Fly of the Month 03.26 - Quill Gordon (Catskills style)
Eastern mayfly hatches are prolific in higher pH, nutrient rich streams such as the Catskills and
emerge like clockwork every year with some variation due to water temperatures. Eastern mayfly
hatches are very sparse in lower pH, nutrient poor streams especially in many of the Southern
Appalachians with some mayfly species non-existent or difficult to even notice.
Early dry fly mayfly fly patterns evolved based on the prolific hatches in the Catskills. These
hatches begin in mid-spring with the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis, followed by the
Hendrickson E. subvaria & E. needhami, followed by the Blue Quill Paraleptophlebia adoptiva,
P. mollis & P. debilis et al, followed by the March Brown Maccaffertium vicarium, followed by
the Little Yellow Quill Lecurocuta hebe et al, Heptagenia pulla & H. diabasia, Followed by the
Little Marrayatt Epeorus vitreus and finally the Light Cahill Maccaffertium ithaca et al,
Stenonema femoratum & Stenacrom interpunctatum.
The following is a hatch chart indicating the size and species of mayfly, the timeframe of their
hatch and the water temperatures that trigger and curtail their hatch:
Catskills Spring and Fall Mayfly Hatches
Size Fly Pattern Timeframe Water Temp. (°F)
10-12 Quill Gordon, Iron Blue Dun Mid Spring to Late Spring 48-53°F
10-14 Hendrickson Mid Spring to Late Spring 49-57°F
14-18 Little Dark Hendrickson Mid Spring to Mid Summer 53-65°F
14-18 Blue Quill, Blue Dun, Mahogany Dun
Mid-Spring to Late Summer 49-60°F, 65-70-65°F
8-10 American March Brown, Ginger Quill
Late Spring to Late Summer 57-70-67°F
10-18 Little Yellow Quill Late Spring to Autumn 59-70-61°F
12-14 Little Marryatt, Pink Cahill Early Summer to Late Summer 60-70-66°F
10-14 Cream Cahill, Light Cahill, Ginger Quill
Early Summer to Autumn 65-70-60°F
Note: In the northern hemisphere, Spring is March 21 to June 20, Summer is June 21 to
September 20 and Fall is September 21 is December 20. Autumn is defined as a sorter fall
season ending at Thanksgiving or about a month shorter than Fall. Water temperatures above
the Mason-Dixon line often shorten the Autumn season to Early November. Water temperatures
below the Mason Dixon line often brings an early spring with first mayfly hatches actually
occurring in Late-March to Early April prior to Mid-Spring.
The most well known Catskills style fly patterns and corresponding mayfly species is the Quill
Gordon which by water temperature one of the first emergence of a mayfly hatch in the Spring.
Prior to the science of determining specific species, any mayfly that hatched in the spring was
considered a blue quill or blue dun. In past Fly of the Month articles we have covered many of
the spring mayfly hatches with a Catskills style fly patterns: February 2025 Hendrickson, March
2012 Blue Quill, July 2023 Ginger Quill and August 2010 Light Cahill.
Mayfly Species Epeorus pleuralis or Quill Gordon
Named after Theodore Gordon, the father of American dry fly fishing, this mayfly is most active
in cool, clear streams in the eastern United States and lower eastern Canada. Its annual,
synchronized hatches often occur in Late-March, April and even Early-May to the far north, with
trout eagerly feeding on both emerging and adult stages.
The Quill Gordon is prized for its beauty, with a slate-gray wing and a mottled, quill-like body.
Quill Gordon nymphs are clinger types, well-suited to fast, rocky streams. They are dark brown
to olive with a streamlined, flat body. Nymph patterns tied on hook sizes 12 to 14 are effective.
The Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis nymphs associate with boulders, cobble, or gravel and fast
water, and they are nimble swimmers. Nymphs drift extensively prior to emerging.
