Dry fly hackle, light or dark to match the natural. While my goods can be found here in the store, it is my plan to develop this site as a resource for all of your fly tying needs. Make a couple more turns of tying thread to secure the wing. I cannot keep the hair for the upper wing from flaring andor spinning around the hook. The original elk hair caddis is a pattern that has stood the test of time. One of garys flies, the sparkle pupa, mimics a caddisfly migrating from the bottom of a stream or pond to the surface. Al troth originally designed this fly in the 1950s in pennsylvannia. Dries are more proportion dependent than nymphs as the proportions affect the way the fly sits on the water. The elk hair caddis is for fishing on the surface and is productive in new hampshire waters and around the world. For example, i was tying up a little black caddis to match a hatch on a local creek. Deer hair or elk hair can usually be obtained by a hunter friend. When tying these flies, only use dryflyquality cock hackle, except where noted. Its hard not to like a completely free e book with detailed descriptions on how how to tie 12 and them some different variations of the humpy.
The name recognizes its forebearthe elk hair caddis though deer hair, not elk, is generally used for the wing. The cards are color coded based on the style of the fly dry, wet, nymph. Lafontaine set a new standard for writing about fly tying and fishing. The list of fly patterns in existence today knows no limit, but two of my chosen ones are the elk hair caddis below and the boulder bend facing page. Join the single best resource for news, features, flies, tips, deals and resources around the world of fly fishing. His book entitled learning from the waters is a great read. We have dry flies, nymphs, bead heads, and streamers.
Some versions of the sparkle pupa are weighted and designed to. Troth created the pattern and first fished it in 1957 on loyalsock creek in eastern pennsylvania. Lance dean of fishbaits fly box ties the elk hair caddis. The elk hair caddis is considered a searching type pattern as it resembles the general form of adult caddisflies or small stoneflies. We will combine the shipping on multiple purchases to the same address. It uses a dry fly hook with a dubbed and palmered hackle body and elk hair as the wing which aids in its buoyancy.
We offer a selection of caddis patterns with a western water focus and include many of our local and custom caddis fly patterns to enhance angler. The one thing i noticed about the caddis flies i caught was that the body is a lot shorter than how its tied on both the elk hair caddis and the cdc and elk. The overall diameter of the hair is bigger than both the bull and yearling hair, and i find this hair a bit large to use on smaller flies. Ryan started tying this caddis fly pattern a couple of years ago after seeing something like it in wyoming. To name just a few caddis dry fly would be going out on a limb. For decades, the standard by which all caddisfly patterns have been judged has been al troths elkhair caddis, which first came to the flyfishing publics attention in a 1978 article in fly tyer but which troth had been tying for some years.
Elk hair caddis tying instructions fly tying guide. Learn to tie the elk hair caddis with master fly tier charlie craven. Shane stalcups elk hair caddis tied with cdc, giving it lots of movement and floatslikeacork properties. Tie it with the body color to match the caddisflies on your stream. Its a high floater with a very visible profile from above and below the surface. Floats extremely well in rough water, durable, and deadly. This is because the caddis flies so erratic, it makes the elk hair fool proof. The elk hair caddis is a bushy fly, and the tan elk hair wing makes it quite visible. The global flyfisher does not make any money from these links or purchases.
It sometimes entices a strike if you dance it across the water. The elk hair caddis is a dry fly resembling an adult caddis. Skues little red sedge fly which featured a hair wing. Finally, a size 18 will tie ants and griffiths gnats. All in which should be on hand when caddis fly fishing is. The standard elk hair caddis is often the first choice of western fly fishermen when theyre trying to pick a fish off with a surface fly. Cow elk can be used on patterns like the elk hair caddis, stimulator, and the humpy and produces tough, durable flies with a darker tone than if you tied them with yearling elk hair. Al troth, the designer of the elkhair caddis, debuted this pattern in the pages of this magazine in the 1970s. Elk hair caddis black is buoyant, visible, and fishy one of those fishing flies every angler should have in a variety of sizes and colors.
Best caddis fly patterns caddis emergers caddis nymphs. Use fly patterns with cdc feathers fly fishing and fly tying. The fly was inspired by several palmered flies troth like to fish and g. This section contains a wide range of dry fly tying videos and instructions showcasing some great dry fly patterns. You can support the global flyfisher directly here, if you feel like it. Dry flies for spring fly fishing 2 guys and a river. Change colors of materials to match all the caddisflies living on your favorite waters. Premium discount fishing flies hand tied by our own tiers since 2004. Substitute a couple of cdc feathers for the elk hair and create a lowrider caddis. Hydropsyche larva when i first laid my eyes on oliver edwards book flytyers masterclass my life changed. Elk hair caddis another one of the most popular dry flies for trout is al troths elk hair caddis. This set of 50 collectible fly tying pattern trading cards features clear color photos, recipes, tying and presentation tips, historical information, and information about the natural insects imitated by these fly patterns.
