Ephemeroptera · Heptageniidae

Quill Gordon

Early-season Appalachian mayfly royalty. Quill Gordons kick off spring freestone dreams; Blue Quills often ride nearby in the same cool window.

Taxa: Epeorus pleuralis (classic Quill Gordon); Blue Quill often Paraleptophlebia spp.

Bait lens

Early Epeorus/Blue Quill activity + fish feeding after a long winter = one of the best SE go windows.

Life stages

Mayfly path. Epeorus nymphs are flattened clingers on rocky freestone bottoms; duns show the classic quill body and slate wing.

Quill Gordon — Nymph (clinger) — **Nymph (clinger)** — Flattened Heptageniidae nymphs on rock — USGS Epeorus (PD).

Coming soon Photo pending confirmed dun ID

Dun — Epeorus adult (USGS) — Quill Gordon silhouette family.

Coming soon Photo pending confirmed spinner ID

Spinner — Spent falls after the main dun period.

When it matters in the Southern Apps (NC–VA)

Late Mar into Apr on SE freestones; Blue Quill in the Jan–Mar / early spring mix. High elevation can run weeks behind.

Matching artificials & techniques

Mimic the stage the fish are eating — size and silhouette first. Patterns are common SE shop language, not a brand list.

Nymph

Quill Gordon nymph, Hare’s Ear, flat-bodied clinger nymphs

Rocky freestone lies; keep it near the bottom.

Dun

Quill Gordon dry, Adams, Blue Quill Comparadun

Classic early-season dry-fly water when duns are up.

Sources: Epeorus / Heptageniidae; USGS Epeorus nymph (PD). Dun/spinner: Coming soon (prior “adult” file was a nymph; spinner was a generic mayfly stand-in). Regional note: Taxonomy and stage language follow standard aquatic entomology (Ephemeroptera / Trichoptera / Plecoptera / Chironomidae). SE timing is a regional prior from the hatch calendar — confirm with thermometer, seine, and local shop/agency charts.

SE hatch calendar All bugs Life-cycle basics

More in the guide: BWO · Midges · Caddis · October Caddis · Sulphurs · Tricos