As the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis emerges, it rises to the surface quickly but can be
vulnerable while shedding their nymphal shucks. Emerger fly patterns tied on hook sizes 12 to
14 with olive-brown bodies and translucent wings, especially a soft hackle or an emerger style
are ideal. Try swinging or stripping nymphs actively to mimic such action. Also try swinging or
lifting winged wet flies or fish emerger fly patterns much like a dry fly with an occasional twitch.
Quill Gordon
The Adult Quill Gordon is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, with mottled brown or grayish-brown
bodies and slate-gray, upright wings. Dry fly imitations tied on hook sizes 12 to 14 work well,
especially in moderate currents where these adults are likely to float. They are the first good dry
fly opportunity of the season for Eastern anglers.
The Quill Gordon hatch begins typically Early April but occasionally Late-March through May
and occasionally into Early June in the Southern Appalachians. These hatch beginnings moves
into southern Pennsylvania by mid-April. By early May it is going strong in the Catskills, and it
lingers through the rest of May in the Adirondacks and New England.
Once the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis hatch is triggered by several consecutive days of ideal
water temperature (48-53°F), it carries a momentum. The duns continue to hatch from the riffles
and rapids from early afternoon, usually from 1:00 to 2:00 pm but a little later when hot almost
every day, regardless of weather, until they are all done. Quill Gordon duns crawl out of their
nymphal shucks on the stream bottom and rise to the surface as fully formed adults. This
behavior can be well imitated by wet fly imitations and of course the Catskills style dry fly
pattern once floating in the surface film. With a heavy hatch on a given day, look for this mayfly
to lays eggs after mating in a swarm, during mid midday, afternoon, or evening, in fast water.
Fish spent patterns when these spinners fall.
“It is best fished by casting upstream, allowing it to sink, and then twitching it up through the
currents in front of feeding fish. Once the duns are up, they may ride the surface for a long time
and make several failed attempts before getting airborne. Skittering a dry fly accordingly may
improve one's success.” - Swisher and Richards, Selective Trout
The Catskills dry fly is considered the ultimate fly tying challenge (with the exception of full-
dress salmon flies). Getting the proportions correct and utilizing the finest materials to ensure
that silhouette is right, is the key, Starting in the 1890s, Theodore Gordon began defining the
American dry fly, and his Quill Gordon pattern became the first in a line of Catskills School trout
flies representative of American insects.
Fly of the Month 03.26
Quill Gordon
Hook: Dry fly hook,
Eastern mayfly hatches are prolific in higher pH, nutrient rich streams such as the Catskills and
emerge like clockwork every year with some variation due to water temperatures. Eastern mayfly
hatches are very sparse in lower pH, nutrient poor streams especially in many of the Southern
Appalachians with some mayfly species non-existent or difficult to even notice.
Early dry fly mayfly fly patterns evolved based on the prolific hatches in the Catskills. These
hatches begin in mid-spring with the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis, followed by the
Hendrickson E. subvaria & E. needhami, followed by the Blue Quill Paraleptophlebia adoptiva,
P. mollis & P. debilis et al, followed by the March Brown Maccaffertium vicarium, followed by
the Little Yellow Quill Lecurocuta hebe et al, Heptagenia pulla & H. diabasia, Followed by the
Little Marrayatt Epeorus vitreus and finally the Light Cahill Maccaffertium ithaca et al,
Stenonema femoratum & Stenacrom interpunctatum.