Still holding the hair in place, change hands and make two loose turns of tying thread around the head of the fly, and pull tight. If you love fly fishing and want to save money by making your own flies, start with a caddis fly. Widegap dry fly hook here, a daiichi 1100, sizes 1018. You can now trim of the surplus elk hair butt ends to make that distinctive ehc head. I received a copy of gary lafontaines important book, caddisflies. The elk hair caddis brings us into the world of dry flies. In the article, troth claimed that he had set out to. In the article, troth claimed that he had set out to develop a wet fly for his pennsylvania streams, but his design ended up floating so well that. Please notice that some of the links in the video descriptions may be affiliate, which means that they can link to web shops, which pay the video producer a commission also known as affiliate revenue when a viewer clicks a link and buys a product. The body is usually about half the length of the entire fly, give or take a mm.
Hairs with a thick wall and little inside diameter, like moose and elk hock, flare very little or not at all and are great for tailing dry flies because they are. You can solve this problem can be solved by tying or buying an elk hair caddis with some red or pink fibers on top of the elk hair wing. Fly name hook 1020 thread black wings elk hair tails none body dubbing fine wire hackle brown attach thread and wind the base. With a similar look to the elk hair caddis, and only slightly more difficult to tie, i recommend trying out your skills on this one. Greetings to all, i am having a problem tying caddis flies. This is probably the most well known caddis pattern in existence, and rightly so. The ehc elk hair caddis can be tied with many variations of color, ie tan, black, brown. Shop for products in the fly fishing trout flies caddis flies catagory at the fly shack. The elk hair caddis is a fantastic dry fly that is extremely effective for rising trout. Widegap dryfly hook here, a daiichi 1100, sizes 1018. Browse through the videos, choose a dry fly pattern and click for detailed, stepbystep video fly tying instructions. Pheasant tail, prince nymph, copper john, woolly bugger, elk hair caddis, stimulator, adams, rusty spinner, parachute bluewinged olive, x comparadun, royal wulff, humpy, and goddard caddis.
Ec caddis emergent cripple during this fly tying tutorial, i tie the ec caddis emergent cripple created by. He brought the fly with him to montana where he was guiding and it became popular due to its simplicity, effectiveness and adaptation. Flies direct elk hare caddis brown assortment 1 dozen trout fishing flies. This classic caddis pattern is from the tying bench of well know american fly tyer al troth. This high floating caddis is easy to tie and the fish love it. This is possibly the best caddis fly pattern for grayling and trout fishing around the world. Caddis flies can vary from the adult version down to the emerger and beyond. Keep various colors too black, tan, and olive are most common. The classic elk hair caddis is a fast and easy fly totye that uses only two materials.
In many parts of the country, mayfly hatches are dwindling, and midsummer means caddisflies. Tan is a good all around body color for most caddis in our are. If you follow the site regularly, you will find articles, tying tips, instructions, fly recipes, and even video clips. The flies he ties are beautiful and tested against some of the pickiest trout on.
It is my hope that this website will prove to be more than just a place to promote my products and services. Thread, grey uni 80 body, life cycle 149 muskrat grey and roe belly deer hailr wing, elk hair thorax, life cycle 149 muskrat and the. Fly fishing trout flies caddis flies the fly shack fly. One of the most traditional of dry flies, the elk hair caddis is a very productive pattern for both streams and still water. The only problem is that it doesnt stand out among dozens of other caddisflies on the surface of the water. Simple, easy to follow instructions and professionally shot video make this a must view.
I wont go into the history, but he uses cdc in many of his flies. Trout flies, caddis flies, elk hair caddis, discount flies. Caddis imitations are critical ingredients to fly anglers arsenals. The main focus of those patterns would be for trout on streams and small rivers and there are some. Remembering al troth, inventor of the elkhair caddis. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. The ehc as it is also known is one of the best adult caddis patterns that you could use.
The materials and construction of the bug are critical to its performance. I have tried putting a loop of thread around the bundle before securing it to the hook, no luck. The best caddis dry fly patterns range from the allknowing, elk hair caddis, to the ec caddis, to the parachute caddis. Trim a notch in the hackle along the top to allow the wing to nestle among the hackle barbs. In this tying tips segment, kelly will show you how to set a proper elk hair caddis wing that will float your flies more efficiently. A size 14 hook can make pheasant tails, beetles, hares ears and elk hair caddis. Ive never bought pheasant feathers or rabbit fur, i just find an occasional road kill.
I have tried holding the hair until my fingers got t. Introduction to fly tying with greg vinci will guide beginners through the learning process of creating wooly buggers, pheasant tails, elk hair caddis, rock worms, adams, and. It is simple yet effective and imitates a number of adult caddis flies. It was a real eyeopener to me on what could be achieved with. Spent or dead caddis dryfly by davie mcphail materials used.