Back in the mid-1980s, there was real excitement about the Caddis fly and its life cycle. Anglers from all over the world created many new fly patterns for dries, pupae, and larvae. Some of the most popular ones were the Elk Hair Caddis (Troth), Goddard Caddis, Lead Head Caddis pupa and the Klinkhåmer (Hans van Klinken), and Sparkle Caddis (Lafontaine). It was a lively time of innovation, marked by a shift towards more synthetic materials than ever before. Many talented fly tiers and writers joined in the enthusiasm for the Caddis Fly. It truly was a period of embracing the new and letting go of the old.
While many modern caddis patterns date to the mid-20th century, several foundational imitations have roots reaching back over a hundred years. These historic patterns often fall under the category of Soft Hackles or "North Country Spiders," which have been used to imitate emerging caddis pupae for centuries. We lost the knowledge and great fishing flies of the past that were also mainstay caddis fly patterns for decades.
Two Caddis Larvae sharing a home
Historic Caddis Dry Fly Patterns
The Alder pattern is around 500 years old and holds the distinction of being among the earliest documented flies in history. Today, many anglers use it as a wet fly, but it was originally crafted to resemble early-season caddis hatches on lakes and rivers.
The Little Red Sedge, a charming British pattern with a history spanning centuries, served as a direct inspiration for modern caddis flies. It features a distinctive hair wing that beautifully mimics the tent-like shape of an adult caddis. The Grannom is a historic pattern that has been used since at least the 19th century, and probably earlier, in various regions to match the early-season Brachycentrus hatch (Mother's Day Caddis), which often occurs in late April to early May on the prairies of Canada. Cinnamon Sedge is a charming, centuries-old British pattern inspired by the beautiful cinnamon-coloured caddis species that grace those lakes and streams in summer and autumn. Macedonian "Wool and Feather," also known as the Hippouros Fly or Macedonia Fly, was described by Roman writer Claudius Aelianus circa 200 AD. These early flies used red wool and cock feathers. In the context of the Macedonian Fly, the ancient description specified feathers from "under a cock's wattles" because the feathers in that area are often fine, soft, and have a unique "waxy" colouration that is perfect for imitating insect wings. While not strictly a "caddis" pattern by modern naming, they are the earliest known ancestors of all dry flies used to mimic surface insects.
Evolution of the "Dry" Fly
The 1870s marked a significant moment when the "dry fly" became officially recognized, thanks to Frederic Halford's efforts along England's chalk streams. Today, many popular 'classic' caddis flies, such as the Elk Hair Caddis introduced in 1957, are rooted in these centuries-old traditions of hair-wing and palmered-hackle designs, showcasing a rich history that continues to influence modern fly fishing.
In Alberta and the Western Canadian prairies, lake-dwelling caddisflies (sedges) are vital for healthy ecosystems and popular among anglers. They vary greatly by family, from tiny micro-caddis to large "Travelling Sedges". Understanding their life cycle is an important step towards your success.
Major Lake Species & Characteristics - for the nerds.
Travelling Sedges (Family: Phryganeidae), often lovingly called "Giant Case Makers," are the biggest species you'll encounter here. They usually grow to about 30–40 mm (around 1-1.5 inches). These captivating insects often have mottled brown or grey wings, complemented by beautiful light green, olive, or tan bodies, making them truly a wonderful sight to behold.
Long-horned Sedges (Family: Leptoceridae) are commonly found in stillwater habitats, where they're easily spotted because of their distinctive long antennae. They tend to be medium-sized, usually between 8 and 15 mm, making them quite noticeable. Colour-wise, they range from light brown to orange or tan. For example, the species Oecetis ditissa features a pale-yellow head with darker spots and light brown wings, adding to its charming appearance.
Fall Caddis / "October" Caddis (Family: Limnephilidae): Appreciated for their late-season appearance and vibrant colours.
Size: Quite large, typically measuring 20–25 mm.
Colour: Recognized for their lively orange to pumpkin-toned bodies and dark brown or grey wings.
Small Lake Sedges (Various Families): Many smaller species happily inhabit prairie lakes during the summer months, adding to the vibrant ecosystem.
Size: Typically small, ranging from 7 to 12 mm.
Colour: Most are dull, with shades of black, dark brown, or olive green.
Fishing Tips for Prairie Lakes – Pulling it off.
Caddis activity usually ramps up during the warm summer months, making those evening "caddis blizzards' particularly thrilling to watch.
