Friday, February 5, 2016

The Caddis...A Workhorse.



The Caddis....many a book as well as countless articles have been written about this little fly. The caddis is one of my favorites because when I usually cast it on the stream it almost always brings a strike, and most times just as soon as it touches the surface. Another plus for this fly is that it can be seen most anytime of the year, and that's why it's so readily taken. I love small streams these streams are not insect factories and hatches of mayflies are sporadic at best but I have seen caddis flies on all of the streams I have fished.



The caddis does not have the delicate beauty of the mayfly as it lights on the water but instead it takes on the appearance of a tough lumberjack.


These are a few of my caddis patterns. The first one has an olive thread base with some natural hares mask dubbing. The wing is a badger hackle.


This one has a orange thread base with hares mask dubbing and badger hackle. These differences are minor but you know how some trout are.


This fly uses a thread base, hares mask dubbing along with a few fibers of elk hair and badger hackle.


Here I have used both elk hair, with CDC.

These flies are tied in size 14, and 16 would be good also. I have tied caddis patterns in size 8 and 10 and they work very well. "Are you familiar with my BA Caddis"?







14 comments:

  1. What color badger hackle did you use?

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    1. RKM
      Thanks
      Kirk it's a cream hen neck, with some beautiful marking.

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  2. Once again you present models of simplicity. Beautiful.
    Years ago I found myself in the midst of a caddis hatch on the Grand River. Hundreds of browns sipping all around me and no black patterns in my box! Wont get fooled again.

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    1. thedeadfisher
      Thanks
      John when caddis are hatching it drives those trout nuts.
      Like you I'm never without them.

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  3. Bear with me if you would, Alan, being I am still learning the ropes on fly tying. Are those dry flies or emergers fished subsurface or in the surface film? Beautiful flies the likes of which I aspire to tie.

    Best Regards, Sam

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    Replies
    1. Parachute Adams
      Thanks
      Sam the bottom two are dry flies. The others are fished as emergers, but you could put floatant on the tippet near the eye of the hook and fish it in the surface film.

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  4. I am not familiar with a ba caddis.however when it comes to caddis I would say they encompass over 50 percent of my flies,my flies cover from the very bottom to the top and everything in between . I truely believe day in day out you can usually can get some sort of response on caddis fly.those ties are very nice , simple straight forward flies my kind of fly tying.

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    Replies
    1. Brad Basehore
      Thanks
      Brad,...http://smallstreamreflections.blogspot.com/2013/08/inspiration-and-my-pb-farmington-brook.html

      You can't go wrong with those caddis flies. Larger pressured rivers as well as small streams the trout respond well to them. Simplicity, it's a wonderful thing.

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  5. No matter the flavor, fish and fishermen love caddis.

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  6. Great patterns, Alan! That looks like an extremely fishy pattern.

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    Replies
    1. Justin Carf
      Thanks
      Justin I think they will like it.

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  7. Alan
    Great looking flies, do you fish these patterns subsurface as well as surface? In other words will these flies mimic a Soft Hackle? Thanks for sharing

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    Replies
    1. Bill Trussell
      Thanks
      Bill I do fish them both ways. They are best fished in the surface film.

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