry a selection of fly patterns, in several sizes and colors, to imitate blue-winged olives, blue quills, quill Gordons, and both sexes of Hendricksons. Quill Gordons are slightly smaller, darker and have two tails. Hendricksons (female dun) and red quills (male duns) are lighter in color and have three tails. Note that some anglers mistake the Light Hendrickson as the species Ephemerella invaria (ef-fem-er-ella in-vary-uh). This mayfly species is actually a Sulphur Dun which tends to overlap the Hendrickson hatch at times.
The Hendrickson Originator, Roy Steenrod (1882-1977)
Theodore Gordon (1854-1915), the father of American dry-fly fishing, was one of America's best-known, celebrated fly fisher and tier during his lifetime. His writings in the Fishing Gazette and Forest and Stream moved United States anglers from fanciful wet flies, intended to attract trout, into hatch-matching dry flies, intended to imitate specific aquatic insects. Though other men, such as Rube Cross, claimed Gordon's tutelage, Roy Steenrod is the only person who learned to tie flies directly from Gordon.
The Hendrickson that Steenrod first designed on the banks of Ferdon's Eddy is similar, but different, to what current fly fishers expect from the fly. Its body was made from fawn-colored fox fur. Many anglers believe that Steenrod used the urine-stained underbelly from a vixen red fox, because that amazingly descriptive material is so memorable. Steenrod's original Hendrickson had wood duck flank feather fibers for its tail, but not for long. He replaced the wood duck with hackle fibers, which are now standard on Catskill flies to improve the balance and flotation of the fly. The wing was also made from wood duck, which is common in Catskill flies today, but the wing was tied in one clump, probably to imitate the way mayflies hold their wings together when at rest. To finish the fly, Steenrod used medium dun-colored hackle, tied sparsely, with the stiffest fibers possible.
"One day in 1916, while we were fishing the Beaverkill below the Junction Pool at Roscoe, a hatch of flies came on. I caught one of the flies and put it in my box, and after lunch that day at Ferdon's Eddy I tied some patterns of the fly as nearly as I could. Two years after I tied the first pattern, the matter was brought up as to what I would call or name the fly. Looking at A. E. [Hendrickson], the best friend a person could ever wish to have, I said, 'the fly is the Hendrickson.' I saw at once that A. E. was pleased." - Roy Steenrod, from Ed Van Put, Trout Fishing in the Catskills
In 1916, aquatic entomology for fly-fishing purposes was a relatively unexplored field. At that time is is likely that Steenrod determined that it was unnecessary to imitate both males and females.. Today one pink-body fly is typically used to match the hatch, and generally the trout eat it whether eating males or females. Both genders often emerge simultaneously, so trout are seldom choosy, though it does happen occasionally. Perhaps Steenrod coincidentally had a bunch of fawn-colored fox fur for the body even though it best imitates only female Hendricksons, not males. He apparently chose to just mimic Gordon’s use of wood duck rather match the Hendrickson by using medium gray wings without prominent veinations.
Hendrickson
Fly of the Month 02.25
Hendricksons are among a handful of mayflies that have striking physical differences between males and females. Females have small blackish-olive mottled eyes with creamy pale legs and bodies that ranges from near-yellow (like a Sulphur) to tan, highlighted with shades of pinks and olives, depending upon their genetics and what they ate as nymphs. Males are colored much more vividly. They have reddish bodies, creamy legs, and large bright red eyes that look like two miniature cherry tomatoes perched on their foreheads.
Being a mayfly, the Hendrickson has incomplete metamorphosis. They are unique in having two winged life-stages, the sexually immature dun (subimago), and the sexually mature spinner (imago). The Hendrickson can be found in the East and Mid-West, and is one of (655) mayfly species known to reside on the continent of North American. The following hierarchy illustrates how taxonomists classify the Hendrickson:
Kingdom: Anamalia (animal)
Phylum: Arthropoda (segmented invertebrate, jointed legs)
Subphylum: Hexapoda (six legged)
Class: Insecta (insect, three body regions)
Subclass: Pterygota (winged)
Superorder: Paleoptera (ancient, non-pleated wings)
Order: Ephemeroptera (mayfly)
Suborder: Furcatergalia (fork-gilled)
Infraorder: Pannota (fused back)
Superfamily: Ephemerelloidae (crawler)
Family: Ephemerellidae (spiny crawler)
Genus & Species: Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson)
Dark Hendrickson (male) [Original] Hendrickson Light Hendrickson (female)
Hook: TMC 100sp BL Hook: Standard Dry Hook: TMC 100sp BL
Size: 12, 14, 16 Size: 12, 14 Size: 10, 12, 14
Thread: Camel 8/0 or 70-denier Thread: 6/0 Olive Thread: Cahill 8/0 or 70-denier
Tail: Dark gray hackle fibers Tail: Dark dun hackle fibers Tail: Light dun Microfibbetts
Body: Brown/red brown dubbing Body: Fawn (tannish) colored fur Body: Cream/olive dubbing
Wing: Dark dun, upright, divided Wing: Wood duck, single, upright Wing: Med. dun, upright, divided
Hackle: Dark dun Hackle: Dark dun Hackle: Sandy dun
Note: The Red Quill is also a good imitation of the Male Hendrickson.
