Theodore Gordon

The “Father of American Dry Fly Fishing”, Gordon left the cities for a quieter life near the Neversink River in New York’s Catskills.  Gordon learned about the English dry fly revolution from his English friend Frederic Halford.  Gordon totally changed the appearance of the dry fly by tying flies with stiffer and more sparse hackle.  This gave them buoyancy in the faster American waters, thus originating the “Catskill Style” of fly tying.  He created some of the first truly American dry flies.  Gordon was a prolific writer and had regular columns in the weekly Forest and Stream and the English journal, The Fishing Gazette.  He was a staunch conservationist and early advocate for stream and watershed protection and the teaching of conservation in schools.  Anglers who enjoy the delicacy and visual thrill of dry fly fishing will surely attest to the importance of Gordon’s innovations.