All About Caddisflies...Part 2

Clockwise from top left: Lafontaine emergent sparkle pupae, rock worm, BH soft hackle Hare's Ear, BH rock worm, BH caddis larvae patterns and natrual, Goddard Caddis

Back in the day when caddis started to pop first thing I dug out was a caddis dry. Actually the only caddis dry I owned at the time was one we called Rozy's Caddis...the "invention" of Rozy Stidd a longtime pal and constant fishing companion when I lived and worked on Spruce Creek in Pennsylvania.

Rozy, Bill Howe and I tied it by the countless dozens, in several sizes,12, 14, 16, 18 but hardly ever used anything but a 14 or 16. Comprised of a dubbed olive body, deer hair wing and special dyed olive/yellow grizzly hackle wound behind the hook eye. The fly seldom let us down, was as good a searching pattern as any in our boxes and...Well we caught the crap outta trout all up and down and across Pennsylvania and throughout the West, especially Montana.

I now live and guide in Montana, still use it often and still catches lots of trout but...

Somewhere along the line I discovered during an actual caddis hatch, pupae imitations and even simple soft hackles worked even better. Lafontaine emergent patterns (as pictured above) fished deep and in the film are now my go-tos. During egg laying flights I fish a variety--Elk-hair, X-, Iris- and Egg-laying caddis (latter three tying instructions can be found at www.blueribbonflies.com).

My larvae imitations are standard nymphs such as rock worm, various Hare's-ear and Princes--adding a hot spot seems to help. Some of the Czech style nymphs are even better but I like to keep it simple...