Thursday, April 5, 2012

Tying the Catskill Style Hendrickson

This time we go back to the days when dry flies were tied with all natural materials, and tie one of our favorite dry flies for early spring - the Hendrickson.  The fly itself is not too hard to tie, but it was a little tricky for Tim to film and then produce, but again, he nails it.  For best viewing, maximize the video on your monitor.
 
 

Catskill Hendrickson

Hook: Standard dry fly
Thread: 6/0 Olive Danville
Wing: Woodduck flank fibers - divided
Tail: Medium dun hackle fibers
Body: Mixed 1/3 tan, 1/3 pink and 1/3 gray fur dubbing
Hackle: Medium dun 

In the video, I use two hackles to show how that is/was done, as that is how I learned to tie this style fly many years ago.  Back then, 1960-70's, we didn't have genetic rooster capes, instead we tied with Indian rooster cape hackle, which was shorter with fewer hackle barbs than what is available today.  Now I mostly tie them with one hackle from a genetic cape tied in in front of the wing and wrapped back to the body and then forward again.  We'll show you this method at a later date.  Also, the original Hendrickson was tied with pink urine stained fox fur for the body, but I tied it here with rabbit since that is more widely available.

Sharpen your hooks, and good luck on opening day if you decide to brave the crowds.  

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