The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Dry

Hackle Stacker Hendrickson

Insect Species Icon Hendrickson, Blue Wing Olive, Callibaetis and 5 others
Difficulty Icon Hard - 5-7 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Standard Dry Fly Hook – Down Eye
  • Body: Superfine Dubbing
  • Tail: Hackle Fibers
  • Wing: Dry Fly Hackle
  • Hook: Standard Dry Fly Hook – Down Eye
  • Body: Any fine dubbing or goose biots
  • Tail: Partridge Fibers, Schlappen Feathers, Coq De Leon Fibers etc.

This pattern is more of a technique than a pattern, though this is a hendrickson fly shown in the video, it can be tied to imitate blue wing olives, PMD/Sulfurs, green drakes and more.  Just mix and match the colors to imitate the correct mayfly, or go without a tail to imitate a midge.  Colors for the pattern to imitate specific mayflies are listed further down in the insect section.

The benefit of hackle stacking vs a parachute post or other wing styles is it’s ability to ride low in the water and keep a slim profile. Parachute posts can be a little top heavy and aren’t as imitative as a hackle stacked dry fly. In slow and fickle trout waters, this can make all the difference. It’s a fun technique to learn and master, and it’s worth having a dozen or so in the box imitating different mayfly hatches so you can be prepared when fish refuse your other patterns.

As mentioned above in the description, these flies are great because they float low in the water and have a very imitative nature to their profile.  They are great at fooling selective trout or fishing slow waters and back eddies.  Try them anywhere trout refuse your other flies that are easier to fish and see and you can be surprised how well these work.

Blue Wing Olive

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Northwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: East
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Southeast
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24
Region: Midwest
Blue Wing Olive
Sizes: #16 - #24

Callibaetis

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Northwest
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: East
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Midwest
Callibaetis
Sizes: #12 - #18

Green Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, Midwest
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14
Region: East
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14

Hendrickson

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East, Midwest
Hendrickson
Sizes: #10 - #16

March Brown

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, East
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14

PMD

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
PMD
Sizes: #14 - #20

Quill Gordon

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East, Southeast
Quill Gordon
Sizes: #12 - #16

Trico

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Trico
Sizes: #18 - #26
Region: East, Southeast, Midwest
Trico
Sizes: #18 - #26

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