The original Hendrickson (Roy Steenrod's tie) imitates the darker female Ephemerella subvaria with its distinctive pinkish-gray body of urine-stained vixen fox fur. The classic Catskill pattern for the first major mayfly hatch of Eastern spring.
1. Thread base — Attach gray thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Tail — Tie in a sparse bunch of dun hackle fibers at the bend, one hook-gap in length.
3. Wings — At the 2/3 point, tie in two matched wood duck flank sections upright and divided with figure-eight wraps.
4. Body — Dub a smooth, tapered Hendrickson pink body from the bend to just behind the wings. The color should be distinctly pinkish-gray.
5. Hackle — Tie in a dun hackle behind the wings. Wind 3–4 turns through the thorax area. Tie off and trim.
6. Head — Build a small, neat head. Whip finish and apply head cement.
tail
wing
body
hackle
Ephemerella subvaria
