Caddis Flies

Understanding Caddis Flies and How to Tie Them

Of the most common insect orders (mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies) found in trout streams, caddisflies seem to be the most difficult to figure out.

Much has been written about caddisflies recently, but few fly fishers can recognize whether trout are feeding on emerging or egg-laying caddisflies and as a result they are confused about fly selection and strategies.

Caddisfly Emergences
Like mayflies, most caddisflies rise from the bottom of the stream and emerge in the surface film. Unlike the slower mayfly, however, once a caddisfly breaks out of its pupal husk in the surface film and becomes a winged adult, its movement from the stream to dry land is relatively fast. Mayflies generally float on the surface of the water, often for a considerable distance, while their wings dry and stiffen.

Because it is uncommon for caddis adults to stay long on the water, a pattern imitating the emerging pupa fished in or just under the surface film is preferred by the trout.

To confirm an emergence of caddisflies, watch the fish and how they feed. The splashy riseforms and aggressive feeding of trout are signs of caddis activity, but there are other indicators. Riseforms are a result of many factors: the type of water a fish is holding in, the size of the fishand the behavior of the insects being fed upon. Many species of caddisflies emerge from fast water, and, generally, the faster the water, the more energetic the riseform as the fish reacts to escaping insects.

However, even in a fast-water scenario, anglers can be fooled. Look closely, often trout will feed in a thin seam just off the fast water, eating pupae that have been caught there. In fact, observation is crucial whenever you are in the midst of a caddisfly emergence.

Typically, in the early stages of a caddis emergence, the riseforms of the trout are splashy and aggressive, even in slow water. These riseforms are often caused by smaller fish. As emergence becomes more intense, the fish frequently settle into a consistent, less frantic feeding rhythm. Look for porpoising fish: first the head of the trout will appear at the surface, followed by the back, then the tail. When fish are porpoising and there are few adult flies on the surface, the pupae most likely are concentrated in or just under the surface film. At these times, a pupa pattern, such as the LaFontaine Sparkle Emergent Pupa, is deadly when fished in the surface film.

To confirm whether the trout are actually feeding on caddis pupae, hold a fine mesh net, such as an aquarium net, in the surface film downstream of feeding fish for several minutes. Look for fresh caddis pupal husks. They will appear transparent, with a slight yellow-orange tint, and should provide clues to determining the size and shape of the emerging species.

The most effective way to fish pupal patterns during caddis emergences is to dead-drift them in the surface film, as you would fish a dry fly. Grease the leader and tippet to within six inches of the fly to help suspend it in the surface film. If the pupa pattern has a wing of deer hair (as the LaFontaine Sparkle Emergent Pupa does), I rub floatant paste on the wing. Pupal patterns float low in the surface film and are difficult to see. Therefore, watch where the fly lands on the water so that you’ll be able to follow its drift or anticipate its drift. Whenever you see a disturbance in the water near where you suspect your fly to be, set the hook.

If dead-drifting an emerger pattern doesn’t bring fish, present the pupa pattern in a sweep across the current in front of rising fish. This is a traditional wet-fly swing and the angler is upstream of the fish. Rub floatant on the leader and the fly to cause the fly to skitter across the surface during the swing. I learned this presentation from my good friend, Wayne Anderson, who guides on Wisconsin’s Wolf River. He uses a LaFontaine Sparkle Emergent Pupa both during hatches and during non-emergence periods on rivers with large caddis populations.

Caddis Egg-Laying Behavior
The egg-laying (ovipositing) behavior of caddisflies is often more confusing to fly fishers than emergence activity. That there are clouds of caddisflies in the air does not mean necessarily that there is an emergence underway. In fact, the presence of large numbers of adults swarming over the water may be a prelude to egg-laying. In this case, excellent fishing is in store for the prepared angler.

To be sure caddisflies are preparing to lay eggs, watch the airborne insects carefully. If the adults are flying away from the stream and toward the shore (and there are fish rising), they most likely are emerging. If the adults are moving toward the water or diving into the water, they’re laying eggs.

It’s fascinating to observe egg-laden adult females dive-bomb the surface of the water to release their egg sacs or dive through the meniscus to jettison their eggs to the bottom. They remind me of Ping-Pong balls bouncing on the surface. The females often dive several times before their egg sacs are released or before they are able to penetrate the surface.

To represent these egg-layers, I use either a floating fly such as the Delta-Wing Caddis (imitating a fly lying in the surface film) or an Egg-Laying Caddis Wet Fly, which sinks and mimics the dive of the adult female. The Delta-Wing Caddis is fished dead-drift with occasional twitches to represent the struggles of the natural. The Egg-Laying Caddis Wet Fly is cast upstream so that it sinks as it drifts downstream, then swings to the surface on a taut line below the angler representing a female that has pasted its eggs on the
stream bottom and is swimming to the surface.

Ovipositing adult flies that fall to the stream’s surface after egg-laying can be imitated with a Spent Partridge Caddis in sizes #16-#20. The Grannom species exhibits this behavior and is found in many Midwestern trout streams. Fish the Spent Partridge Caddis dead-drift with occasional twitches.

