A Word On Caddis

 

"No fly rod at any price is going to magically transform you into a Lefty Kreh or a Joan Wulff any more than a Stradivarius is going to turn your middle school violin student into Itzhak Perlman". - George Roberts, Tail Fly Fishing Magazine

I've never had much use for the color green when tying flies even when there are so many green caddis in rivers like the Millers, Ware and the EB. I used to grab a case caddis off of a rock and then break it open to see that brightly colored nymph and then just toss it back into the river.  I think it may be because of that bright green color.  It didn't look natural to me but that's my mistake. A few years ago I made the switch to green and that changed everything!

My favorite caddis is the American Grannom that appears by the millions in temperate freestones, like the rivers I just mentioned above, through the entire month of May. At the peak of the hatch it covers the streamside bushes but the real action  (for me) is the migration that this insect makes to get to out of the water.  Most of the trout I've caught using this pattern are taken right at the end of the drift and the hits are usually hard.

Deep Sparkle Pupa, Emergent Sparkle Pupa and the Grouse and Flash are time tested patterns for this insect's life stage. I'm not a big fan of these Sparkle patterns because I feel that the little ballon is unnecessary but many swear by the pattern so I give it a pass.

I saw four robins this morning. It's a start!!!

Ken

P.S. Recipe for the fly in the photo:

Hook - standard dry fly size 12 to 14

Body - bright green rabbit fur

Rib - one strand of micro flash palmered

Hackle - webby hen hackle dyed brown