Marabou

Tying Instructions: Elk Hair Caddis




	1. Attach the hook to the vise and lay a thread foundation from behind the eye to the bend of the hook.
	2. Attach an extra fine gold wire to the bottom of the hook shank and anchor the wire with thread wraps to the bend of the hook.
	3. Apply the dubbing to the thread with a thin amount twisting around the thread.
	4. Dub a body from the bend of the hook to about two eyelengths behind the eye. I am creating a reverse taper body but it is quite slight. The body should be thin.
	5.Attach a hackle by the bare quill along the side of the shank behind the eye with 3-4 thread wraps. Have some bare hackle quill above the tie down to start your wrap so that no fibers are pinched down.
	6. Give 1 full wrap of the hackle at the start of the body and palmer the hackle back to the bend of the hook. Use your ribbing wire to lock the tag end of the hackle.
	7. Wrap the ribbing wire 4-5 times going forward to the eye. The hackle fibers are stiff so the wire will move between the fibers and not pinch them. Secure the wire ribbing behind the eye.
	8. Holding the thread firm, rock the wire back and forth until it breaks off at the thread. Apply a few more wraps over the wire tag end.
	9. Clip off a section of Bull Elk Hair. Clean the underfur out of the hair and place the hair tips down into a Hair Stacker. If you flatten the bundle within your fingers, the number of fibers should be about 2 hook gapes wide.
	10. With even tips, mark the length of the wing from the end of the body to the eye of the hook.
	11. Transfer the bundle from your right hand to your left hand at the same location on the hair bundle that marked the proper length of the wing. Next, trim the butt ends off from the bundle, so that the remaining hairs in your left hand are exactly the length you measured before. The length of the wing should be at the hook bend. This gives the silouette of the enclosing wings that Caddis are recognized for.
	12. Positioning the hair clump with the ends just above the eye of the hook. Apply a loose wrap over the bundle about an eye length back from the eye. Maintain a hold on the bundle to ensure it remains of top of the hook shank. Apply a second wrap somewhat tighter.
	13. On the second wrap and pull down on the thread, still holding that bundle of hair. Notice how the hairs flare out over the eye.
	14. Holding the bundle give 3-4 additional wraps in the same locations, firm, but not any tighter than the earlier wraps.
	15. Lift up on the hair butts, keeping thread tension, and bring 2-3 wraps under the hair butts behind the eye. This helps lift the butts and will also help lock in the first wraps.
	16. Whip Finish behind the eye.
	17. Apply some head cement to the Whip Finish wraps. and some to the thread band holding the hair bundle.
	18. The finished Elk Hair Caddis