Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
Have a sip of New York City municipal water, and you’re drinking a cup of fly-fishing history. About half of The Big Apple’s water supply comes from the Catskill Mountains, birthplace of American fly fishing. The Catskills are where Theodore Gordon began the “Catskill style” of fly tying, where George LaBranche and Edward Hewitt pioneered and popularized American fly fishing, where Preston Jennings compiled the first comprehensive list of aquatic insects available to North American trout, and where the H.L. Leonard and E.F. Payne rod companies tested and built some of the finest split cane fly rods ever made. The historic Neversink River was a Catskill laboratory for these and many other angling advances. Its glory, however, has yielded to the march of time. Most of the Neversink’s waters are now siphoned off to the mouth of the Hudson, where they irrigate and cleanse millions of New Yorkers who’ve never heard of a Quill Gordon or a Light Cahill. The very pools where American fly fishing began, including river miles owned by Gordon and Hewitt, now lie beneath a water storage reservoir. May they rest in peace.
Edward R. Hewitt (1866-1957) honed his fly-fishing knowledge and skills on the Neversink. His contributions to angling are the stuff of legend. He invented and patented the felt-soled wading shoe, built one of the earliest interchangeable fly reels, bred poultry expressly for the quality of its dry-fly hackle, and established The Big Bend Club, a fishing camp on the Neversink that was a Mecca for fly-fishing luminaries. Hewitt’s early books, Secrets of the Salmon (1922) and Telling on the Trout (1926) were published at a time of rapid growth in fly fishing and had a big impact on a country thirsting for good fly-fishing information. Hewitt was, above all, a conservationist, one who managed
his river miles meticulously and advocated catch-and-release fishing at a time when the number of Catskill trout seemed inexhaustible.
Hewitt is perhaps best known for his observation that most fly anglers progress through three successive phases of maturation: a phase of wanting to catch the most trout possible, followed by one of seeking the largest fish possible, followed by one of attempting to land the most difficult and selective fish, caring more for the sport than number or size of landed fish. Hewitt lived a long rich life, and he spent many satisfied decades in phase three of maturation. For example, he was the first angler to land an Atlantic salmon using a dry fly and a 1-1/2 ounce 4wt bamboo fly rod! It was a remarkable feat, although local fishing guides described it as “the salmon that caught Mr. Hewitt”.
Hewitt hooked the infamous salmon on a Bivisible dry fly, which, along with the Neversink Skater, are Hewitt’s two most famous flies. Both are high floating flies suitable for gentle slicks, turbulent riffles, and everything in between. The name “Bivisible” indicates that the fly is visible to both trout and angler. A palmered darker hackle provides floatation and visibility to trout, while a contrasting collar of white hackle provides visibility to an angler. The fly is derived from an ancient English pattern, the Palmer Sedge, which Hewitt spiced up with the collar of white.
The Bivisible is a fluttering fly, a fly for skating, skittering, and enticing a lazy trout. A fly so buggy it can’t be ignored. It imitates egg-laying caddis very well, but it also brings up fish between hatches, especially on the warm breezy days of terrestrial season. It is a fly for fishing the water, not the rise. One with which to create George La Branche’s proverbial “hatch of frauds”. In short, the Bivisible is a classic attractor, one that has caught fish for over a century. Don’t be afraid to jerk a Bivisible underwater and fish it as a wet fly swung in the current or retrieved with short strips. It may look like no insect you’ve ever seen, but a Bivisible will still grab a trout’s attention.
Copyright 2025, Rusty Dunn
Brown Bivisible
Hewitt’s Bivisible can be tied in any color combination, but the collar hackle should always be white. The original and most popular color is the Brown Bivisible. Palmer the hackle with the dull side facing forward for best floatation, especially when skating the fly.
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Hook:
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Dry fly, #10-#16
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Thread:
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8/0 or 6/0, brown
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Tail:
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Brown rooster hackle fibers
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Body:
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Brown floss or tying thread
|
|
Hackle:
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Brown or furnace, palmered and a collar of white hackle just behind the eye. Counter-wrap the hackle with thread or fine wire for extra durability.