Caddis Fly Patterns: A-C

Caddis Flies: Letters D-F | Caddis Flies: Letters G-O | Caddis Flies: Letters P – Z

3-In-One-Nymph
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1152.htm
Agent 99
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/060302fotw.html
Agent 99 Caddis
Thomas Duncan
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesT/tdun-agent99caddis.htm
Agent 99 Caddis
tier: Thomas C. Duncan, Sr.
www.danica.com/flytier/tduncan/agent_99_caddis.htm
Al’s Lace Caddis Pupa
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/advanced/part6.html
Antron Spent Caddis
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/11497fotw.html
Aschimodia
tier: Vasile ‘Poopoo’ Pasca
www.danica.com/flytier/vpasca/ashimodia.htm
Autumn Haw Knob Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/522.htm
BBH Mud Cased Caddis
by Larry Jurgens- from www.frontrangeanglers.com
www.frontrangeanglers.com/flytying/larryjurgens/larryjurgensmudcased
caddis.htm
Bead Head
from www.buckeyeflyfishers.com
www.buckeyeflyfishers.com/fly_tying/BH_caddis_larva/bead_head_caddis
.htm
Bead Head Caddis Pupa
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/241.htm
Bead-head Metallic Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/879.htm
Bead-head Speckled Sedge
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1008.htm
Bead-head Spotted Sedge
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1009.htm
Beaded Pulsating Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1278.htm
Beaded Z-Wing Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1316.htm
Beadhead Emerger (caddis larva, pupa)
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/578.htm
Bentley’s Looped- Bodied Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1298.htm
Biot-Bodied EHC
tier: Steve Davenport
www.danica.com/flytier/sdavenport/biot_bodied_ehc.htm
Biot-winged Caddis
tier: Jason Freund
www.danica.com/flytier/jfreund/biot_winged_caddis.htm
Black Caddis
by Bob Krumm- from www.frontrangeanglers.com
www.frontrangeanglers.com/flytying/bobkrumm/bobkrummblackcaddis.htm
Black Dark Gray Caddis
tier: Aleksandar Panic
www.danica.com/flytier/apanic/black_caddis.htm
Black Elk-hair Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/832.htm
Body Caddis
Jeff "Owl" Jones
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesJ/jj-quill_body_caddis.htm
Bowman’s Caddis Larvae
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1335.htm
Brachycentrus Pupa
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/286.htm
Brown Caddis
Paco Soria
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesP/ps-browncaddis.htm
Brown CDC berrybou emerger
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/156.htm
Brown Eye Caddis
from www.ifly4trout.com
www.ifly4trout.com/flypatterns/brown_eye_caddis.htm
Brown Para Sedge
tier: Alice Conba
www.danica.com/flytier/aconba/brown_para_sedge.htm
Brown Swiss Caddis
John Larson
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesJ/jl-brown_swiss_caddis.htm
Brushed Bead-body Pupa–Olive
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1220.htm
Brushed Bead-body Pupa–Olive
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/189.htm
Bubble Caddis Pupa
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/240.htm
Bucktail
tier: Bob Wyatt
www.danica.com/flytier/rwyatt/bucktail.htm
Bucktail Caddis – Dark
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/buckcaddisdark.htm
Bullet Head Caddis
Al and Gretchen Beatty
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesA/agb-bulletheadcaddis.htm
Bullet Head Resting Caddis
Alan Bithell
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesA/ab-bulletheadrestingcaddis.htm
Burla Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1530.htm
Caddis – Black Foam
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/patterns/c/caddis_black_foam.html
Caddis – Delta Wing
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/a_d/caddis_delta_wing.htm
Caddis – Elk Hair (Brown)
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/a_d/caddis_elk_hair_brown.htm
Caddis – Elk Hair (Olive)
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/a_d/caddis_elk_hair_olive.htm
Caddis – Goddard
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/a_d/caddis_goddard.htm
Caddis – Warm Springs
from Diptera.co.uk
www.diptera.co.uk/a_d/caddis_warm_springs.htm
Caddis Cripple – Olive
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/caddiscrippleolive.htm
Caddis Dry
from www.utahonthefly.com
www.utahonthefly.com/flytying/flyarchive/caddisdry.htm
Caddis Emerger
by NMIU – from www.hotspotfishing.com
www.hotspotfishing.com/flies/showfly.asp?mcode=&flyid=69&frompage=/c
ommunity/flies.asp&fromquery=
Caddis Emerger, Tan
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/415.htm
Caddis Larva
from www.ifly4trout.com
www.ifly4trout.com/flypatterns/caddis_larva.htm
Caddis Larva
from www.buckeyeflyfishers.com
www.buckeyeflyfishers.com/fly_tying/BH_caddis_larva/bead_head_caddis
.htm
Caddis Larva
from www.fedflyfishers.org
www.fedflyfishers.org/FLYmonthcaddlarva.htm
Caddis Pupa Crocheted
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1053.htm
Caddis Variant – Dark
