Fly of the Month

Bob Ireton brings together his experience in fly fishing, aquatic entomology, and knowledge of fly tying techniques and materials, to design and tie durable and effective flies.

BobIreton.jpg (61461 bytes)


   Volume 4,  Issue 5                                                                     May 2003

ELK HAIR CADDIS

Fly, Text, and Photography by Bob Ireton

Caddis at rest hold their wings in a tent shape over bodies that are bulbous and lack tails. The first thoracic segment behind the head is narrow, creating a waist like effect between the head and the wings. Like larvae and pupae, the adults have no tails. They do, however, have long antennae. Their legs are generally long, somewhat strong, and often outsize. In quite a few cases, the legs are almost a dominant aspect of the insect.

Fly patterns reflect this shape in various ways. The famous Elk Hair Caddis style, originated by Dillon, Montana, tier Al Troth, uses palmered hackle to represent the legs, and elk or deer hair flared at the back and cut tight at the head to represent both the tent-shaped wing, and the head beyond its narrow neck. Because of the hackle and hair, the Elk Hair Caddis is one of the few dressing types that are imitative and also float very well. When the often sporadic availability of caddis adults is factored in, it's no accident that Troth's is one of the best searching-fly styles ever invented.

MATERIALS

Hook - TMC 100, Dai-Riki 300, Daiichi 1100, Mustad 94840, Orvis 1509, or equivalent
standard dry fly hook.
Size - 10-20.
Thread - Tan, 6/0 or 8/0.
Rib - Fine gold wire or tensile.
Body - Tan dry fly dubbing.
Hackle - Ginger dry fly hackle.
Wing - Light yearling Elk body hai

 

TYING STEPS

1 - Secure the hook properly in the vice, and pinch down barb, if desired. Lay on a thread base from behind the eye rearward, stopping at a point above the hook barb. Tie a half hitch. EHCaddis1.jpg (15337 bytes)

 

 

2 - Tie in a piece of the ribbing material above the hook barb, with the working end extending behind the hook bend. Tie a half hitch. Now select and prepare a nice dry fly hackle, and tie it in the same as the ribbing. Tie another half hitch.

 EHCaddis2.jpg (22243 bytes)

3 - With the working thread positioned over the hook barb, apply the dubbing to the thread in anticipation of forming the body.

 EHCaddis3.jpg (24483 bytes)
4 - Palmer the thread that has the dubbing forward, forming a nice body. Remember, you can add more dubbing to the thread much easier than you can remove it! Stop about two hook eye spaces behind the hook eye, and tie a half hitch. EHCaddis4.jpg (22037 bytes)

5 - Palmer the hackle forward, stopping at the end of the dubbing. Secure the hackle with several turns of thread, and trim the tag end of the hackle. Tie a half hitch.

 EHCaddis5.jpg (33038 bytes)
6 - Now carefully counter-wind the ribbing through the hackle, being careful to avoid mashing down the barbs of the hackle. Doing this will protect the fragile hackle feather from the teeth of the fish! Secure the ribbing, and cut off the tag end. Tie a half hitch. EHCaddis6.jpg (29477 bytes)
 

7 - Select a bunch of yearling Elk hair. For rougher water, use more hair, and for smooth water, use less. Cut the hair from the hide, and remove the underfur with a small comb, or your bodkin point. Put the hair into a stacker with the tips down, and align the tips of the hair by giving the stacker a few sharp raps on a hard surface. Carefully remove the hair from the stacker, and align the hair on top of the hook with the tips facing rearward, and the wing length at least the length of the entire hook, or slightly longer. Carefully attach the hair to the hook with a couple of soft loops. Pinch the hair flat, and tighten the soft loops. If all is looking well, continue to secure the hair with several harder loops. The trick here is to tie the thread as tightly as you can, without breaking it! If the thread does break, continue holding the hair in place, and reattach the thread. If all else fails, just remove the thread and hair till you arrive at that nice half hitch from the previous step. After successfully attaching the wing, tie a couple of half hitches. You can trim some of the tag end of the hair to make this part easier. Be careful not to trim too much, though.

 EHCaddis7.jpg (46533 bytes)
8 - Now carefully form the head by cutting the Elk hair at an angle. Tie a couple more half hitches, and a nice whip finish. Apply some head cement to the thread wraps.
 EHCaddis8.jpg (30365 bytes)

 

The Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Inc is a non-profit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, incorporated in the State of Ohio for the preservation, conservation and wise use of our fishing waters and game fish; and to assist in the protection and improvement of our natural resources