Flybody Dun – Quill Gordon

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Flybody Dun – Quill Gordon.

This fly is part of a set of five dry flies by the H.L. Leonard Rod Company that came in a clear 4 inch rectangular tube.

A good friend of mine is into my Throw Back Thursday posts and evidently has an extensive collection of older flies for me to highlight every once in awhile. I’ll see him and the conversation goes something like:

Friend: “I got something for you.”

Me: “What’s that?”

Friend: “Do you know about (a fly style, hook type, tyer).”

Me: “I’ve heard of it.”

Friend: He goes into a brief history of the item. Then he reaches in his pocket or walks to his truck and returns with an item from his collection that’s meaningful to him and thinks I might like to use.

Me: “Thanks! I’ll check it out and might use it in an upcoming Throw Back Thursday post.”

And that’s how today’s post came to be.

The selection includes a Quill Gordon, Lt. Hendrickson, Red Quill, March Brown, and Lt. Cahill all tied as extended body mayflies.

The flies are tied on an extended body hook with a vertical eye. Go back to the image of the fly and look closely at the body. Underneath is a wire which is an extension of the hook shank.

One of my subscribers provided the following article from the first edition of the H.L. Leonard Rod Co. Quarterly Newsletter published in July 1979. It describes tying a Cut-Wing Parachute on the flybody hook.

This unusual hook, recently developed in England, now has many fans here in the United States. They feel with the more realistic flies you can tie on flybody hooks, you can raise difficult trout more readily than with conventional flies. Some anglers feel there are some hooking difficulties with this hook; others proclaim that they hook just as well as conventional hooks. All agree that the flies on these hooks look more lifelike than those tied on conventional hooks. These hooks are normally considerably more expensive than conventional hooks, but now is your time to try them at great savings. Regular price is $3.45 for 50, the Leonard price is $1.90 for 50. 50-package, sizes 10, 12, 14, $1.90 package.

H.L. Leonard Rod Co. Quarterly Newsletter (July 1979)

My friend thinks he purchased these flies in the early 1980’s. There were sets of nymphs as well, but the dries are more valuable these days.

Perhaps you have a set in your collection as well.

Enjoy…go fish!