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/caddisvariantdark.htm
Caddis Variant – Dun
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/caddisvariantdun.htm
Caddis Variant – Ginger
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/caddisvariantginger.htm
Caddis Variant – Light
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/caddisvariantlight.htm
Caribou Caddis Emerger
by Sue Armstrong- from www.frontrangeanglers.com
www.frontrangeanglers.com/flytying/suearmstrong2/suearmstrongcaribou
caddisemerger.htm
Casanova Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/casanovacaddis.shtml
Casanova Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/casanovacaddis.shtml
Cased Caddis Larva
by Sue Armstrong- from www.frontrangeanglers.com
www.frontrangeanglers.com/flytying/suearmstrong2/suearmstrongcasedca
ddislarva.htm
Caseless Caddis
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/21599fotw.html
Catalana
tier: Paco Soria
www.danica.com/flytier/psoria/catalana.htm
Caupial Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1092.htm
CDC
tier: Hans Weilenmann
www.danica.com/flytier/hweilenmann/cdcelk.htm
CDC Elk
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/804.htm
CDC and Elk
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/010702fotw.html
CDC Biot
from www.troutflies.com
www.troutflies.com/tutorials/cdc_biot_caddis/index.shtml
CDC Black Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/314.htm
CDC Bubble Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/cdcbubblecaddis.shtml
CDC Bubble Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/cdcbubblecaddis.shtml
CDC Caddis
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/021802fotw.html
CDC Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/cdccaddis.shtml
CDC Caddis
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/cdccaddis.shtml
CDC Caddis – Black
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdccaddisadultblack.htm
CDC Caddis – Gray
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdccaddisadultgray.htm
CDC Caddis – Olive
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdccaddisadultolive.htm
CDC Caddis – Tan
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdccaddisadulttan.htm
CDC Dark Greenwell
tier: Alice Conba
www.danica.com/flytier/aconba/cdc_dark_greenwells_glory.htm
CDC Deer Hair Caddis
from www.utahonthefly.com
www.utahonthefly.com/flytying/flyarchive/cdcdeerhaircdds.htm
CDC Elk Hair Caddis
from www.utahonthefly.com
www.utahonthefly.com/flytying/flyarchive/cdcelkhrcdds.htm
CDC Elk Hair Caddis – Brown
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdcelkcaddisbrown.htm
CDC Elk Hair Caddis – Dun
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdcelkcaddisdun.htm
CDC Elk Hair Caddis – Olive
from Twin River Anglers – the Tying Bench
www.traflyfish.com/tying/trout/cdcelkcaddisolive.htm
CDC Everything
from Westfly.com
www.westfly.com/patterns/dry/cdceverything.shtml
CDC Gray Sedge
tier: Igor Stancev
www.danica.com/flytier/istancev/cdc_gray_sedge.htm
CDC Green Transitional Caddis (René Harrop)
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1468.htm
CDC Greenwell
tier: Alice Conba
www.danica.com/flytier/aconba/cdc_greenwells_glory.htm
CDC Micro Caddis
tier: Hans Weilenmann
www.danica.com/flytier/hweilenmann/cdc_micro_caddis.htm
CDC Micro Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/798.htm
CDC No-hackle
tier: Hans Weilenmann
www.danica.com/flytier/hweilenmann/cdc_nohackle.htm
CDC Sedge
tier: Gianluca Nocentini
www.danica.com/flytier/gnocentini/cdc_sedge.htm
CDC Slowwater Caddis
Ulrik Schou
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesU/us-cdcslowwatercaddis.htm
CDC Sulphur
Don Kelly
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesD/dk-cdc_sulphur.htm
CDC Surface Emerging Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1099.htm
CDC Wing Micro-Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/566.htm
CDC Wonderwing Caddis
tier: Martin Westbeek
www.danica.com/flytier/mwestbeek/cdc_wonderwing_caddis.htm
Chamois Sedge
Paul Dieter
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesP/pd-chamois_sedge.htm
Chenille Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/1156.htm
Cinnamon Caddis
Jack Pangburn
www.flytyingworld.com/PagesJ/jp-cc.htm
Cinnamon Caddis Pupa
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/052200fotw.html
Cinnamon Sedge (Caddis)
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/081202fotw.html
Claret Bumble
tier: Arthur Greenwood
www.danica.com/flytier/agreenwood/claret_bumble.htm
CM’s Peeking Caddis
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/691.htm
Copper Clad Caddis
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/092704fotw.html
COSS – (Caddis Of Some Sort)
from flyanglersonline.com
www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw/060799fotw.html
Coyote
from Copperfly.net
www.copperfly.net/coyote.php
Creel Caddis
by Ron Williams – from www.hotspotfishing.com
www.hotspotfishing.com/flies/showfly.asp?mcode=&flyid=49&frompage=/c
ommunity/flies.asp&fromquery=
Crocheted Caddis Pupa
from www.flyfisherman.com
shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/173.htm

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *