Caddis

[PennsCreek]

I have been tying up some caddis flies and have a question. I have tied only elk hair caddis in brown, black and tan and am going to do green soon. With the brown and black I have used brown and black elk hair, so should I be tying them with the light elk hair also. I guess it would give them some more contrast. I was going to tie the green caddis with green body, ginger or brown hackle and light elk hair.

 

[Maurice]

For me, the EHC is a high floating, skittering fly. I rarely use them in flat still water unless I am skittering it. So I don't put alot of stock in the hair color.

If I am dead drifting a caddis, I like it to be a cdc to get the body closer to the surface film. Caddis rarely sit still on the water so a dead drift caddis is a dead caddis.

Tie them in a hair color you can see on the water.

As for the naturals. Black caddis have a dark grey wing, grteens have a light grey wing and tan caddis have a lt tan wing. Cinnamon (october caddis) have a medium tan, at least on my stream.

 

[dryflyguy]

I tie 2 green bodied caddis, that have quite different appearances.
One is the large apple green one - which is actually in the grannom family, Brachycentrus - and hatches in late April on the north central freestone streams, and the Delaware river. It is large - #14 hook, - with a very light, cream colored wing. I use light green dubbing for the body, bleached deer hair for the wing, and cream hackle.

The other green caddis - Rhyocaphila - hatches on the limestone streams, beginning in early to mid May, and goes right thru the summer. It's smaller - #16. I use dark olive gray dubbing for the body. grayish brown deer hair for wing, and brown hackle