Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
Ask historically minded fly anglers where the methods and traditions of fly fishing in America originated, and most will probably reply the Catskill Mountains of New York state. The Catskills were the cradle of American fly angling, but an often overlooked area of eastern Pennsylvania would rightfully be called the birthplace. Before the Catskills were famous for trout, leading American fly anglers fished the streams of eastern Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains near the village of Henryville. Theodore Gordon, the Catskill angling legend, was but a babe-in-arms when Henryville’s Brodhead Creek and its tributaries were the place to be for American trout fishing. Limestone spring creeks of “The Brodheads” held abundant native brook trout and attracted large numbers of eastern fly anglers in the mid-19th century. Henryville was then the center of high profile fly fishing in America.
Merchant Arthur Henry, after whose family the town of Henryville is named, established in 1836 a hotel and trading center on Paradise Creek, a tributary of Brodhead Creek. Word of the area’s great angling spread and, in 1848, the hotel was expanded and renamed ‘Henryville House’. An expanding rail system gave ready access to The Brodheads from the east, and noted journalists of New York City and Philadelphia wrote of the area’s abundance. Thaddeus Norris, arguably the earliest of America’s great angling authors, wrote glowingly about the area’s trout fishing in his 1864 book The American Angler’s Book. Future, current, and former American Presidents stayed at Henryville House and sampled its fine angling. ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, Annie Oakley, and a long list of visiting luminaries added to the buzz. Meanwhile, Samuel Phillippe of nearby Easton, PA perfected in the 1870s the first six-sided split bamboo fly rods on the Brodheads. Henryville House and its surrounding creeks were America’s best known fly fishing destination, earning the endearing name of ‘Paradise Valley’. Henryville House survived for well over a century and was the oldest trout fishing hotel in America when it closed in 1984.
Sadly, paradise was short-lived. Years of abuse by farming and logging left a late-1800s trout fishery in serious decline. Water temperatures increased, and brook trout decreased to near zero, being replaced by hatchery-bred browns. Many formerly public waters were turned into private clubs. The great trout fishing of the area had become ordinary, and fly anglers abandoned Henryville for better rivers to the north, in particular the Catskills. The exodus of fly anglers from the Poconos fueled ascension of the Catskills as America’s major center of fly angling development.
The glory of Henryville’s trout fishing may have faded, but one of its truly fine caddisfly imitations continues today. The ‘Henryville Special’ was designed around 1920 by Hiram Brobst, a lifelong angler from nearby Palmerton, PA. He designed the fly to imitate caddisflies in swift water, but inspiration came from an unidentified old English English fly tying book. The fly was nameless in the book, and Brobst simply called his fly the “No Name”, but several years later it became known as the “Henryville Special”. Brobst first tied the fly with a body of red silk floss, but olive-green floss or dubbing eventually became the most popular version.
The Henryville Special is an excellent general attractor dry fly, and it is especially effective when caddisflies are on the wing. It is an impressionistic pattern, one whose palmered body hackle suggests motion even when the fly is dead drifted. The fly rides high, with both body and wings well above the surface. It is an excellent fly for twitching or skittering to imitate egg-laying caddis. Show a Henryville Special to a trout near you during caddis season, and you might just rekindle some of Henryville’s former glory.
Copyright 2021, Rusty Dunn
Henryville Special
Hiram Brobst tied the Henryville Special to imitate caddis on turbulent waters, hence his use of a palmered body hackle for good floatation. The Henryville Special is an excellent imitation of egg-laying caddisflies.
Hook: |
Dry fly, #14 – #20 |
Thread: |
Gray, 8/0. |
Body: |
Olive-green floss or dubbing. |
Body Hackle: |
Grizzly, undersized; length no longer than hook point. |
Underwing: |
Wood duck flank |
Overwing |
Matched mallard quill slips; tips upward, tied tent style over the back with the curvature flaring outward |
Head Hackle: |
Dark ginger. |
Henryville Special
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Last Updated: February 14, 2021 by Drew Kasel
by Rusty Dunn
Ask historically minded fly anglers where the methods and traditions of fly fishing in America originated, and most will probably reply the Catskill Mountains of New York state. The Catskills were the cradle of American fly angling, but an often overlooked area of eastern Pennsylvania would rightfully be called the birthplace. Before the Catskills were famous for trout, leading American fly anglers fished the streams of eastern Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains near the village of Henryville. Theodore Gordon, the Catskill angling legend, was but a babe-in-arms when Henryville’s Brodhead Creek and its tributaries were the place to be for American trout fishing. Limestone spring creeks of “The Brodheads” held abundant native brook trout and attracted large numbers of eastern fly anglers in the mid-19th century. Henryville was then the center of high profile fly fishing in America.
Merchant Arthur Henry, after whose family the town of Henryville is named, established in 1836 a hotel and trading center on Paradise Creek, a tributary of Brodhead Creek. Word of the area’s great angling spread and, in 1848, the hotel was expanded and renamed ‘Henryville House’. An expanding rail system gave ready access to The Brodheads from the east, and noted journalists of New York City and Philadelphia wrote of the area’s abundance. Thaddeus Norris, arguably the earliest of America’s great angling authors, wrote glowingly about the area’s trout fishing in his 1864 book The American Angler’s Book. Future, current, and former American Presidents stayed at Henryville House and sampled its fine angling. ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, Annie Oakley, and a long list of visiting luminaries added to the buzz. Meanwhile, Samuel Phillippe of nearby Easton, PA perfected in the 1870s the first six-sided split bamboo fly rods on the Brodheads. Henryville House and its surrounding creeks were America’s best known fly fishing destination, earning the endearing name of ‘Paradise Valley’. Henryville House survived for well over a century and was the oldest trout fishing hotel in America when it closed in 1984.
Sadly, paradise was short-lived. Years of abuse by farming and logging left a late-1800s trout fishery in serious decline. Water temperatures increased, and brook trout decreased to near zero, being replaced by hatchery-bred browns. Many formerly public waters were turned into private clubs. The great trout fishing of the area had become ordinary, and fly anglers abandoned Henryville for better rivers to the north, in particular the Catskills. The exodus of fly anglers from the Poconos fueled ascension of the Catskills as America’s major center of fly angling development.
The glory of Henryville’s trout fishing may have faded, but one of its truly fine caddisfly imitations continues today. The ‘Henryville Special’ was designed around 1920 by Hiram Brobst, a lifelong angler from nearby Palmerton, PA. He designed the fly to imitate caddisflies in swift water, but inspiration came from an unidentified old English English fly tying book. The fly was nameless in the book, and Brobst simply called his fly the “No Name”, but several years later it became known as the “Henryville Special”. Brobst first tied the fly with a body of red silk floss, but olive-green floss or dubbing eventually became the most popular version.
The Henryville Special is an excellent general attractor dry fly, and it is especially effective when caddisflies are on the wing. It is an impressionistic pattern, one whose palmered body hackle suggests motion even when the fly is dead drifted. The fly rides high, with both body and wings well above the surface. It is an excellent fly for twitching or skittering to imitate egg-laying caddis. Show a Henryville Special to a trout near you during caddis season, and you might just rekindle some of Henryville’s former glory.
Copyright 2021, Rusty Dunn
Henryville Special
Hiram Brobst tied the Henryville Special to imitate caddis on turbulent waters, hence his use of a palmered body hackle for good floatation. The Henryville Special is an excellent imitation of egg-laying caddisflies.
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Category: Fly Tying, Rusty Dunn Fountains of Youth
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