Egg Laying Caddis
Fly of the Month
Apparently, caddisflies or sedges may have been put on the planet to illustrate the diversity of Mother Nature. With 22 caddis families and 1,400 species in North America this complex and diverse order is unique with a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and most importantly behaviors. All capable of driving fly fishers crazy. Egg laying adults diving beneath the surface, pupa emerging in a variety of manners and larva that crawl, swim or drift are just some of the caddis behaviors. On running waters, caddisflies outnumber stoneflies and mayflies combined. Belonging to the order Trichoptera, literal translation-hair winged, caddis are distant cousins to the recognizable moths and butterflies. At first glance caddis adults, with their 4 tent like wings, and long antennae can easily be confused with these terrestrial cousins, especially when fluttering about.
Diving [Egg Laying] Caddis
Once emerged, most adult caddis fly-off to shoreline vegetation to mate. Some species, particularly those inhabiting still waters scamper and scurry prior to flight leaving speedboat wakes for trout to home in on. Adult caddis seldom ventures far from their natal waters and are capable of surviving weeks after emergence as they can ingest liquids. Caddis returning to the surface for a drink can be easily mistaken for a hatch. Be sure to check for pupal shucks for hatch confirmation.
After mating egg laden females return to the water completing their life-cycle. Caddis lay their eggs using a variety of approaches. As you might expect, some species flutter and dance across the surface depositing their eggs with each dab and driving trout to fits. Skittering adult patterns across the surface seduces numerous trout. A small minority of caddis lay their eggs on overhanging vegetation where the eggs hatch. Once hatched the larva crawl or drop into the water to carry on their lifecycles.
However, most caddis lay their eggs beneath the surface by diving below enveloped in a shiny air bubble, a key pattern trait. As with drinking caddis, egg laying females can be mistaken for a hatch resulting in incorrect fly choice and presentation tactics. Observation is critical to success.
The challenge for fly fishers is determining what species is diving and laying eggs and then choosing the appropriate pattern and presentation technique. Fly fishers wishing to determine which caddis might be available should focus their identification efforts on the larval stage by turning over rocks. Caddis larva and adults span a wide spectrum of colors including shades of green, olive, tan, yellow and brown. Shades of brown and tan are the most common pupal color followed by yellow and shades of olive and green.
Caddis size within species is often determined by a variety of factors including latitude, water temperature and food availability, so stock a variety of sizes. Hook sizes span from #28 Micro Caddis to the very large #6 October Caddis or Travelling Sedges. However, fly patterns from #16 up to #8 cover most situations.
Normally, an adult caddis drifts on the surface and the fly pattern presentation requires a comparable drift. However, if the caddis is “diving” which looks like bombing the surface, you are witnessing a female adult laying eggs. A diving, egg laying caddis is best imitated by literally sinking a well-dressed, floating caddis fly with an egg sac with a jerking action followed by a pause to allow the fly pattern to re-surface. Trout key on the egg sac and the motion.
Diving [Egg Laying] Caddis
Fly of the Month 5.18
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Apparently, caddisflies or sedges may have been put on the planet to illustrate the diversity of Mother Nature. With 22 caddis families and 1,400 species in North America this complex and diverse order is unique with a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and most importantly behaviors. All capable of driving fly fishers crazy. Egg laying adults diving beneath the surface, pupa emerging in a variety of manners and larva that crawl, swim or drift are just some of the caddis behaviors. On running waters, caddisflies outnumber stoneflies and mayflies combined. Belonging to the order Trichoptera, literal translation-hair winged, caddis are distant cousins to the recognizable moths and butterflies. At first glance caddis adults, with their 4 tent like wings, and long antennae can easily be confused with these terrestrial cousins, especially when fluttering about.
Diving [Egg Laying] Caddis
Once emerged, most adult caddis fly-off to shoreline vegetation to mate. Some species, particularly those inhabiting still waters scamper and scurry prior to flight leaving speedboat wakes for trout to home in on. Adult caddis seldom ventures far from their natal waters and are capable of surviving weeks after emergence as they can ingest liquids. Caddis returning to the surface for a drink can be easily mistaken for a hatch. Be sure to check for pupal shucks for hatch confirmation.