The following is a hatch chart indicating the size and species of mayfly, the timeframe of their
hatch and the water temperatures that trigger and curtail their hatch:
Catskills Spring and Fall Mayfly Hatches
Size Fly Pattern Timeframe Water Temp. (°F)
10-12 Quill Gordon, Iron Blue Dun Mid Spring to Late Spring 48-53°F
10-14 Hendrickson Mid Spring to Late Spring 49-57°F
14-18 Little Dark Hendrickson Mid Spring to Mid Summer 53-65°F
14-18 Blue Quill, Blue Dun, Mahogany Dun
Mid-Spring to Late Summer 49-60°F, 65-70-65°F
8-10 American March Brown, Ginger Quill
Late Spring to Late Summer 57-70-67°F
10-18 Little Yellow Quill Late Spring to Autumn 59-70-61°F
12-14 Little Marryatt, Pink Cahill Early Summer to Late Summer 60-70-66°F
10-14 Cream Cahill, Light Cahill, Ginger Quill
Early Summer to Autumn 65-70-60°F
Note: In the northern hemisphere, Spring is March 21 to June 20, Summer is June 21 to
September 20 and Fall is September 21 is December 20. Autumn is defined as a sorter fall
season ending at Thanksgiving or about a month shorter than Fall. Water temperatures above
the Mason-Dixon line often shorten the Autumn season to Early November. Water temperatures
below the Mason Dixon line often brings an early spring with first mayfly hatches actually
occurring in Late-March to Early April prior to Mid-Spring.
The most well known Catskills style fly patterns and corresponding mayfly species is the Quill
Gordon which by water temperature one of the first emergence of a mayfly hatch in the Spring.
Prior to the science of determining specific species, any mayfly that hatched in the spring was
considered a blue quill or blue dun. In past Fly of the Month articles we have covered many of
the spring mayfly hatches with a Catskills style fly patterns: February 2025 Hendrickson, March
2012 Blue Quill, July 2023 Ginger Quill and August 2010 Light Cahill.
Mayfly Species Epeorus pleuralis or Quill Gordon
Named after Theodore Gordon, the father of American dry fly fishing, this mayfly is most active
in cool, clear streams in the eastern United States and lower eastern Canada. Its annual,
synchronized hatches often occur in Late-March, April and even Early-May to the far north, with
trout eagerly feeding on both emerging and adult stages.
The Quill Gordon is prized for its beauty, with a slate-gray wing and a mottled, quill-like body.
Quill Gordon nymphs are clinger types, well-suited to fast, rocky streams. They are dark brown
to olive with a streamlined, flat body. Nymph patterns tied on hook sizes 12 to 14 are effective.
The Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis nymphs associate with boulders, cobble, or gravel and fast
water, and they are nimble swimmers. Nymphs drift extensively prior to emerging.
As the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis emerges, it rises to the surface quickly but can be
vulnerable while shedding their nymphal shucks. Emerger fly patterns tied on hook sizes 12 to
14 with olive-brown bodies and translucent wings, especially a soft hackle or an emerger style
are ideal. Try swinging or stripping nymphs actively to mimic such action. Also try swinging or
lifting winged wet flies or fish emerger fly patterns much like a dry fly with an occasional twitch.
Quill Gordon
The Adult Quill Gordon is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, with mottled brown or grayish-brown
bodies and slate-gray, upright wings. Dry fly imitations tied on hook sizes 12 to 14 work well,
especially in moderate currents where these adults are likely to float. They are the first good dry
fly opportunity of the season for Eastern anglers.
The Quill Gordon hatch begins typically Early April but occasionally Late-March through May
and occasionally into Early June in the Southern Appalachians. These hatch beginnings moves
into southern Pennsylvania by mid-April. By early May it is going strong in the Catskills, and it
lingers through the rest of May in the Adirondacks and New England.
Once the Quill Gordon Epeorus pleuralis hatch is triggered by several consecutive days of ideal
water temperature (48-53°F), it carries a momentum. The duns continue to hatch from the riffles
and rapids from early afternoon, usually from 1:00 to 2:00 pm but a little later when hot almost
every day, regardless of weather, until they are all done. Quill Gordon duns crawl out of their
nymphal shucks on the stream bottom and rise to the surface as fully formed adults. This
behavior can be well imitated by wet fly imitations and of course the Catskills style dry fly
pattern once floating in the surface film. With a heavy hatch on a given day, look for this mayfly
to lays eggs after mating in a swarm, during mid midday, afternoon, or evening, in fast water.
