Wet fly, sizes 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Abdomen: Light brown fine synthetic dubbing and brown deer hair mixed. After dubbing and winding down the shank, the hair/fur is clipped to give a caddis case shape.
Thorax: A little light yellow deer hair, dubbed, wound and trimmed.
Hackle: Sparse, black henny-cock.
DEER HAIR CASED CADDIS
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–12.
Thread: Black or brown.
Body: Roughly chopped and dubbed brown deer hair, suggesting a case of bits of fine twig and detritus.
Rib: Yellow thread.
Thorax: A little yellow fur to suggest a ‘peeping’ caddis.
Hackle: Black hen.
This is a modification of Paul Young’s STRAWMAN CADDIS.
The following are New Zealand patterns and feature in Keith Draper’s Trout Flies in New Zealand. The first is a splendid fly for rivers and lakes throughout the world.
HORN CADDIS
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–14.
Thread: Black.
Body: Grey darning wool.
Rib: Fine silver wire.
Thorax: White wool.
Legs: Few grizzle hackle fibres.
BRAGG’S CADDIS LARVA
Hook: Curved grub/sedge, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Yellow.
Body: Golden-yellow floss.
Rib: Fluorescent yellow floss.
Hackle: Ginger hen.
This matches the caddis larva Olinga feredayi.
Many attempts have been made to create cased caddis with the real materials that caddis use in the construction of their cases, such as bits of twig, sand and pebbles. The only problem is that the resultant flies can sometimes be a bit too heavy to cast unless a meaty rod and line are used.
SAND CASED CADDIS
Hook: Nymph or streamer, size 10.
Thread: Black.
Underbody: Cream wool or floss.
Body: Sand. Soak the underbody with Superglue and cover with dry sand. Leave to set before continuing.
Thorax: The front of the underbody showing.
Hackle: Black hen.
The TWIG CASED CADDIS is dressed in exactly the same way, using bits of dry twig and leaf.
INNES STICK CADDIS
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Yellow.
Tail and body: Mix of synthetic furs (e.g. BMS, Antron, SLF) or seal’s fur: 20 per cent of each of yellow, olive and orange; and 40 per cent dark brown.
Head: Tying thread.
Devised by Rick Innes of Melbourne, and useful on both lakes and rivers.
BLACK & PEACOCK CADDIS
Hook: Nymph or long shank, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Black.
Case: Peacock herl.
Rib: Fine silver or gold wire.
Legs: 2 turns black hen hackle.
Head: Black thread.
This is really a long shanked version of the BLACK & PEACOCK SPIDER (see here), and exploits the magic appear that peacock herl has to trout. When tied with a short thorax of fluorescent green, yellow or orange floss or wool, this is known as the STICK FLY. This variation is especially effective for Arctic char in northern lakes (e.g. Arctic Canada, Greenland, Iceland).
CASELESS CASED CADDIS LARVA
Hook: Curved grub or shrimp hook, sizes 8–16.
Thread: Black.
Body: Cream wool or dubbed fur over the rear two-thirds, with blackbrown wool or fur over the front third.
NOTE: Poul Jorgensen, who invented this pattern, often gave the cream part of the body an overbody of natural latex, to suggest segmentation. ‘It’s not really needed’, he said. In any case, latex tends to rot after a while, especially in a warm, humid fly box.
CASELESS CADDIS LARVAE
During a flood, when boulders are being carried downstream, some caddis lose their cases as they are swept away. Autopsies suggest that trout look out for these
