Dark Hendrickson

Dark Hendrickson

The Dark Hendrickson is a time-honored eastern dry fly that earns its reputation every spring when Ephemerella subvaria hatches blanket cold-water streams from the Catskills to the Upper Midwest. Tied to imitate the darker male dun, this pattern rides high in the surface film with a classic upright wing profile that trout key on during some of the season’s most prolific emergences. Whether you’re working a riffle on the Delaware or a limestone spring creek, the Dark Hendrickson delivers the silhouette and color that selective fish are looking for.

Pattern Details

• Style: Classic eastern dry fly / mayfly dun imitation
• Imitation: Ephemerella subvaria — the dark male dun, one of the most important early-season hatches on eastern cold-water streams
• Profile: Classic upright wing — precise mayfly dun silhouette that selective trout key on during heavy emergences
• Best water: Cold-water streams, spring creeks, and limestone rivers — wherever Ephemerella subvaria hatches in spring
• Target species: Trout
• Techniques: Dead-drifted through feeding lanes during Hendrickson hatches; match the size to the naturals on the water for best results
• Sizes available: 14, 16, 18

A Catskill classic that still produces on the most demanding eastern trout streams — the Dark Hendrickson delivers the precise silhouette and coloration that selective trout key on during one of spring’s most important hatches.