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Cased Caddis Larva Patterns

4 Comments

16 Dec 2010 / Fly Tying

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:

Tags: Cased Caddis Larva, Fly Pattern, Fly Tying, The Dirftless Area, The Winona Fly Factory

Smethurst’s Under-Feather Midge

5 Comments

21 Nov 2010 / Fly Tying

U-F Midge (Biot Version) tied by the W.F.F.

I know it’s not a Caddis pattern but I needed a break the other day and was searching youtube for the usual fly fishing distraction when I came across a video from Frank Smethurst. He ties a midge pattern that peaked my interest. This thing has it all, it looks buggy as hell, it’s easy to tie, I’ve got all the materials and it has me pumped for the frozen tundra and midge season that’s coming soon. I love the use of the under-feather and it had me looking my hackle stash over for other varieties of under-feather, some of the smaller pheasant tail feathers around the rump contain excellent under-feather for this use. Most of your capes are going to have some of this under-feather on the larger hackle feathers. This is the only and best use I’ve seen for this material to date, the down side you ask? I’m now going to have a hard time tossing those “useless” feathers after I’ve used the palatable hackle, I’m sure in a few years I’ll have a box brimming with nothing but the butt ends of hackle feathers, a testament to my obsession. I hate waste and this fly is a great “waste material” fly. I looked through my waste pile of material trimmings and found enough spare materials off the bat to tie a half dozen.

Under-Feather Midge

Hook: #18-22 1X Short Scud Hook
Thread: Red 70 Denier UTC
Body: Stripped Peacock Herl
Wings: Pearl Krystal Flash
Thorax: Under-Feather

Another anti-waste aspect of this fly is the stripped peacock herl. After reading a post from Switter’sB a year or so ago I’ve used only the herl on left side of my peacock quills for the fullness leaving several quills with the right side fully intact, now I have a good reason to strip those lengths of herl down to form quill bodies. I know there are chemical methods to strip the fibers off the quill but I’m not one to jump to chemicals if I don’t have too. A bit of my time and fingernails did just fine stripping the quills clean. I should also note that I used Zap-A-Gap to coat the herl body ensuring longevity. Always wanting to try my own variations I also fooled around with two colors of goose biot bodies, I love the look of a biot body. Check the video out, I enjoyed it.

Slide Show

Tags: Fly Pattern, Fly Tying, Frank Smethurst, Midge, The Winona Fly Factory, Trout Flies, Under-Feather

The Black Wet Fly (BWF)

5 Comments

09 Jun 2010 / Fly Tying

Hook: Dai-Riki 075 #14
Thread: GSP 50 Deiner White
Bead: Craft Store Bead
Weight: 10 Turns of .15
Rib: SM Black Ultra Wire
Over Body: 12 Strands of Black Krystal Flash
Body: 85% Black/15% Peacock Ice Dub
Hackle: Black Saddle Hackle (Oversized)
Collar: Peacock Ice Dub

Begin the fly by crimping the barb, placing your bead and adding the turns of .15 weight. I prefer to prep a dozen hooks with the bead and weight before beginning, it will save you a bit of time. Begin the thread behind the bead, leave a gap between the weight and the bead so material can occupy this space later in the process. Secure the weight to the shank and work the tying thread to just past the hook barb. Tie in a stretch of SM Black Ultra Wire, then tie in 12-15 strands of Black Krystal Flash. In previous versions I have also incoporated 6 or so strands of peacock herl tied in after the flash and brought over the body then covered with the Krystal Flash. Prepare in advance a mixture of 85% Black and 15% Peacock Ice Dubbing, dub a “houseflyish” looking body, it can be a bit on the rounder side, this is supposed to imitate perhaps a drowned Black Fly, Beetle or other terrestrial that trout may be exposed to. Once the body is finished bring forward the strands of Krystal Flash and secure them to the top of the fly forming the overbody. Clip the excess Flash and wrap the Black Ultra wire forming the rib (3-4 Wraps), this keeps the fly strong so it is able to catch several fish before the body begins to disintegrate. Tie in the hackle feather and make 1-2 turns then tie off and clip the excess. To finish this fly I use a very small amount of Peacock Ice dubbing wrapped 3-4 times right behind the bead to force the hackle back a bit and to hide the tying thread. Whip finish and pull the thread tight behind the hook, this is why I use the GSP here. The strength of the thread allows me to pull it tight behind the bead without the thread breaking. This also keeps it safe from trout teeth so it does not need to be sealed with glue or head cement.

I was introduced to this fly through On The Fly Guiding, a local guide service that also provides helpful Driftless Area information including fly patterns for Southeast Minnesota. Hearing chatter of this productive pattern I had to tie my own, I put my usual spin on the situation and afterwards I had a very productive summer pattern at the end of my line. This fly imitates a drowned terrrestrial and during the summer months it can be particularly effective. Be prepared to have it hit right as it enters the water. Good luck.

Tags: Black Wet Fly, Driftless Area, Fly Pattern, Fly Tying, Terrestrial Patterns, The Winona Fly Factory, Trout Flies