Quill Gordon General Description:
The Quill Gordon is from a family of mayflies that are common and indeed plentiful in the Eastern areas of the USA, The hatches may start as early as February in the south depending on the weather. As with most other mayflies, the water temperature must be approaching 50 degrees F and the cycle of the Quill Gordon must be correct as well. The nymphs must be fully developed when the temperature reaches the 50 degrees F or the hatch will not occur.
The water temperature will play an important part in the hatch cycle with flections in the temperature starting and stopping the hatches and stretching them out. However, if the water temperature remains above 50 degrees F consistently, the hatch will occur over a shorter period of time. As you might expect, the elevations will greatly affect the temperature of the water especially in the freestone streams found in the Great Smoky MountainsNational Park. The hatches for the brookies will begin several days after the hatches in the lower elevations.
The hatches of the Quill Gordons are a favorite among anglers since they are larger than the Blue Quills and anglers mistakenly equate the size of the fly to the size of the trout. However, they have not told the trout about size as the trout do not care about the size, eating the smaller flies just as often as the larger flies But this does not detract from the hatch of the Quill Gordons as it is among the most important hatches.
The way that the Quill Gordons hatch allows the duns to be caught in the faster waters of the streams. When the trout are feasting on the duns, they do not get as good a look at the fly due to the disturbance of the faster moving water, giving the advantage to the angler.
Bait/Lure Type:
Equipment: