Print-Wing Caddis

HOOK: Mustad 94840, sizes 10-16 THREAD: Tan BODY: Haretron dubbing WING: Pre-cut synthetic wing material (mottled) HEAD: Spun deer hair, natural color ANTENNAE: Stripped hackle stems to match the body color

Uses

Unlike mayflies, adult caddis are not especially vulnerable to trout when they first hatch. However, they are long-lived (compared to mayflies), and often fall or are blown onto the river. So adult imitations work well any time of year caddis are hatching.

 
This British pattern is not well-known in the U.S. That's a good reason to use it: new patterns are often more effective than old ones because trout have not been seeing thousands of them drifting (and often dragging unnaturally) over their heads.

 
The deer hair head gives this fly enough floatation that you can use it in fast water, yet the silhouette is realistic enough that it works well on flat water, too. Thus it is a good all-round choice during caddis season because you can fish a wide variety of water types without having to change flies.

Variations

Various caddis species can be imitated by using hook sizes and body colors that match the natural insect.

How to match different caddis species

How to Fish

Dress the fly with floatant and use standard dry fly presentations.