Cream Caddis Pupa

• Hook: #16-18 1x Short Scud
• Thread: 50 Denier White GSP
• Body: Cream Yarn
• Legs: Partridge
• Thorax: Brown Ostrich Herl
• Head: Black Bead

Nothing to brag about here, just taking my materials and using them to create a traditional pupa pattern. I twisted a peice of craft yarn very tightly before palmering it forward. The legs are partridge and are applied by notching a V in the end of the feather and placing each side of the V on either side of the hook and tying it in. To finish the fly tie in a stretch of brown/grey/black ostrich herl and wrap it forward making sure to brush the fibers back as you wrap forward, tie off and whip finish. Below(left) is an example of the same fly without twisting the yarn before palmering it forward. The other image is of the finished product the way a trout would see it, wet. Sometimes we forget to think about it as the trout see it. Wet. Get your flies wet. Look at them in a large glass of water, tie a stretch of tippet to it, what moves? What doesnt? How does the water change the color? Are air bubbles trapped? Things to think about.

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Bodyglass Caddis Pupa

• Hook: #16-18 1x Short Scud
• Thread: Varies for the Body Color
• Underbody: Thread/Sulky Thread
• Overbody: Clear Stretch Cord
• Legs: Partridge
• Thorax: Natural Dubbing
• Head: Black Glass Bead

The pattern I tied this from can be viewed here. Thanks to Switter’s B I am exposed to a large variety of tiers that keep the creative juices flowing. Lucian Vasies tied the fly that I took inspiration from before sitting down at the vise to tie these flies. I did change a few things, I didn’t use ostrich herl for the the thorax and I tried different materials for an underbody with these flies. The fly pictured above uses Tan tying thread to form the underbody and clear stretch cord to form the overbody. You can use stretch tubing but you won’t get the exact same result because stretch tubing contains a hollow center useful for some applications but if used here would lay flatter rather than the nice round looking humps. I also experiemented with Sulky thread for an underbody, on some of the patterns I left the Partridge legs out and went with more of a “shroud” of loose synthetic dubbing that I picked out with an old dental pick I’ve filed down to a sharp point (a favorite tool of mine).

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The W.F.F. CDC Midge Pupa

• Hook: #20-22 2x Short Scud
• Thread: 70 Denier (Olive Shown)
• Underbody: Thread
• Gills: 1/2 CDC Puff
• Thorax: Natural Dubbing
• Overbody: .5mm Stretch Cord

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Caddis Green Dubbing
• Legs: Black Hen Hackle
• Head: Black Thread

I tied a bunch of these attempting to imitate the various Caddis larva found in our Driftless Area streams. The hen hackle that forms the case was palmered very tightly/thickly. The hackle is then trimmed to shape, here I attempted to create a square case, nature is difficult to imitate. After the fly was finished I colored the case with Bic Mark-It Permanent Markers to match similar colors found on stream.

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva (Variant)

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: SM Silver Ultra Wire
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Green Ultra Chenille
• Head: Burnt Chenille

The only change with this pattern from the one above is something I’ve seen done many times before, simply adding a small section of Green Ultra Chenille after the rib has been counter wrapped and tied off to form the larva body. The head is formed by lightly singeing the end with a lighter, be careful not to burn too much of the chenille. I also lifted the chenille up and tied my thread off underneath giving it a permanent lift and clearing the hook eye at the same time.

Peeping Cased Caddis Larva (Beaded Variant)

• Hook: Mustad 37160 #16-20
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: SM Copper Ultra Wire
• Case: Brown Hen Soft-Hackle
• Body: Olive Beads
• Legs: Black Hen Hackle Fibers
• Head: Black Thread

We have a wide variation in the size, shape, and color of the cased caddis larva that inhabit our waters as with most streams. This is an attempt to imitate some of the larger fatter curved cased caddis larva that I find frequently on some of our streams. I used Olive colored beads for the body of the peeping larva and although I’m not confident the color choice was correct (I will be taking samples and finding out the proper color for the larva in the coming months) I do think this will catch trout. The case is formed again by palmering hackle then trimming it to shape afterwards. I love the Mustad 37160 and felt the amount of curve I wanted would not come from a standard scud hook so I turned to my stash of 37160′s to do the job, this hook rocks.

