Email Me by
clicking below

Hook: Dry Fly #8-#22
Thread: Match Body Color 6/0
Body: Usually Tan or Brown
Hackle: Match Body color
Wing: Elk or Deer Hair

Tying Instructions:
I will be telling how to tie the fly that is in the picture above but the colors can be varied for whatever you wish. This fly doesn't have a tail so start by tying on the tan hackle and leaving it stick out like its going be a tail. Then put on your dubbing using a preferred method that you like. I use superfine dubbing and just wrap it around the hook, it's a lot easier and faster to do it this way. Dub the body about 3/4 of the way up the hook shank. After you have applied the dubbing material wrap the hackle forward to this position and tie it off. It should be spaced out like on a griffith's gnat. Next you should trim the hackle to its desired length. The top of the hackle can be trimmed right down to the body of the fly if you want but I usually leave a little there. Usually I try and make it a little longer than where the barb is. Next get a pinch of elk hair. You can use deer hair like I have on mine. The hair must be hollow so that it will flare up. Tie on the hair at the front of the hook. The tricky part here is getting the right angle on your deer hair. It should flare up at about 45 degrees to the hook. Also make sure that your hair doesn't spin around on the hook, cause if it does after one fish you'll have to get out another one. Now tie off and apply a dab of glue.

Fly Information:
If I had to pick one dry fly to use on any random day, this would probably be it. This fly is very versatile. It floats well and can be seen very easily by the fisherman. Then main thing though, is this fly really works! I'm never caught out fishing without a few of these within reach. It can be tied in many different colors. I have some that are even black. Also the larger sizes can be used to imitate larger flies like the Stoneflies you see around here. If your in a pinch and don't happen to have any stoneflies with you.

Fly Story:
During the summer of 2002 I backpacked into a remote area in Colorado's Gunnison River Canyon. I hiked about 5 miles in and was fishing with a light elk hair caddis. The fish were rising pretty readily to the fly and I was catching a lot of them. However the biggest fish of the day took it in a riffle at the head of a very deep pool. He then went downstream into the pool and went very deep, and before I could get a handle on him he ran upstream into the ripple and the drag caused from all my line under the current snapped off the fly. This hole was right next to my campsite. So the next day I started fishing it again and hooked another very nice fish. This one tried to do the same thing, going deep and running upstream, but I was ready and didn't let him get to deep. After a long fight I got the nice brown in to find two elk hair caddis flies in him! He was the same fish that I had lost the day before. Only time I've ever retreived MY OWN fly from a fish after breaking him off.