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Brown Bivisible
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Posted: November 4, 2025 by Drew Kasel
by Rusty Dunn
Have a sip of New York City municipal water, and you’re drinking a cup of fly-fishing history. About half of The Big Apple’s water supply comes from the Catskill Mountains, birthplace of American fly fishing. The Catskills are where Theodore Gordon began the “Catskill style” of fly tying, where George LaBranche and Edward Hewitt pioneered and popularized American fly fishing, where Preston Jennings compiled the first comprehensive list of aquatic insects available to North American trout, and where the H.L. Leonard and E.F. Payne rod companies tested and built some of the finest split cane fly rods ever made. The historic Neversink River was a Catskill laboratory for these and many other angling advances. Its glory, however, has yielded to the march of time. Most of the Neversink’s waters are now siphoned off to the mouth of the Hudson, where they irrigate and cleanse millions of New Yorkers who’ve never heard of a Quill Gordon or a Light Cahill. The very pools where American fly fishing began, including river miles owned by Gordon and Hewitt, now lie beneath a water storage reservoir. May they rest in peace.
Edward R. Hewitt (1866-1957) honed his fly-fishing knowledge and skills on the Neversink. His contributions to angling are the stuff of legend. He invented and patented the felt-soled wading shoe, built one of the earliest interchangeable fly reels, bred poultry expressly for the quality of its dry-fly hackle, and established The Big Bend Club, a fishing camp on the Neversink that was a Mecca for fly-fishing luminaries. Hewitt’s early books, Secrets of the Salmon (1922) and Telling on the Trout (1926) were published at a time of rapid growth in fly fishing and had a big impact on a country thirsting for good fly-fishing information. Hewitt was, above all, a conservationist, one who managed
his river miles meticulously and advocated catch-and-release fishing at a time when the number of Catskill trout seemed inexhaustible.
Hewitt is perhaps best known for his observation that most fly anglers progress through three successive phases of maturation: a phase of wanting to catch the most trout possible, followed by one of seeking the largest fish possible, followed by one of attempting to land the most difficult and selective fish, caring more for the sport than number or size of landed fish. Hewitt lived a long rich life, and he spent many satisfied decades in phase three of maturation. For example, he was the first angler to land an Atlantic salmon using a dry fly and a 1-1/2 ounce 4wt bamboo fly rod! It was a remarkable feat, although local fishing guides described it as “the salmon that caught Mr. Hewitt”.
Hewitt hooked the infamous salmon on a Bivisible dry fly, which, along with the Neversink Skater, are Hewitt’s two most famous flies. Both are high floating flies suitable for gentle slicks, turbulent riffles, and everything in between. The name “Bivisible” indicates that the fly is visible to both trout and angler. A palmered darker hackle provides floatation and visibility to trout, while a contrasting collar of white hackle provides visibility to an angler. The fly is derived from an ancient English pattern, the Palmer Sedge, which Hewitt spiced up with the collar of white.
The Bivisible is a fluttering fly, a fly for skating, skittering, and enticing a lazy trout. A fly so buggy it can’t be ignored. It imitates egg-laying caddis very well, but it also brings up fish between hatches, especially on the warm breezy days of terrestrial season. It is a fly for fishing the water, not the rise. One with which to create George La Branche’s proverbial “hatch of frauds”. In short, the Bivisible is a classic attractor, one that has caught fish for over a century. Don’t be afraid to jerk a Bivisible underwater and fish it as a wet fly swung in the current or retrieved with short strips. It may look like no insect you’ve ever seen, but a Bivisible will still grab a trout’s attention.
Copyright 2025, Rusty Dunn
Brown Bivisible
Hewitt’s Bivisible can be tied in any color combination, but the collar hackle should always be white. The original and most popular color is the Brown Bivisible. Palmer the hackle with the dull side facing forward for best floatation, especially when skating the fly.
Hook:
Dry fly, #10-#16
Thread:
8/0 or 6/0, brown
Tail:
Brown rooster hackle fibers
Body:
Brown floss or tying thread
Hackle:
Brown or furnace, palmered and a collar of white hackle just behind the eye. Counter-wrap the hackle with thread or fine wire for extra durability.
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Category: Fly Tying, Rusty Dunn Fountains of Youth
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