Quill Gordon
Theodore Gordon, the ‘Father of American Dry Fly Fishing,’ is
generally credited with the pattern which bears his name.
There is however some room to speculate over his having created
this fly. Even in the book The Complete Fly Fisherman which is
a compilation of Gordons’ own notes and letters, he makes no direct
mention of creating the fly. But, a ‘Blue Quill Gordon’ is acknowledged.
Is history guilty of a perversion, or did he simply fail to mention
his other quill-bodied fly? We will probably never have a true answer
to that question.
It is known that while a writer and American Correspondent for
Fishing Gazette of London, England he was quite taken with the work
of Frederick M. Halford. Halford quite kindly, despite his meager
abilities as a tier, sent to Gordon 50 dry flies which were then
commonly in use on English waters. These flies then formed the basis
of Gordons’ further explorations. He also asked if Halford thought
these flies would ‘kill’ in this country.
As the great man did not see fit to share much of his knowledge with
the common man, or to set down his thoughts in the form of a book, we
may never know exactly what transpired during the infancy of dry fly
fishing in America. It is truly a shame that the knowledge of so great
an angler went to the grave with him. Such a tremendous gift he had to
offer, but vainly refused to share. He was a good student, but could
have been a great teacher. Unfortunately he chose a different path.
Only through the work of McDonald in compiling his notes and letters
and setting them down in a book do we have any sense of who Theodore
Gordon was, or the times in which he lived.
What he has left us is the great legacy of the ‘Catskill’ fly tier.
Many in fact, to this day, would insist on fishing with no other fly.
Tradition is a powerful influence, and it has transcended the death
of perhaps the greatest fly fisherman in American History.
Accurately or not, the Quill Gordon as a symbol of ‘modern’ dry-fly
fishing in America, is a worthy accolade to lay at the feet of a father.
So, let’s tie a Quill Gordon.
For a 3-part series on handling quills for this and other quill-bodied flies,
see, Stripping Quills,
Stripping Quills 2, The Sequel, and
Taking the Frustration Out of Quills!
Materials List:
Hook: Standard Dry Fly Hook sz 12 to 18.
Thread: Thread in size 6/0 Cream.
Tail: Medium Blue Dun.
Body: Peacock Eye Quill (stripped).
Wing: Wood Duck or Dyed Mallard Flank.
Hackle: Medium Blue Dun.
Originally published April 17, 2000 on Fly Anglers Online by George E. Emanuel.