caddis flies

[lars]

Originally Posted by Dave S

funny you should mention that. One of the things I tried was to tie on a wet fly where I applied floatant to the wing only to try to imitate an emerger. That got some looks but no takers.

i like to tie on multiple flymphs - two or three, using different body colors. i fish them down and across with the rod tip down so they can sink, and then lift the tip as the line tightens toward the end of the drift, simulating the pupae rising to the surface (aka the leisenring lift). most strikes occur at the end of the drift as the fly is rising much like the natural would. they usually slam it, so hold on!

[Big Bald Head]

Dave:
I'd also add a Caddis Buck and a Sofa Pillow...I use both of these flies for "skating" the dry across the top-water...imitates the way a caddis will kinda bounce along on the water surface (laying eggs? hatching? I dunno)...

...this is a DEADLY tactic in the spring for smallmouth in the quieter flat-water runs after the riffles. If you like dry-fly fishing, try this for smallies in May when the caddis flies hatch. You kind present the fly on not-too-long a line (45' at most), then lift your rod way up high and get that line off the water...skate the fly down and across the quieter water runs downstream of the riffles.

Smallies will practically bonk their heads together trying to get to your fly. It is an absolute hoot. Best in the hour before and 1/2-hour after sunset.

Trust me, it is not to be missed...just about the only thing that will tear me away from shad fishing in May is the caddis hatch at dusk on a good smallie river (like the Shenandoah)

[LI Fly Fisher]

A Lars mentioned, try fishing some flymphs (and using the Leisenring Lift) in the situation you described - If you have fish rising and not taking dries, they probably are feeding on emergers, thats what flymphs imitate. I catch more trout on flymphs than any other style of fly. However, you did say you wanted recommendations on dries - try the x-caddis, its a great pattern.

Gordon

[Jonny]

Dave -- lots of good suggestions above. When you see lots of caddis flying around and rising fishing, you might be seeing (a) an emergence with fish on the emerging pupa (very common); (b) an emergence with fish on the adults (less common because the adults fly away so quickly for some species); or (3) egg-laying adults falling to the water spent after dropping their eggs. When they're on the pupa, the rises are often pretty showy and splashy, with some bulging fish and an occasional fish leaping all the way out of the water. Here are some patterns that have worked really well for me.

First, the X-Caddis, mentioned in the previous post, is probably the simplest and one of the best caddis patterns of all times. It was invented by Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies, who's responsible for tons of great Western trout patterns that fish great here too. It's like an Elk Hair, but with no hackle and a shuck of zelon. It's supposed to be an emerger pattern (zelon = trailing shuck) but it makes a good general purpose adult too. Here's a typical one:



Second, Jim Vincent, the guy who started Rio, showed me this pattern on the Missouri during some insane caddis hatches, and it fooled the fish, as it has on the Delaware, Housy and other Eastern streams for me. It has a loop wing of CDC and a deer hair wing over the CDC, and it's definitely in the emerging pupa category. It's like the LaFontaine pattern with CDC instead of antron and also similar to a Rene Harrop pattern called "Bubble Back Caddis." Here's one rendition:



Finally, the last pattern is my own twist on either a crippled or spent adult. It's got a dubbed or biot body and a down wing of deer hair split by a "hackle stacker" loop (also sometimes called a paraloop), where you parachute hackle around a loop of mono or thread and then pull it over the thorax. That method of hackling -- neither convention nor parachute -- was developed by some West Coast and Eastern European tiers (Bob Quigley, Ian Moutter, Jim Cramer, Ned Long) and is now my favorite method of hackling. The thorax is wrapped peacock. This fly has caught lots of good fish for me. Here are a side and top view:




Have fun.

Jonny

[Philly]

I'll second the CDC and Elk, actually CDC and Deer Hair. I learned the pattern from Hans W back in 1998 and I haven't used another caddis dry since then.
Here's instructions on how to tie the pattern from the originator.

www.danica.com/flytier/hweilenmann/cdcelk.htm

And here's a couple of versions of it that I tie.

http://www.virtualflybox.com/patterns/pattern.php?id=451

http://www.virtualflybox.com/patterns/pattern.php?id=138

Over the years, I've gone from tying it on a straight shanked hook dry fly hook to a shrimp/caddis pupae hook and now use the TMC 2488. The advantage to this, IMHO, is you can get the body in proportion to the wings. Generally, the body of a caddis is about 60% of the total length. If they tell you the caddis is a size 12 and you tie it on a size 12 dry fly hook and tie the wings in so they overhang the body you'll end up with fly that's larger than the natural. A size 12 caddis is about 10 mm long, the body is 6-7 mm long.
The pattern will work as an emerger. Other than that I use the old standards. Partridge and Orange, Partridge and Olive, and a few flymphs.
Don't mess to much with pupae, but I do use a classic, the Green Weenie, I tie it with a black beadhead. Then there's the Olive Weenie and the Tan Weenie.

[lars]

yo jonny, nice flies and pics

[Fly By Nite]

If you need zelon, buy it from Blue Ribbon Flies...it's the best stuff you will find. Their elk patches are also top notch.

[MissAbigail]

EH Caddis is my number one fly. I tie them AK Best style as pictured. I tie them tan, olive, and cream in 14, 16 and 18. They float high even in fast water but provide a nice profile with the reverse taper body and forward hackle.

[crashq]

I second the nice flies and nice photos comment, Jonny.

One trick to try in a pinch if the Elk Hair Caddis isn't working is to clip off the hackle from the bottom of the fly (or at least shorten it) . That way the body sits in the film more like a natural caddis. This works the best in slower waters where the fish get a chance to eyeball for a longer time. This is reason for no hackle on the X-Caddis. Ralph Cutter's E/C Caddis also follows that theory, but takes a slightly different approach. It is nearly identical to the X-caddis except that it has a parachute hackle wrapped around the wing base for added flotation.

[fishchile]

Elk Hair Caddis is one of my fav's as well. Dave. Try a smaller fly and get some with flat chartreuse or a light lime colored bodies, bleached or natural wings. Don't be afraid to drag, twitch or pull the bug under the surface of the water.