Fly Fishing the Sierra

Tying Instructions: October Caddis Pupa Soft Hackle




	1. Attach the bead to the hook.
	2. Start the thread an eye length behind the bead and wrap down to the middle of the bend.
	3. Snip a point on the Nymph Skin and attach the point to the top of the hook shank near the middle of the bend. Secure with thread wraps and bring the thread up to behind the bead.
	4. Build an underbody of thead for a slight taper.
	5. Wrap the nymph skin from the base at the middle of the bend forward to behind the bead. Start the wraps of nymph skin fairly tight and loosen the wraps as they get closer to the bead. This is give you a slight taper.
	6. Secure the skin behind the bead. Snip off the tag end of the nymph skin and secure with additional thread wraps. Next, dub the thread with orange Ice Dubbing. Bring the dubbing up to a eyelength behind the bead and give one wrap to lock in the fibers, then twist the dubbing noodle to further tighten around the thread.
	7. Apply enough dubbing to provide a small ball.
	8. Tease out some of the fibers with a brush, sweeping the fibers back over the bend of the hook.
	9. Once brushed, it should look like this.
	10. Select a hen neck hackle that is sized to the hook. Remove the basal fibers and preen enough fibers that you wish to wrap. I'm going a little heavy with the hackles having about twice the hook length.
	11. Next, fold the hackle barbs back onto themselves to create a plane of fibers. This will help in wrapping the hackle without trapping fibers.
	12. Attach the hackle by the tip just behind the bead with a few thread wraps. Clip off the tip.
	13. Wrap the hackle with each wrap being just in front of the former wrap. Wrap down to the bare quill and secure with thread wraps behind the bead.
	14. Apply some UV Black Ice Dubbing to the thread. Not much. Secure the first fibers behind the bead and twist the dubbing around the thread for a tight noodle.
	15. Wrap the ice dubbing behind the bead and secure with some thread wraps behind the bead to create a small band of thread.
	16. Whip Finish.
	17. Apply a drop of head cement to the thread band.
	18. The finished October Caddis Pupa wet fly.