Note: Use Hendrickson Australian possum dubbing for the original Hendrickson.
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Tying Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
The Hendrickson fly pattern is a classic Catskill-style dry fly pattern created by Roy Steenrod of Liberty, New York in 1916, naming it after his fly fishing friend Albert Everett Hendrickson. The pattern became so associated with the mayfly that anglers now refer to the insect as the common name of Hendrickson. The original fly pattern was meant to imitate Ephemerella subvaria (ef-fem-er-ella sub-vary-uh) mayflies on the Beaverkill. The Hendrickson can be found from the southern Appalachians to Maine and as far west as Michigan.
The Hendrickson Hatch
The annual cycle of spring mayfly hatches, including blue-winged olives, blue quills, quill Gordons, and Hendricksons are known collectively as blue duns due to their opaque blue wings, these aquatic insects are distinctly different species and can easily be identified by size and color. Most published hatch charts present the individual spring hatches occurring sequentially (in reality they often overlap) with olives first, followed by quill Gordons, blue quills, and Hendricksons. The Hendrickson hatch occurs in late-March to early-April in the south and middle- to late-May in the north. Depending on the weather, these hatches can occur any time from late-March to the first of June. In our southernmost streams emergences start in late-March to mid-April, while the hatches in northern regions occur in mid- to late May. In Pennsylvania, the Hendricksons are generally on the water from mid- to late-April. In some cases, male and female duns of two or more species were on the water concurrently. On occasion, all four species hatched simultaneously.
With the spring hatches, trout invariably key on one species. After struggling through the winter for food one may assume that trout would gobble up every insect in sight. But they do not. They are often extraordinarily selective. From a distance, it is difficult to determine what the trout are taking. Selecting the right pattern is often a process of elimination. Use a two dry-fly rig to more quickly figure out the correct fly pattern.
For most mayfly species, the physical differences between the male and female duns are insignificant, because the variation in the color and size of males and females are obvious. Trout know and recognize these differences in the emergence of Ephemerella subvaria or the “Hendrickson hatch,” so two distinctly different fly patterns should be used to match them. The cream-colored females are recognized as Hendricksons or Light Hendricksons, while the reddish brown males are identified as Red Quills or Dark Hendricksons. Because the size of the naturals can vary from stream to stream, carry fly patterns for both males sizes 12 to 16 and females in sizes 10 to 14. There are variations in colors from region to region that may require slightly lighter or darker shades as well. Either fly pattern can be used as a general attractor in faster pocket water because it sits higher in the water column.
These insects emerge in riffles or the faster sections of a stream, so most of the feeding activity occurs in fast water. Individual trout move to a holding position in the center of the stream and take the bugs as they pass by. A Catskill style sits high on the water and will usually take trout in the riffles as trout have little time to study the fly and react. There may be some trout that move to the calmer water and side eddies, where they leisurely sip the bugs that have drifted into the slower water.
If there are two or more hatches on the water simultaneously, things become complicated. Simply tie and carry a selection of fly patterns, in several sizes and colors, to imitate blue-winged olives, blue quills, quill Gordons, and both sexes of Hendricksons. Quill Gordons are slightly smaller, darker and have two tails. Hendricksons (female dun) and red quills (male duns) are lighter in color and have three tails. Note that some anglers mistake the Light Hendrickson as the species Ephemerella invaria (ef-fem-er-ella in-vary-uh). This mayfly species is actually a Sulphur Dun which tends to overlap the Hendrickson hatch at times.
The Hendrickson Originator, Roy Steenrod (1882-1977)
Theodore Gordon (1854-1915), the father of American dry-fly fishing, was one of America's best-known, celebrated fly fisher and tier during his lifetime. His writings in the Fishing Gazette and Forest and Stream moved United States anglers from fanciful wet flies, intended to attract trout, into hatch-matching dry flies, intended to imitate specific aquatic insects. Though other men, such as Rube Cross, claimed Gordon's tutelage, Roy Steenrod is the only person who learned to tie flies directly from Gordon.