During large Sedge Hatches in many Alberta lakes, you'll notice the emergence of lively "Travelling Sedges," often creating exciting surface fishing moments. Anglers love using popular patterns like the Elk Hair Caddis, Tom Thumb or Sedge Hogs for these energetic events. Patterns crafted with spun deer hair tend to work best, as they imitate the movement of a waking fly by moving a lot of water and remaining afloat for a long time. These profiles fit the Travelling Sedges perfectly, making your fishing experience even more enjoyable.
Elk Hair Caddis (Troth Style)
Colour Profile, and sizes may differ, the most commonly loved body colours in Alberta tend to be warm tan, soothing olive, rich brown, and classic black speckled.
When you start fishing dries, try to make your fly move with quick, light strokes rather than just letting it drift; a combination of both works best. Unlike a mayfly, a caddis fly on the water's surface doesn't stay still or look calm. It moves quickly, twitches, and drags itself across the water. A Waking Caddis, made of deer hair and a hydrophobic material blended, and carefully placed on a hook shank, is excellent for mimicking this movement on the water's surface. Allowing it to float perfectly still can actually hurt your chances of success. To imitate a real caddis, give your fly a gentle, short twitch by quickly raising and lowering your rod tip, or perform small, controlled, sharp line pulls to make the fly skitter or slide naturally. Just a couple of short lifts every few seconds, or a sharp pull on the line, often encourages fish to bite even when a perfect float isn't enough.
Along with movement, fly size is important. Bring two fly sizes and start with the smaller one. Fish in May are cautious after winter. In clear, cold water, a size 10 Waking Caddis often works better than a size 12. When unsure, choose a smaller size. If trout ignore your smaller fly, consider sizing up, especially in wavey water, choppy surface conditions, or at dusk when visibility drops. Sometimes, a larger silhouette can help attract attention.
Colour, too, can be a crucial factor during Caddis hatches. Check the natural fly's colour before selecting a fly. Many caddis on prairie lakes vary more than most anglers expect: grey, olive-brown, and tan hatches can occur miles apart. Spend thirty seconds catching and matching colour — it can make all the difference.
When matching the hatch doesn't work on top, try fishing just beneath the surface. An emerging caddis, wet fly, or soft hackle just below the surface can be most effective in the evening, especially during a hatch. Proven wet patterns like the Partridge & Orange (North Country Spiders) or a CDC Emerger work particularly well when trout are feeding on insects just below the surface. If the dry fly isn't producing, don't hesitate to fish beneath the surface or add a couple of dropper tags with a good emerger pattern.
To wrap up, don't forget to check your hook gap. Caddis patterns on wide-gape hooks tend to hook and hold onto fish more effectively than those on standard dry fly hooks. It might seem like a small tip, but it could help you land at least one more great fish this season—perhaps even more!
Pulling caddis dry flies under the surface to fish them as wet flies is a highly effective technique, often referred to as fishing "cripples," "submerged emergers," or "diving and egg laying caddis." This approach exploits specific behavioural stages of many lake caddisflies that trout frequently feed on, particularly when active surface feeding is not observed.
Advantages of Submerging Caddis Dry Flies
Imitates Egg-Laying Females: Some caddis species have females that dive underwater to lay eggs, making a submerged, swimming caddis fly a highly natural presentation. Adding a hot spot at the rear of the fly also helps. Effective hot-spot colours are Black, Fluorescent Green, or Fluorescent Orange.
Picture adult diving caddisflies quickly descending into the water, frantically swimming to the substrate to lay eggs. During this process, a submerged dry fly mimics either a lively pupa or an adult as it descends or returns to the surface, creating a visually engaging scene of life moving through the water column. The hanging part of the retrieve effectively simulates the ascending action, enabling a buoyant fly submerged below to rise naturally.
When fishing in rough, wind-swept, wavy, or choppy waters, standard or small dry flies might be harder for fish to spot or follow, in these conditions, a wet, submerged fly can often do a better job and draw fish out of deeper water, as will larger, buoyant deer hair-based dry flies.
Even when caddis isn't actively hatching, a large, hairy dry fly such as an Elk Hair Caddis or Waking Caddis can serve as an effective attractor pattern. By pulling it under, you'll often entice curious or aggressive fish to strike, making your fishing experience more enjoyable.
Tricks and Techniques for Submerging Caddis Flies
The Twitch/Skitter Technique: Instead of a pure dry drift, move the fly with a slight twitch or strip. A submerged or skating fly mimics a natural insect fluttering to escape or swimming to ascend or descend.
