Week of September 7th: Leaves fall, caddis rise

I had a really embarrassing moment while delivering remarks about “Hatches” for some new anglers early one Spring.  To discuss the various hatches, I thought I would take a chronological approach with Mayflies, from Blue Quills to Isonychia.  It was important that I really nail this because a few guides and fly-tyers that I know and admire were present, standing in the rear, ready to show the new folks how to cast when my little speech was over.  I thought things were going fairly well when someone, maybe from the back, called out: “What about Caddis?”.

I froze.

Caddis?  Caddis are not mayflies, so who wants to hear about Caddis in the Spring?  I was totally unprepared and utterly humiliated, and muttered something about the elegance of a Light Cahill and traditional Catskill patterns, but the question was completely appropriate and sound.  You can not have a fly box without Caddis.  Bug-for-bug, the caddis out number the mayflies as they appear more frequently and for longer durations.  Like midges and BWOs, they never really go away and for dry fly anglers, the Elk Wing Caddis remain on top as the likely choice in the fall.

For those who may not know, the caddis’ wings are distinguishable from the mayfly by looking for the folded, tent-like structure and the lack of a tail. They also have protuberant antennae and can easily be confused with moths.   They begin as aquatic worms, some of whom famously build their homes in rows along rocks and other structures in rivers and lakes.  Sometimes, I hesitate to remove litter from the river because of the number of caddis cases on the soda can or broken piece of plastic.  It is a true dilemma! 

The Electric Caddis, available in the shop and tyed by John Collins in a number of colors, is a remarkably realistic imitation of the caddis worm free from the case.  The naturals can be caseless or in a biological drift as they outgrow their old home and search for and construct a new one.  Since caddis exist throughout the year, and the gestational period for most caddis eggs is mere weeks, the caddis larvae and pupae are more of a staple food than mayflies who appear briefly. 

Gary LaFontainne gets credit for a caddis pupae pattern that is both fun to tie and terribly effective on its own or as a dropper behind an elk wing dry fly.  The La Fontainne sparkle pupae, with or without a bead, is deadly.  A Bird’s Nest caddis pattern or Guide’s Choice Hare’s ear with a partridge collar works for the emerging stage as well.  

Finally, the Elk or Deer Hair caddis is a pattern that helped things really click for me when I began flicking flies around.  Someone explained that the rooster hackle serves two functions:  as legs and helps keep the fly aloft. The fact that deer and elk hair are hollow is what keeps these dry flies buoyant, even dodging leaves later in October, also helped me visualize how the whole apparatus works.  

We have just over four weeks until the fall stocking begins on October 8th.  The loose reports I have been hearing are sounding better with a few trout caught this week.  The water temperature has been in the safe range, but some warm days in the coming week may raise the alarm one last time, so keep your stream thermometers handy for a bit longer.  More water in the rivers is going to help too, so hopefully we will get some rain in the near future.

See you out there. 

Roy B