caddis

Bead Head Caddis Larva

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bead-head-caddis

This is a fast sinking, plump caddis larva imitation.  The bead can be just about any colour.  You’d be hard pressed to find a stream in Ontario that doesn’t have a healthy caddis population, so when you just can’t seem to find the right fly, toss one of these on and see if the action picks up a little.  Work the fly on bottom slowly in slower sections of the stream to imitate it crawling about.  Optionally, try high sticking this fly in pocket water and around rocks and submerged logs. [singlepic id=45 w=500 float=center] Hook size 12-16 scud hook Thread olive 6/0 Ribbing Clear UTC viny Body bright green fine dubbing Thorax peacock herl Head bead Side View [singlepic

High Riding Elk Hair Caddis – Hackled

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elk-hair-caddis

When caddis are skittering and flying about the streams surface, they tend to bounce around on top of the water.  I’ve noticed this tends to happen in areas where the water is flowing quite quickly.  Mimicking the behavior of caddis  at this stage in their lives, the egg laying stage can be a tough task.  The method I usually employ is skating the fly on the surface, and usually making quite the disturbance on the surface as well.  This is a good thing, as the caddis flies are doing the same thing.   Check out this article and video about skating dry flies. [singlepic id=43 w=500 float=center] Hook size 12 – 18 dry fly Thread brown 6/0 Body olive dry fly

Elk Hair Caddis – No Hackle

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no-hackle-elk-hair-caddis

Caddis are small moth-like insects that have two pairs wings. They are closely related to Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) which have scales on their wings, and the two orders together form the superorder Amphiesmenoptera. There are numerous species that occur in Ontario, but I tend to focus on three of the more dominant species. The Spotted Sedges (Hydropsyche), Speckled Sedges (Cheumatopsyche), and the Little Black Caddis (Chimarra). Early in the season, larval imitations of caddis are an important fly to fishers. Later in the season, when hatches are well underway and many species of fly are hatching and mating, caddis can be the best fly to tie on as there will almost always be trout sipping caddis off the surface.

Shellback Caddis Pupa

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shellback

Caddis species are extremely abundant in Ontario. The larval stage is easy to mimick simply with bright green dubbing or yarn. * Hook 18-22 dry fly * Thread olive 8/0 * Tail squirrel tail * Body olive dry fly dub * Rib thread slightly lighter than the body * Wing Post white poly yarn * Hackle dry fly