A wet fly style
Choose Specific Patterns: While there's a variety that can work, flies with soft hackles, like soft hackle pupa, tend to be especially effective—they gently pulsate and attract fish. A Brown or Tan Hackled Coachman is a timeless pattern that works really well for this. Palmered dry flies, such as Elk Hair Caddis, are also great choices, especially when pulled underwater. Using these can make your fishing trip more fun and rewarding!
Waking flies made of Deer Hair are versatile and effective. They float beautifully on the surface as a dry fly, and when pulled underwater, they create a subtle sound signature as they displace water. You can easily pull them under in the drift, and when you loosen your pull, they'll gently float back to the surface, resuming their natural drift. These features offer two great advantages, making them a valuable choice for fly fishing.
When fishing below the surface in calm waters, try a slow and steady retrieve, with occasional pauses to let the fly pulse and rise. This mimics the way a real, swimming creature moves, making your fly more enticing to fish.
This technique is best used on cloudy days, at dusk, or when you see fish swirling or breaking the surface just below the top layer.
Tying and fishing a Waking Deer Hair Caddis offers clear advantages by using the buoyancy and natural movement of deer hair, allowing the fly to be used both as a highly visible, active dry fly and as a versatile diving emerger or adult. Its main strength is its ability to imitate both an egg-laying adult skittering on the surface and a female diving to deposit eggs.
Uniquely, the Hends Deer Hair Dubbing mix is spun into a dubbing loop and wrapped from the top of the hook's bend towards the hook eye. Each wrap is folded back as you would fold a hackle on a wet fly. After tying off at the head, the fly is brushed vigorously to sweep away any trapped hair rearward. The hair is then clipped to shape, creating a natural tent-wing appearance.
Several European manufacturers produce Deer Hair Dubbing, with several major brands being based in or widely available throughout the European Union. This specialized fly-tying material is often a blend of cut, curled, and dyed winter deer hair, prized for its high buoyancy and coarse texture.
Common Characteristics
The hollow texture of deer hair makes this dubbing a fantastic choice for creating dry flies that always stay afloat, such as Goddard Sedges or Waking Caddis patterns. Its rougher texture compared to most other dubbings, such as rabbit or squirrel, allows it to beautifully mimic insect wings or add a charming touch with "muddler-style" heads. Because of its coarseness, it's best to apply it with a dubbing loop or split-thread technique rather than twisting it directly onto the thread.
Creating your own custom Deer Hair Dubbing blend is a wonderful way to tailor your fly patterns. You get to decide the buoyancy, texture, and the charming "glint" that makes your flies stand out. Mix the natural hollow qualities of deer hair with synthetic fibres like Poly Yarn or Predator Fibre, and add some Flash for that eye-catching sparkle. It's a versatile and lively material that can really bring your fly tying to life!
1. Prepare Your Materials
Deer Hair: Snip a clump of deer hair from the hide. You can use long guard hairs for a spikey, coarse texture or the soft underfur for a finer, more traditional dubbing feel.
Synthetic Fibres: Cut your Poly Yarn, or Predator Fibre, into roughly 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths. Shorter lengths are easier to blend and dub onto the thread.
Flash: Select a flash material like Metallic Dubbing, Angel Hair, or holographic fibres. A small amount goes a long way.
2. Measure and Mix
Ratio Control: The mix should be about 80% Deer Hair, 20% Synthetic fibre.
Flash Amount: Add flash sparingly—start with a small pinch (about 5-10% of the total volume) and increase only if you want a high-visibility "attractor" style.
3. Blend Using a Coffee Grinder
A dedicated coffee grinder (not used for food) is the most efficient tool for creating a consistent "cloud" of dubbing.
· Load the Grinder: Place the cut deer hair, synthetic fibres, and flash into the grinder.
· Short Pulses: Use quick, short pulses (1-2 seconds) rather than a long continuous grind.
· This prevents the synthetic fibres from melting or twisting into tight knots.
· Check and Re-blend: Shake the grinder or stir the mixture between pulses to ensure the flash is evenly distributed throughout the fibres
4. Test Your Custom Dubbing
The Noodle Test: Take a small pinch of your new blend and try to twist it onto a piece of tying thread. If it's too coarse and won't stick, you may need to add a softer synthetic fibre or use dubbing wax.
The Velcro Test: Dub a small section on a hook and rough it up with Velcro. This will show you how many "guard hairs" or "legs" the blend will produce once brushed out.
