There are many styles of dry flies that have been developed over the past 100+ years in America. Many dry fly styles such as the Catskill style of dries developed by Theodore Gordon, Rube Cross, Harry and Elsie Darbee, the Dettes, Art Flick and many others which have made an impact on fly fishing in America since before and after the turn of the century.

Other important contributions have come out of the State of Pennsylvania. Some people say American fly fishing was born in the Poconos Mountains but we’ll leave that argument for others to decide. The Henryville House in the Poconos certainly played an important player in the early 1900’s too. Many travelers arrived by train to fish the famed Pocono streams. Also not to far away in Easton Pa, Samuel Phillippe made the first split bamboo fly rod in the 1840’s. This area obviously is also important in fly fishing and fly tying history. 

To the south west of the Poconos in Cumberland County Pa., streams such as the Letort, Yellow Breeches, Big Spring Creek and others played an important part too in the development of new fly patters over the years and even more in modern years. Many terrestrial patterns were founded here, such as Ed Shank’s Letort Hopper and Letort Cricket. Vincent Marinaro’s thorax dry flies and other flies also had there birthplace in this area of Pa. Many authors of fly fishing and fly tying books lived in this area and some still do. I always enjoy stopping at the local fly shops when I was in the area.