Red Quills and Hendrickson Flies

The Red Quill and the Hendrickson are not two different mayflies but indeed they are the same aquatic insect. The Hendrickson is the correct common name of the mayflies. The Red Quill however can be a catch all term. It is a common name often used for several species of Mayflies including the Quill Gordons, and Sulphurs.  However, when the term Red Quill is associated with the Hendricksons, it refers to the male spinner because the males are indeed a dark rusty red color. The female spinners are much lighter in color and would not fit the term Red Quill. When the Hendricksons mate above the waters, the red spinners will die and fall immediately to the water.

The females however do not fall until their eggs have been deposited on the surface film on the water. Most of the males will fall on the banks, but the females will mostly fall in the water where they can collect in large numbers. The spinners will usually fall very late in the afternoons sometimes even after the time that fishing is prohibited due to darkness. We believe that the "Perfect Fly" Red Quill will perfectly match the actual insect.

In our discussion about the Hendrickson and the Red Quills, we started with the spinners because the spinner fall is the major event of the hatch which will start probably in April here in the south.