After mating egg laden females return to the water completing their life-cycle. Caddis lay their eggs using a variety of approaches. As you might expect, some species flutter and dance across the surface depositing their eggs with each dab and driving trout to fits. Skittering adult patterns across the surface seduces numerous trout. A small minority of caddis lay their eggs on overhanging vegetation where the eggs hatch. Once hatched the larva crawl or drop into the water to carry on their lifecycles.
However, most caddis lay their eggs beneath the surface by diving below enveloped in a shiny air bubble, a key pattern trait. As with drinking caddis, egg laying females can be mistaken for a hatch resulting in incorrect fly choice and presentation tactics. Observation is critical to success.
The challenge for fly fishers is determining what species is diving and laying eggs and then choosing the appropriate pattern and presentation technique. Fly fishers wishing to determine which caddis might be available should focus their identification efforts on the larval stage by turning over rocks. Caddis larva and adults span a wide spectrum of colors including shades of green, olive, tan, yellow and brown. Shades of brown and tan are the most common pupal color followed by yellow and shades of olive and green.
Caddis size within species is often determined by a variety of factors including latitude, water temperature and food availability, so stock a variety of sizes. Hook sizes span from #28 Micro Caddis to the very large #6 October Caddis or Travelling Sedges. However, fly patterns from #16 up to #8 cover most situations.
Normally, an adult caddis drifts on the surface and the fly pattern presentation requires a comparable drift. However, if the caddis is “diving” which looks like bombing the surface, you are witnessing a female adult laying eggs. A diving, egg laying caddis is best imitated by literally sinking a well-dressed, floating caddis fly with an egg sac with a jerking action followed by a pause to allow the fly pattern to re-surface. Trout key on the egg sac and the motion.
Diving [Egg Laying] Caddis
Fly of the Month 5.18
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Egg Laying Caddis
HOOK : Dry Fly, 1x long, size 10,12,14,16,18, Tiemco 100 or equivalent
Thread : 70 denier 6/0 Danville or equivalent in color to match body color
Egg Sac: Chartruese or Insect Green Dub
Body : Peacock herl
Wing : Elk Hair, natural
Directions :
HOOK : Dry Fly, 1x long, size 10,12,14,16,18, Tiemco 100 or equivalent
Thread : 70 denier 6/0 Danville or equivalent in color to match body color
Egg Sac: Chartruese or Insect Green Dub
Body : Peacock herl
Wing : Elk Hair, natural
Directions :
- Debarb the hook and mount in the vise. Begin thread wraps three eyelengths from the eye and advance to above the hook barb. Let the bobbin hang.
- Dub a very small section of thread with the chartreuse dub and form a small dubbing ball above the hook shank. Let the bobbin hang,
- Select two peacock herls and tie in by the tips immediately in front of the egg dub and advance the thread to the two thirds mark. Let the bobbin hang
- Advance the herl in tight touching turns to the thread. Tie off and trim away any herl waste. Let the bobbin hang.
- Collect a portion of Elk Hair by trimming as close to the hide as possible. This is the wing and the amount is dictated by the size desired for the wing. You will need a little extra in the cut, because some will fall away and some is not suitable.
- Clean the hair of the fine under hair. You can use a cleaning rake or I hold the hair in between my left forefinger and thumb by the tips and keeping pressure use a bodkin to clean out the fibers. The cleaner the better. Once cleaned, put the hair in tip first into a hair stacker. Rap several times. I usually hold the aligning tube off of the receiver bottom by an eighth of an inch or so. By doing so, when I extract the tube with the aligned hair, the tips are protruding and can be grasped more easily.
- Tie in the wing immediately in front of the dubbing. I usually make several wraps before tightening too much to check position and length. The wraps are tight and close together . Once secure, trim the excess hair with one cut at a forty five degree. Make sure there is sufficient access to tie the fly on.