Tying the Elk Wing Caddis

Perhaps one of the best all around dry flies for trout ever conceived.....this fly was first developed by Al Troth of Montana to imitate the many caddis on their waters their.  A caddis is a very hardy insect, and they can live in a variety of water types.  This fly is one of the best floating, most effective, easy to see fly on the water you can fish.  Works well used alone as a dry, and also as the lead fly in a dry/dropper rig.  A dry Elk Caddis and a bead head nymph size 18, 20 (pick a fly - - -pheasant tail, copper john, etc.) is perhaps one of the best rigs for fishing and covering water that there is, small or big water.

This fly is effective in tan, black, gray, olive, and cream.  If I were to pick a couple it would be a tan wing brown body, and a black wing with a green body.  The fish love them.  I would carry them in size 12 through 20, it is a staple fly.

Materials
Hook:  Dry Fly, size 12-20, if I had to have one size it would be a #14
Thread:  Unithread  6/0, black, gray, or white, I like 6/0 because it is just strong enough to mount a wing
Ribbing:  Small Copper, Gold, or silver fine gauge wire ( small or ex small)
Body:  Superfine brown, color to match whatever body color you encounter
Hackle:  brown,  6-8 turns, I use a lot as this fly is usually buggy and floats well
Head:  Elk Wing Hair butts trimmed short



Tying the Elk Wing Caddis




Steps 1-3  Start the tying thread as shown.  Cover the entire shank with thread all the way back to just above the hook's barb.  Cut off thread tag.  Tie in Copper or gold wire for the ribbing.
  

Step 4-6  Apply Dubbing to the thread, then dub the entire body up to just about one -hook eyewidth back from the hook eye.  Strip the bottom end of a saddle hackle (Whiting) or a neck hackle of appropriate size, and tie it in just back of the hook eye as shown, with the shiny (top) side facing forward and the dull side facing the hook bend.
 

Steps 7-9 Palmer the hackle to the rear in evenly spaced turns.  Use the wire to secure/tie down hackle tip by wrapping forward a few turns, then all the way to the hook eye.  Doing this (1) secures the hackle tip, makes a more durable body by reinforcing the delicate hackle stem.  Tie off the wire.  Trim the wire.


Steps 10-12  Trim the hackle tip off.  Cut a small bunch of Elk Hair (about the diameter of a pencil) and place it tips down into a hair stacking tool (hair stacker).  Tap the stacker on the table or a hard surface for 10-12 times.  Pull the sleeve out of the stacker, and there you have perfectly aligned hair tips as a lot of caddis too.


Steps 13-15  Tie in the wing hair as shown with the tips extending to the rear, and secure first with several thread turns.  Pull lightly and flare.  Grab the hair bunch tips near the hook eye, pull them upright, and use enough thread turns to make the hair flare away from the hook eye.  Whip finish and cement, particularly on top the wing where the waters have .  Trim butts as shown to form a 'blocky' head.

                                      Tying a Cranefly Dry Fly

                                

 Flytying Video: Brun's Tipula from AndreBrun on Vimeo.

     
  

                                                                



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                                      Tying a Traditional Catskill Style Dry Fly - Davey McPhail
                          
                                                        
                         


    
                                                            
                                                            

                                                   Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Tying
                                           3703 Windspray Court 
                                                             Summerfield, NC 27358
                                           (336) 644-7775   jeff@jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com