caddis with no hackle?

[alex b]

hi i am just getting started in tying and do not have any hackle in the right size for small caddis. are their any good dry fly caddis patterns without any hackle?

thanks

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Hi Alex b,

One of my favorite patterns is the no hackle caddis tied with only a dubbed body in olive , olive brown or what ever color you like or need to fish the hatch with. A simple wing of elk , deer hair or natural cdc . These flies not only work awesome but are easy to tye as well with a minimum of materials.

 

[dcabarle]

Hi Alex b,

One of my favorite patterns is the no hackle caddis tied with only a dubbed body in olive , olive brown or what ever color you like or need to fish the hatch with. A simple wing of elk , deer hair or natural cdc . These flies not only work awesome but are easy to tye as well with a minimum of materials.

Agree with BHC... Pick up a few different shades of deer hair for your wings too. I never use hackle on my caddis and they work great.

 

[afishinado]

The CDC & Elk is one of my go-to dry caddis patterns:

CDC&Elk

 

[JeffK]

The simple caddis work well! Don't forget snowshoe hare for a wing. Add a plastic yarn tail and it is a caddis emerger.

If you really want to get fancy, leave a few deer hairs uncut and bend them down and trim them as legs. Now you have legs without the hackle.

 

[Karel]

I would add a ballon caddis to the list.

 

[Trout Fever]

i like tying them with piece of thread wrapped thorax gives it a ribbed look

 

[coolkyle]

The simple caddis work well! Don't forget snowshoe hare for a wing. Add a plastic yarn tail and it is a caddis emerger.

It's a very good caddis emerger! The no-hackle is very nice for small caddis. I feel like hackle messes up the profile of the insect. I've caught very few fish on flat water with an EHC, I usually save them for pocket water.

 

[Broadheadscreek]

I think the no hackle gives a better profile as the body is in the surface film much like a natural. I have found through extensive fishing of caddis patterns that wing color does not really matter how ever the body and size of your fly does . Wing color is a confidence thing if you have confidence in it it will work for you providing your presentation is good.

 

[NJpatbee]

I know that the EHC and other similar Caddis dry fly patterns are very popular, but I'll take the hackled fluttering caddis for twitching (slightly) across the surface and enticing stubborn trout. I have tried most of them, but to me it's hats off to Len Wright. A twitched EHC makes a wake and the fly tends to dive. A twitched fluttering caddis skids lightly or pops slightly across the stream. I have also found a dead drift fluttering caddis to be no less effectibve than the EHC, but I suppose it is a waste of good hackle if it never gets twitched.

 

[brough]

The x-caddis fits the bill

Z-lon shuck
body colour of choice
elk wing

I like to put some tan CDC as an underwing

 

[theartoflee]

There is also the rubber legged ding dong fly, the Iris Caddis, and the butch caddis none of those patterns have hackle. One thing to remember when tying caddis dry fliys is that fish key in on the spent or egg laying caddis other then for the occasional drink of water they are gonzo once they emerge. The emergers tend to push through the meniscus very quickly unless it is extremely humid or hot.

When you tie your caddis remember that the abdomen on the caddis are fuller then the thorax.

 

[brough]

Herei s the X-2 Caddis. Essentially a X Caddis w/ the spikey dubbed head.

 

[PRomano]

Nice looking pattern! What did you use for the under wing?

 

[brough]

The underwing is tan CDC. If I am going to tie this on a size sixteen or smaller, often I will skip the elk hair and wing it with the CDC only.

 

[Broadheadscreek]

CDC caddis one of my absolute favorite flies when nothing else works tie one on and it generally gets eaten !

 

[dcabarle]

A few I tied many many moons ago...





The second one has a chenille body. Cut a small piece of chenille and slightly brown the end with a lighter or whatever flame you have. This will taper the end. You'll notice that just like BHC, there is CDC in the body of the second fly.

 

[jcstikfish]

An X-Caddis is one of my go-to caddis imitations as well. Lack of hackle lets it ride right in the film and show's nicely to fish. :thumb:

~James