Recommended Tools for Custom Blending
A modified electronic Ikea Coffee Frother works really well. Cut the frothing head off using a pair of side cutters. Then, on the remaining stem, gently create a small hook with the side cutters to easily grab the dubbing loop. Twist the dubbing loop together with the dubbing mix until it forms a nice, tight noodle-like rope.
For a Waking Caddis, the goal is to balance natural movement with high visibility in the surface film and when pulled under as a diving or egg-laying caddis fly. The choice of Predator Fibre and Hends Metallic Dubbing offers excellent durability and light reflection.
Recommended Combinations for Your Blend
The "Natural Tan" Blend
Fibre: Predator Fibres Caddis Tan. It's perfect for mimicking the look of common light-brown or cinnamon caddis species. Plus, it's fully hydrophobic, so your fly remains light and wakes beautifully, even after many casts or when fished in a diving fashion.
Flash: Hends Metallic Dubbing Gold (MD02). Gold offers a lovely, warm glow that closely resembles the translucent, brownish shimmer of a caddis wing in the gentle afternoon sun.
The "High-Contrast Green" Blend
Fibre: Predator Fibres Caddis Green are ideal for matching Grannom or Rhyacophila (Green Sedge) hatches. The gentle "kink" in these fibres enhances the fly's silhouette, giving it a fuller look without adding any extra weight.
Flash: Hends Metallic Dubbing Silver (MD03) is a wonderful choice for adding a stunning "mirror" effect to your surface or the entire fly pattern. It beautifully resembles the air bubble caught when a caddis emerges or lays eggs, making your creation even more realistic and captivating.
Why This Mix Works
Hydrophobic Performance: Predator Fibres are engineered to shed water instantly on the back cast. Mixed with hollow deer hair, this ensures your Waking Caddis never gets "waterlogged" and becomes one of those never-sink fly patterns.
Flash: Hends Metallic Dubbing consists of extremely fine, soft metallic filaments (human hair thickness). Unlike coarse tinsels, these fine fibres blend seamlessly into your deer hair/synthetic mix, providing a subtle, uniform "shimmer" rather than distinct, clunky flashes.
Brushing Potential: Both materials are ideal for brushing once the fly is tied. Use a small piece of Velcro to "tease out" the metallic fibres and Predator strands, creating a buggy, leggy profile that enhances the wake.
Integrating the Deer Hair, Hends Metallic Dubbing and Predator Fibres into a waxed dubbing loop is the most effective way to create a dense, "Muddled-style body/wing for a Waking Caddis. This technique ensures coarse materials like deer hair are locked in tight so they don't fall out during aggressive surface retrieves.
Step-by-Step Guide for a Waking Caddis Head
Create the Loop: Near the hook eye, pull down about 3–4 inches of thread. Loop it around your finger and bring the bobbin back over the hook shank. Wrap the thread around the base of the loop to form a tight "V" shape, ensuring there is no gap where material could slip out. Attach a Dubbing Spinner to the bottom of the loop.
Prepare the Dubbing Blend: Mix your Deer Hair, Predator Fibre, and a small amount of Hends Metallic Dubbing (Silver or Gold) in a coffee grinder using a pulsing action. Do not run a continuous spin, as that will chop up the deer hair into small, fine sections.
Load the Loop: Gently open the loop and carefully insert your material blend. For a charming "Muddler" effect, try to center the fibres so they extend evenly on both sides of the thread. If the material feels a bit too "slippery,' apply a tiny bit of Dubbing Wax to the thread before loading it up.
Spin the Spinner: Give your tool a firm spin. The two strands of thread will twist together, gently trapping the deer hair, predator fibre, and metallic flash into a sturdy, spiky "rope" that will hold your dubbing materials securely. A 100-denier (6/0) UHMPE thread (Nano Threads) with a high breaking strain works best to get a tight dubbing rope.
Wrap and Preen: Wind the dubbed rope forward toward the eye. With every turn, use your fingers to stroke the fibres rearward. This prevents you from trapping the fibres under the next wrap and helps build a dense, rearward-facing body and wing.
Secure and Trim: Once you reach the eye, secure the loop with a few thread wraps and snip off the excess. Use sharp scissors to trim the body flat on the bottom of the fly into your desired caddis shape—typically a flat bottom to sit flush on the water and a tent-shaped top to cut through air and create that "V" wake. The fly can be cauterized with a lighter, but wet the entire fly first to control the burn rate.
