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Barr’s Uncased Caddis
Uncased Caddis, Green
Tying Instructions
1. Slip on a countersunk tungsten bead to the hook. Black is preferred. Attach the hook to the vise.
2. Wrap the .015″ leadfree wire from the bead to the portion of the shank directly above the point. Jam the wire into the bead cavity.
3. Attach the thread to the hook shank below the wrapped wire and secure the wire wraps to the shank with spirol thread wraps. Return the thread to just behind the bead.
4. Attach a strand of Z-Lon to the top of the wire wraps just behind the bead. Secure with spirol thread wraps to the desired tail position just behind the barb.
5. Wrap the thread forward to just behind the bead and secure a strand of monofilament to the far side of the hook shank and secure this strand with thread wraps to the tail tie-in position.
6. Cut a slip of Fino Skin that is about the same width as the hook gap. Trim one end into a point and secure that point to the base of the hook just above the wire wraps. Secure with thread wraps over this skin to the tail tie-in position. Make sure you have secured this material just past the previous thread wraps or they will show when you pull over the material.
7. Apply the emergence dubbing or trilobal antron dubbing to the thread and start a tapered abdomen.
8. Continue building the tapered body by applying more dubbing.
9. Finish the dubbing just behind the bead.
10. Attach a strand of Ostrich Herl just behind the bead and secure the herl for about 1/4 of the hook shank behind the bead.
11. Wrap the herl forward 3-4 times and secure the tag end behind the bead with thread wraps.
12. Bring the skin material over the dubbed body and secure the material behind the bead.
13. Apply a few more thread wraps behind the bead and trim off the excess skin material.
14. Wrap the monofilament forward with 7-8 spirol wraps creating some narrow segmentations to the body. There should be just one wrap through the Ostrich herl, creating two segments. Secure with thread wraps behind the bead and trim off the tag.
15. Wrap a narrow collar of thread behind the bead to cover the trimmed tag ends of the skin and mono. Whip Finish.
16. Trim off the Z-Lon for a small tuft.
17. Apply some black markings to the top of the skin on the first two segments behind the bead and over the legs.
18. The Finished Uncased Caddis, Green
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 2302 Size #14-16 |
| Thread | Uni Thread 8/0 Black |
| Head | Black Tungsten Bead |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Body | Nature's Spirit Caddis Green Emergence Dubbing |
| Tail | Light Olive Z-Lon |
| Thorax | Black Ostrich Herl |
| Shellback | Mottled Olive Fino Skin |
| Ribbing | Danville Monofilament |
John Barr
Uncased Caddis
John Barr came up with the Uncased Caddis pattern in the 1980’s while fishing the Colorado River below State Bridge, Colorado. John noticed that caddis larva was the bulk of the trout’s diet during a hatch yet fly fishermen often did not fish the larva pattern. Caddis larva are usually found in highly oxygenated riffles through out the west. We have great populations on the Owens, Kings, American, and Feather Rivers. The caddis larva are generally 0.5 to 1.5 inches and are in shades of green and tan.
Free-living Caddis
Barr’s Uncased Caddis represents the genus Hydropsyche, also known as the Gray Caddis or the net-spinning caddis. This type of caddis is free-living and caseless using a silk net to attach to the bottom. At times, these caddis will drift the current seeking other habitat and this is the time that the trout will key upon them. This behavioral drift occurs usually under low light conditions. Increased water current will also dislodge these larva and is known as a catastrophic drift.
Materials
John’s pattern uses a tuft of Z-lon for the appendage you find on the rear of the larva. The body has a distinct segmentation and this is represented by a shellback strip that is ribbed with monofilament. John originally used ziplock bag material but switched to Thin Skin. Fino Skin is another material, similar to Thin Skin, and will work fine for this pattern. The shellback is darkened with a marker above the abdomen to represent the darker thorax and head. Ostrich herl represents the legs and a heavy tungsten bead will keep this pattern close to the bottom of the stream.
The pattern is usually fished as a two fly rig within a nymphing rig as the bottom fly. You can also use this pattern within a Hopper-Dropper rig. 4X or 5X Fluoro tippet is preferred.
Variations
Uncased Caddis, Tan
| Hook | TMC 2302 Size #14-16 |
| Thread | Uni Thread 8/0 Black |
| Head | Black Tungsten Bead |
| Weight | 0.015 Leadfree wire |
| Body | Nature's Tan Spirit Emergence Dubbing |
| Tail | Cream Z-Lon |
| Thorax | Black Ostrich Herl |
| Shellback | Mottled Tan Fino Skin |
| Ribbing | Danville Monofilament |