Elk Hair Caddis

Materials

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Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18 or TMC 101 #12-18
Thread Veevus Light Olive 12/0
Body Olive Haretron Dubbing
Rib Extra Small Gold Wire
Wing Natural Bull Elk Hair
Hackle Light Dun, Palmered
Caddis
Caddis
Al Troth

Al Troth

This is probably one of the most popular dry flies used in the Sierra. Al Troth originally designed this fly as a wet fly in 1957 on Loyalsock Creek in Pennsylvania. He soon discovered the floating qualities of Elk Hair and found that he actually had created a great dry fly. Al brought the fly with him to Montana where he was guiding and it became popular due to it’s simplicity, effectiveness and adaptation. For many fly fishers, the Elk Hair Caddis, is one of the primary flies to have in your flybox.

Hook

The Elk Hair Caddis (EHC) is usually tied on a standard dry fly hook, like a TMC 100. Newer hooks, like the TMC100sp-bl, provide a barbless point with a heavy wire and and an extra wide gape. The EHC can be tied with many variations of color, ie Tan , Black, Brown.  However, there are a few different ways to tie this pattern, too. In this tutorial I’m using the technique described by Al Troth, using a wire rib and wrapping the hackle back to the rear of the fly, 4-5 wraps.

Hackle

Another popular method is to tie the hackle in at the rear by the butt and wrap the hackle forward without the need of a wire ribbing. Al Troth did not trim the upper fibers of the hackle but you will often see this done in order to lay the wing closer to the body. The hackle is meant to represent the legs of the caddis and is not designed to float the fly, as the wing does that. The hackle fibers should not extend beyond the gape of the hook, so you may want to use a hackle that is one size smaller than the hook. In addition, the body is usually tied level although some tie it with a taper on both ends or a reversed taper. A taper towards the eye of the hook allows the elk hair wing to lie down better.

Body and Wing

Al used Hare’s Mask dubbing for the body on his original fly but often you will find Antron, Superfine, and other synthetics being used. The wing is the most important component of this fly. You need to select hair that is fairly stiff but compressible. Too soft…and the hair will flare too much. Bull Elk Hair will have these characteristics. The length of the wing should be the same as the hook length. Al would trim off the butts after tying in the wing, the butts representing the head of the fly. The fly was finished with wraps behind the head and a whip finish. Cement was applied to the wraps and allowed to get tacky. Then, the wrap would be compressed by your L.H. thumbnail to splay the wing while the R.H. thumbnail pressed the butts upward. This really helps to keep the eye clear.

Today, some tiers prefer to trim the wing to length prior to securing the wing to the shank. This technique allows for fewer thread wraps and the opportunity to apply a thread wrap within the hair butts, finishing with a whip finish beneath the head, and applying no head cement.

Variations

The near cousin of the Elk Hair Caddis is the Deer Hair Caddis, a variation that Jim Schollmeyer devised for smaller, darker caddis impressions. The fly pattern is particularly good on small streams with riffles and runs. The hackle is usually removed on slower moving streams to allow the fly to sit deeper in the surface film. Within the Sierra, the caddis hatch is mostly from June through October.

Hans Weilenmann created a variation using just CDC and Elk. By attaching the CDC tip to the hook bend and wrapping the hackle forward, fine fibrils emerge from the body giving the fly a very active appearance.

Presentations

Many will fish the fly on a dead drift on a stream and let it swing downstream. Dance the pattern across the current and skitter for a few seconds before making another cast. The skitter will often provoke a strike.

Variations

Elk Hair Caddis, Tan
Elk Hair Caddis, Tan

Tan Elk Hair Caddis

Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18
Thread Veevus Tan 12/0
Body Hareline Dubbing Hare's Ear
Ribbing Extra Small Gold Wire
Wing Natural Bull Elk Hair
Hackle Ginger, Palmered
Elk Hair Caddis, Brown
Elk Hair Caddis, Brown

Brown Elk Hair Caddis

Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18
Thread Veevus Brown 10/0
Body Hareline Dubbing Chocolate Brown
Ribbing Extra Small Gold Wire
Wing Brown Bull Elk Hair
Hackle Brown, Palmered
Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow
Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow

Deer Hair Caddis, Yellow

Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18
Thread Veevus 12/0 Light Cahill
Body Sulphur Yellow Superfine
Wing Natural Comparadun Deer Hair
Hackle Grizzly, Palmered
Trico Paraquill

Black Elk Hair Caddis

Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18
Thread Veevus 12/0 Black
Body Peacock Herl
Ribbing Extra Small Gold Wire
Wing Black Bull Elk
Hackle Grizzly, Palmered
CDC & Elk
CDC & Elk

CDC & Elk

Hook TMC 100sp-bl #12-18
Thread Veevus Gray 14/0
Body Medium Dun CDC
Wing Dun Elk Hair
Hackle Medium Dun CDC