How to Tie the Elk Hair Caddis
| Part | Material |
|---|---|
| Hook | dry fly hook #10–18 (TMC 100SP-BL or 100), barbless |
| Thread | brown 14/0 (Veevus) or 8/0 |
| Rib | extra-fine copper wire |
| Body | Superfine dry-fly dubbing, color to match the naturals (tan, olive, brown, orange, yellow) |
| Hackle | brown rooster neck hackle, palmered |
| Wing | natural cow or bull elk hair, cleaned and stacked |
| Head | thread band and wing butts snipped off square |
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Thread Base and Rib
Start the thread about two eye lengths back from the eye and make a thread base back to the bend. Return the thread to the starting point, tie in a piece of extra-fine copper wire and wrap back over it to the bend.
- 2
Body
Dub a tapered body from the bend to the starting point.
- 3
Hackle Tie-In
Tie in a brown rooster neck hackle by its butt at the front edge of the dubbed body.
- 4
Palmer the Hackle
Spiral wrap the feather back over the body with six or seven turns to the bend.
- 5
Counter-Wrap the Rib
Catch the hackle tip with the wire and wrap the wire forward through the hackle to the starting point. Trim the excess wire and the hackle tip.
- 6
Wing
Cut, clean and stack a clump of elk hair. Measure it so the tips reach the hook bend, lay it on top of the hook just behind the eye and make two tight turns of thread, cinching them down by pulling toward you.
- 7
Thread Band and Head
Build a small band of tight thread wraps to anchor the wing and whip finish on the band. Snip the wing butts off square in front of the band so they form the head.
How to Fish the Elk Hair Caddis
The Elk Hair Caddis excels when fished actively. During caddis hatches, use a dead drift but be ready to twitch or skitter the fly to imitate the skittering behavior of natural caddis adults on the water surface. The pattern floats exceptionally well, making it ideal for fast water, riffles, and pocket water where other dry flies might get swamped. Can be fished as a searching pattern when no specific hatch is active, or as a precise match during tan, olive, green, or brown caddis hatches. For selective trout, try a subtle twitch at the end of the drift. The elk hair wing creates a visible silhouette that fish can spot even in broken water. Color variations allow matching local species - tan/olive for most western caddis, orange for October caddis, brown for black caddis.