The Hendrickson that Steenrod first designed on the banks of Ferdon's Eddy is similar, but different, to what current fly fishers expect from the fly. Its body was made from fawn-colored fox fur. Many anglers believe that Steenrod used the urine-stained underbelly from a vixen red fox, because that amazingly descriptive material is so memorable. Steenrod's original Hendrickson had wood duck flank feather fibers for its tail, but not for long. He replaced the wood duck with hackle fibers, which are now standard on Catskill flies to improve the balance and flotation of the fly. The wing was also made from wood duck, which is common in Catskill flies today, but the wing was tied in one clump, probably to imitate the way mayflies hold their wings together when at rest. To finish the fly, Steenrod used medium dun-colored hackle, tied sparsely, with the stiffest fibers possible.
"One day in 1916, while we were fishing the Beaverkill below the Junction Pool at Roscoe, a hatch of flies came on. I caught one of the flies and put it in my box, and after lunch that day at Ferdon's Eddy I tied some patterns of the fly as nearly as I could. Two years after I tied the first pattern, the matter was brought up as to what I would call or name the fly. Looking at A. E. [Hendrickson], the best friend a person could ever wish to have, I said, 'the fly is the Hendrickson.' I saw at once that A. E. was pleased." - Roy Steenrod, from Ed Van Put, Trout Fishing in the Catskills
In 1916, aquatic entomology for fly-fishing purposes was a relatively unexplored field. At that time is is likely that Steenrod determined that it was unnecessary to imitate both males and females.. Today one pink-body fly is typically used to match the hatch, and generally the trout eat it whether eating males or females. Both genders often emerge simultaneously, so trout are seldom choosy, though it does happen occasionally. Perhaps Steenrod coincidentally had a bunch of fawn-colored fox fur for the body even though it best imitates only female Hendricksons, not males. He apparently chose to just mimic Gordon’s use of wood duck rather match the Hendrickson by using medium gray wings without prominent veinations.
Hendrickson
Fly of the Month 02.25
Hendricksons are among a handful of mayflies that have striking physical differences between males and females. Females have small blackish-olive mottled eyes with creamy pale legs and bodies that ranges from near-yellow (like a Sulphur) to tan, highlighted with shades of pinks and olives, depending upon their genetics and what they ate as nymphs. Males are colored much more vividly. They have reddish bodies, creamy legs, and large bright red eyes that look like two miniature cherry tomatoes perched on their foreheads.
Being a mayfly, the Hendrickson has incomplete metamorphosis. They are unique in having two winged life-stages, the sexually immature dun (subimago), and the sexually mature spinner (imago). The Hendrickson can be found in the East and Mid-West, and is one of (655) mayfly species known to reside on the continent of North American. The following hierarchy illustrates how taxonomists classify the Hendrickson:
Kingdom: Anamalia (animal)
Phylum: Arthropoda (segmented invertebrate, jointed legs)
Subphylum: Hexapoda (six legged)
Class: Insecta (insect, three body regions)
Subclass: Pterygota (winged)
Superorder: Paleoptera (ancient, non-pleated wings)
Order: Ephemeroptera (mayfly)
Suborder: Furcatergalia (fork-gilled)
Infraorder: Pannota (fused back)
Superfamily: Ephemerelloidae (crawler)
Family: Ephemerellidae (spiny crawler)
Genus & Species: Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson)
Dark Hendrickson (male) [Original] Hendrickson Light Hendrickson (female)
Hook: TMC 100sp BL Hook: Standard Dry Hook: TMC 100sp BL
Size: 12, 14, 16 Size: 12, 14 Size: 10, 12, 14
Thread: Camel 8/0 or 70-denier Thread: 6/0 Olive Thread: Cahill 8/0 or 70-denier
Tail: Dark gray hackle fibers Tail: Dark dun hackle fibers Tail: Light dun Microfibbetts
Body: Brown/red brown dubbing Body: Fawn (tannish) colored fur Body: Cream/olive dubbing
Wing: Dark dun, upright, divided Wing: Wood duck, single, upright Wing: Med. dun, upright, divided
Hackle: Dark dun Hackle: Dark dun Hackle: Sandy dun
Note: The Red Quill is also a good imitation of the Male Hendrickson.
Note: Use Hendrickson Australian possum dubbing for the original Hendrickson.
<photo>
Tying Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker