We will need curved shank scud or caddis hook and a brass or tunsten bead.
Today I will be using Risen's 2457 hook in size 12,
and their black nickel 3.25mm sized tunsten bead.
The easiest way to put the bead on the hook is
to leave the bead in your hand and bring the hook point to it.
Place the bead and hook securely in your vice.
For thread I really like this Veevus 6/0 in light olive.
Start your thread directly behind the bead and then snip or break off the thread.
Then form a bit of a thread bump behind the bead to help stabilize it.
See the bead will not move now.
To make the next steps easier, I like to angle the hook down a bit.
For the tail, this requires 2-3 peacock hurls. For this size fly Im using 3.
Place the hurls together and then snip off the fragile tips.
Tie these in directly on top of the hook with the tips extending to just shy of the bead.
Make 3-4 tight wraps to secure it.
Now we need some clear mono or fluorocarbon.
I always have a few old spools lying around that I use for this type of application.
Snip off a fair amount of line to give yourself
some room to work with. This should tie a dozen or so of these flies.
Tie this in on the side of the hook with 3-4 tight wraps as well.
Now for some crystal flash in Pearl. One strand should tie about a half dozen of these flies.
Tie this on side of the hook as well. Note the flash and mono extend up to about the same
as the peacock hurl. This will insure a smooth tapered body.
Anyway, tie down all 3 sets of materials deep into the bend of the hook, and then come back up all
the way to the bead with touching wraps, insuring to keep the body as smooth as possible.
Now we need some dubbing. Rabbit dubbing is what you will want. You could use any color here,
but the original was this light olive color. Caddis however do come in tan
and darker olive colors as well so use what you find works best for your local hatches.
Anyway, im using the light olive today.
Pull out a fair amount of this dubbing as we will want a fairly thick and tapered body.
But separate it into smaller pieces to start the dubbing noodle.
Ok so lets dub a thin noodle onto our thread to start,
then as you go down the noodle you can add more and more dubbing to make this fairly tapered.
Lets start wrapping up the hook shank insuring to get an even and tapered abdomen on this fly.
You want this dubbed on fairly tight, but having a few guard hares sticking
out isn't a bad thing either as these caddis tend to be a bit hairy looking.
Add ore dubbing if you have to, but end with a very small space behind the bead.
Now start wrapping the flash to create a rib on this fly. You want each wrap separated fairly
wide from the previous here. Maybe a total of 5 wraps up the hook shank for this size fly will do.
Capture the flash when you reach the bead and trim off the waste.
Now we need some 1/8" scud back. The original was in the summer duck color,
which I highly recommend. However you can experiment with other colors as well.
Anyway a piece about this long should tie a half dozen to 10 or so of these flies.
Tie this in directly on top of the hook shank.
Now I like to start making a half turn with the mono,
then pull the scud back rearward tight to stretch it slightly before wrapping over
the scud back with the mono, insuring the mono follows the path of the flash.
Now the scud back will want to rotate slightly
so make sure you position it properly on the hook where you want it. Insure
the tail section isn't angling weird, and the top is directly on top as well.
Then proceed to make tight wraps up the hook shank following the crystal flash wraps.
When you reach the bead then capture the mono. Mono is slippery though so I like making a wrap
over it, then in front, then over it again and in front again which should help to lock it in tight.
Then cut off the waste mono.
Now is a good time to cut off the scud back. You could make a flat cut
like so, however I like making a sort of triangle on the back
which I feel looks better. This is up to you. Either way leave a small tag off the back.
Also cut the tail to your desired length. Personally I feel I cut this too long,
I like the tails a bit shorter. But its up to you.
Now to put a collar on this fly.
Peacock dubbing is the ticket here. Today Im using Diamond Bright in peacock color.
Make a fairly tight and thin noodle on your thread.
Then start wrapping the collar hiding thread wraps and waste ends of materials.
Once your happy with the collar, then whip finish directly behind the bead and seat the knot tight.
This should seat up under the bead if done properly and help keep it hidden under the collar.
For added security lets cement the fly. I love this Solarez Ultra Thin. Just paint some on the
whip finish and then cure it with your UV light. And there we have it the fly is now finished.
This fly was created by Lance Egan to imitate caddis larvae. He says the contrasting color
back with the green underbody doesn't necessarily imitate the caddis, however it does seem to make
the fish strike more. I personally would have to agree with him as this color combo has worked
really well for me. However get creative and try a few different colors for yourself if you want.
Let me know in the comment section if you have
tried this fly pattern before and how it has worked for you.