Caddis

[littlelehigh]

Jay always starts these thread on different hatches and I think we really get a lot of good input and information on the bugs. That being said Caddis are out in full force on my local waters and although I have been having success on the cdc caddis and walt's worms I was looking for other options when the fish refuse those.

Currently I only carry the CDC and standard EHC but what patterns am I missing for those picky fish. I do own LaFontaine's Caddisflies but honestly it is a real dry read I just can't seem to finish it. I do like his emerger pattern but only ever seeing black, tan, and green caddis on the water I am unsure what body and antron shuck color to use to best imitate these 3 colors.

Any info on any phase of the caddis hatch would be greatly appreciated and if your not sure where to fish this weekend and are looking for some dry fly action checkout the FFO or ATW sections of the Little Lehigh it's been a fantastic week there. But don't ask the shop owner he'll tell ya to use sucker spawn :-D

 

[skiltonian]

for faster water, I like a henrysville caddis or tent-wing caddis.
for slower water, I like the x-caddis (same thing as elk hair pattern without the hackle around the body) and angle the wing more so the body sits lower.

 

[MKern]

For dries hackle tips and tent wings are good looking patterns.

I don't fish a ton of caddis dries, but a simple dubbed body (color of choice) hackle (to match) and a turkey tail folded over the fly for a wing looks pretty good.

You may have to trim the hackle on the top so the wing lays flat.

You could also substitute the body with foam.


BTW, I'm more aof a caddis larva, pupa, or egg depositer guy. Under the water works for me.

 

[Wmass]

I am a really big fan of elk hair caddis, CDC caddis, and Goddard caddis. I probably have about ten patterns in various sizes in my fly box but I really stick to the above three most of the time. I have tried other patterns but unless the fish are really finicky then these work fine.

Goddard caddis tend to be my "go to" fly when the others are not working or if the water is fast and I am having trouble floating the flies. I find the spun deer hair body floats really well and give the silhouete of a nice caddis wing. CDC caddis also can slay them and something about that fly and giving it a little twitch now and then can drive fish nuts.

 

[osprey]

I like the synthetics for caddis wings , z-lon in particular , on the real small ones 22 and down the synthetics are easier to tie and for these old eyes to see , couple shakes in dessicant powder brings them back to life after a good sliming , z-lon seems to be the most durable material for caddis wings too. I still tie other type wings for caddis , elk hair , deer hair , hackle tips etc. but my favorite is z-lon.

 

[blueheron]

The Henryville plain outperforms in the waters I fish. The trailing shuck is tan z-lon , almost exactly.

 

[troutslammer]

henryville or tent wing works better on slow water for me and elk hair in the fast water , the tent wings don't float well in fast water

 

[flipnfly]

since the subject has arisen every time i try to tie a tent wing or down wing caddis they always land on their sides how can i fix it?

 

[jayL]

I only really fish cdc and elks these days. It works for emergent, adult, and ovipositing caddis. The fish seem to mostly disregard body color with them, which I found odd.

I tie them with tan, gray, yellow, and black cdc. If I can ever find some green cdc, I will use that as well.

Speaking of hatch threads, I was just about to start a march brown thread...

 

[MKern]

flip,

The easiest fix would be to trim the hackle on the bottom.
Probably make it look a little more realistic too.

 

[troutslammer]

flip , make sure your wings are equal size too , make sure your palmered hackle doesn't stick way down past the hook tip too . i put a little dubbing ball upfront to kinda keep the wing spread out a little so it isn't just a hook with wings on the sides of it , the fish can actually see the dubbing color from underneath

 

[bkasten]

I just tied up some flies that are sort of a mix between CDC and X-Caddis. Its basically an X-Caddis with a CDC underwing. Fished a size 16 in tan last Saturday on Valley and did very well. I think it was a lot easier to see than either a plain X-Caddis or a CDC.

 

[jerseygeorge]

Speaking of Caddis:

I tried to take a photo that would show how many Caddis were in the air, and on the water this week. Blizzard does not begin to describe what we witnessed! Start tying those bugs....

JG

 

[JKnPA]

I have a question on the behavior of 'egg-laying' caddis! I thought I would post it here instead of a new thread elsewhere.
The caddis( that I see on my home stream) all seem to 'dab the surface' when egg-laying. The larva I find on the rocks are all 'turtle-shell' case like; so I conclude they are 'Glossasoma', namely tan caddis( general speaking).
In 'Caddisflies', La Fontaine states 'Glossasoma' dive underwater to lay their eggs. @ pg.225
I friend (biologist, not an entomologist though) says there are 'grannons' on this stream, which according to LaFontaine, do drop their eggs on the surface. however I have never found any larva cases that fit the looks of a grannom caddis.
My question is: are these Glossasoma caddis I see, or are they Brachycentrus (grannoms) ??? They both have tan or olive bodies and mottled tan wings; about 8-10mm in lenth.
This is a nice site, I just registered.
Best wishes,
JK.

 

[Alpabuck]

JG is that the wall up from Lordville on the main steam?

 

[troutslammer]

brachycentrus amercanus (american grannom ) swim to the bottom to lay their eggs , tan caddis dip in the water to deposit them , the grannoms are a dark almost black , or real dark olive and alot of them have a green ball near the butt end (eggs)

 

[sandfly]

elk hair here for skittering, and the henryville for SE Pa. for sure. can't beat it down there.

 

[JKnPA]

troutslammer wrote:
brachycentrus amercanus (american grannom ) swim to the bottom to lay their eggs , tan caddis dip in the water to deposit them , the grannoms are a dark almost black , or real dark olive and alot of them have a green ball near the butt end (eggs)

TS,
Thanks for the reply.
I can't prove that these are 'tan caddis', but that is what I have concluded. La Fotaine's book ,'Caddisflies', is very detailed and he did a lot of research on Caddis.
He states that Brachycentrus : "females either swim underwater, or flop on the surface and release a ball of eggs" @pg.220
He states that Glossasoma: " females dive under the surface and paste their eggs in the rocks". @ pg.225
I guess its possible both insects could be on the water at the same time, but I haven't seen any caddis with green egg sacks yet.
Jk.

 

[afishinado]

Interesting. Below are cases for both. No photos, but Glossosoma are smaller dark.black caddis (Little Black Short Horned Sedges). Maybe Hydropsyche (Spotted Sedge) aka Tan Caddis instead.

http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/1751/Caddisfly-Brachycentrus-Grannoms

Read comments in the link.

http://www.troutnut.com/topic/1354


http://www.troutnut.com/common-name/339/Spotted-Sedges

 

[troutslammer]

u might see grannoms still now , u might see bright green caddis , u might see tan caddis , all species all present right now on a stream i fish alot along with crane flys and a few hendricksons , things get a little complicated u have to catch the bug that is most abundant and look at the body , they all fly like a caddis but very greatly in color especially to the trout