Fish spent patterns when these spinners fall.
“It is best fished by casting upstream, allowing it to sink, and then twitching it up through the
currents in front of feeding fish. Once the duns are up, they may ride the surface for a long time
and make several failed attempts before getting airborne. Skittering a dry fly accordingly may
improve one's success.” - Swisher and Richards, Selective Trout
The Catskills dry fly is considered the ultimate fly tying challenge (with the exception of full-
dress salmon flies). Getting the proportions correct and utilizing the finest materials to ensure
that silhouette is right, is the key, Starting in the 1890s, Theodore Gordon began defining the
American dry fly, and his Quill Gordon pattern became the first in a line of Catskills School trout
flies representative of American insects.
Fly of the Month 03.26
Quill Gordon
Hook: Dry fly hook,
Rocky River TU Events
We encourage you and your family to join us in the activities that are of interest to you and simply become one with the outdoors and our coldwater resources. Whether you have an hispanic american , black american, native american, latin american, asian american, caucasian or other background, our most successful group activities and outings come from our open diversity and open discussions. Ladies, we are specifically and especially inviting you.
- Monthly Meetings
- Alarka in the Spring (early April) and Fall (early October)
- New River in the Summer (August)
- Streamside Daytrips
- Black Friday Streamside and Wilson Creek DH Clean-up (Special) Streamside Daytrip
|
USGA Water Data for North Carolina in
(REAL TIME) Top 40 best fly fishing streams in North Carolina compiled over the years by Alen Baker. Click here to see the list. |
List of Delayed Harvest streams in North Carolina compiled by Alen Baker. Click here to see the list. |
1Fly (one fly) Competition
Occasionally at a streamside event, the leadership will setup a 1Fly Competition. The primary goal is have fun, to promote the buddy system for stream safety, knowledge sharing and getting to know each other better. On rare occasions, the event may serve to raise funds, thus a donation may be encouraged from all the participants. No prizes involved. Just the prestigious trophy to pass on to the next winning team.
Occasionally at a streamside event, the leadership will setup a 1Fly Competition. The primary goal is have fun, to promote the buddy system for stream safety, knowledge sharing and getting to know each other better. On rare occasions, the event may serve to raise funds, thus a donation may be encouraged from all the participants. No prizes involved. Just the prestigious trophy to pass on to the next winning team.
- Competition assembly time is promoted/announced in advance for the streamside event
- Competition Coordinator secures number-pairs of tickets equal to the size of the group (e.g. a group of 41 would require 21 pairs of tickets)
- Tickets are placed in a hat, shuffled well and passed around for each participant to draw one each. Matching numbers define each team.
- For an odd number of participants, the person without a match is eliminated from the competition
- Competition Coordinator announces the section of stream designated, the start time and end time for the fly fishing to stop
- Each team member is allowed to use only one fly of their choossing each. Once the fly is lost, the team member ends their fly fishing, or...
- A second fly may be used with a 5 point penalty
- Team members typically alternate with one catching a fish while the other stands by, coaches, assists in netting and measures
- The two longest fish for each team member is counted, 1 inch is 1 point, less any penalty - the honor system fully applies
- Combined score is submitted at the end of fishing - highest team score is the winner and reigning team until the next 1Fly Competition
Sweepstakes (Door Prize) Drawings may be held at any Streamside event (same rules as at our monthly meetings)
Note: Occasionally, RRTU has a valuable fly rod or fly fishing service or trip that may be of interest to a participant thru a silent auction. At a few of the Spring Appletree Outings, RRTU has spontaneously sought additonal funds specifically for NCTU RiverCourse when donations for the Summer Youth Camp have been slow in coming.
Note: Occasionally, RRTU has a valuable fly rod or fly fishing service or trip that may be of interest to a participant thru a silent auction. At a few of the Spring Appletree Outings, RRTU has spontaneously sought additonal funds specifically for NCTU RiverCourse when donations for the Summer Youth Camp have been slow in coming.