Cased Caddis Larva

• Hook: #12-20 Nymph
• Thread: 70 Denier Black
• Rib: Pearl Krystal Flash
• Case: Cream Hen Soft-Hackle
• Head: Black Thread

This pattern was left un-colored for assessment later on stream. I’ll carry a few markers with me and make a color choice when in the field and adjust this fly accordingly. I used flash rather than wire for a rib simply for variation, the wire will likely hold up longer but I’ll loose the fly for some unforeseen reason long before the flash rib breaks. Keeping it simple I left out the peeping portion of the caddis, they are not always sticking out of the cases and in fact most cased specie of caddis seal themselves inside the case during the initial phase of pupating.

Others:

For me the difficult part about Caddisflies as they relate to trout is determining what is going on. Seems kind of “duh” but it breaks down something like this. On stream, splashy rise, see a few adult caddis fluttering around, maybe catch one match the size/shape/color as best I can but that’s when things fall apart. Sure I can throw on any number of adult dries that might meet most requirements but the complexity of the Caddis makes further choices difficult. When that adult pattern doesn’t produce a rise no matter how it is presented something else must be determined. Which specie? What does the larva look like? What kind of pupa should I try? Perhaps that splashy rise came as a result of a pupating caddis attempting to make a break for freedom and not the adult I see fluttering around. My goal here is to not become an expert on Caddisflies (I’m not going scuba diving in my favorite hole like La Fontaine) but rather to be able to make a few educated guesses. So where to begin? Well I know where, it’s sitting at home on a shelf next to some of my favorite texts and you can view it here. I am fortunate to have a bound copy and glad to own it.

The Guide to Aquatic Invertebrates of the Upper Midwest. You know your a bug nerd when you are excited to have this on your bookshelf, that or your in classes at the U of M to become an entomologist. So you get your hands on a copy of this beast. Now you have to decipher it, this can be challenging. Any number of terms that I have to look at twice just to pronounce make all the difference in the world of the caddis fly, especially when it comes to identifying the larval specimens. The U of M and a few other Universities have good aquatic insect identification tools. I point to the U of M’s Aquatic Insect Interactive Verification Program because it is meant to work in tandem with the guide book listed above. A second online identification resource comes from North Dakota with great images and explanations of all the complex terms that make up invertebrate identification. Collecting a few specimens, toting them home then using the verification program will help narrow the field with which I can look to the guide for further specific identification.

Out in the feild it becomes quickly apparent that the ratio of Caddisfly larva to say Mayfly larva is drastically skewed towards the Caddis just flip over a rock or shake a few weeds. Combine that information with the fact that fisheries biologists working for the DNR in our region can point to scientific research stating that the spring fed creeks we have here are so packed with trout food of all kinds that the need to feed on drifting insects diminishes with the age/size of an adult Brown trout. That is not to say they don’t feed on drifting invertebrates but rather they have a choice and the larger fish may be choosing to pick those millions of rocks packed with millions of cased caddisfly larva as an easier meal than waiting for the occasional drifting food item. That thought has me concentrating on the caddisfly larva, attempting to imitate the larval forms and use the indentification guide to hopefully gain a better grasp of which larval forms will transition to which pupal and adult forms.

I’ve spent a bit more time at my vise as of late, getting a few patterns tied in several sizes for the upcoming season. Now the RAM Caddis I’ve tied up here will probably not be my 1st choice when my snow boots hit the powder come January 1st (the opening of Winter Catch and Release Season for Trout in Minnesota) it will, however get some face time with the fish in the coming months and even more when the weather warms. This fly originated as a successful pattern on the Madison river in Montana and I plan to prove it is equally as effective here on the Driftless streams of Southeast Minnesota.

Pursuing Caddis patterns of all kinds I decided a semi-traditionally tied RAM Caddis would serve me well next season. This version is a fairly simple tie with a dubbed body, copper rib and the head made of black dubbing and in this case aided with a small black bead. The only tricky part on this fly is the hackle collar but once you get the hang of it this fly can really look slick. PlanetTrout dropped the RAM Caddis on me a while back and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. On my “To Get” list of materials is purple and wine red thread, this pattern is described as very successful with a purple or red thread head.

On a side note (un-related to tying) I am ready to get to it. It has been calling me since the leaves left us several weeks ago. Winter-Season, the snow, the hiking, the clear water, ice shelves (in some cases), ice in the guides (most cases in January), everything that is the winter season. I want it all. I stick to a fairly strict rule about winter fishing in the coldest of months, stay warm, stay closer to the car, go during the height of the day from 10am-2pm and go slow, accept that winter trout fishing isn’t easy and may result in cold fingers, toes and other extremities but that it can be oh so awesome.