X Caddis
Hook: Tiemco 100 or 102 Y – or equivalent dry fly hook
Tail/Shuck: Gold or Amber Z-lon
Body: Emergent Caddis Dubbing (there are a number of materials out
there) Color to match the naturals – green, tan, brown & black.
Wing: Deer Hair
There are a number of “elk hair” caddis patterns out there, most of which sit higher in the water. This one is a killer for two reasons. First the fly sits very low on the surface. I believe it’s easier for trout to focus in on its meal. Fish can capture emerging insects at a time when they are still struggling to leave the water. Secondly the “trailing shuck” presents the caddis at an extremely vulnerable stage. This particular pattern imitates a caddis having difficulty emerging from, and partially trapped in, its pupal shuck. I’m not normally a fan of man made tying materials, but I remember years ago when this material first came out, clobbering a lot more fish on the Housatonic when I used caddis trailing Z-lon. The results were, and still are, amazing. Z-lon is water repellent material and traps air bubbles. To tie it cover the length of hook with thread. Tie in a shuck of Z-lon approximately ½ the length of the hook shank. Dub the body forward leaving enough room for a deer hair wing. For the wing there are two theories of thought. One is to stack the deer hair prior to mounting it, the other to tie it to the shank without the stacking to closely resemble a natural insect. When tying on your wing take two loose wraps and then bind down harder with additional wraps on the deer hair wing. Wrap though the “butt” ends of the deer hair to securely bind your wing to the hook. The wing should be full and tied shorter than a normal adult caddis. Clip the butt end of the deer hair as you would with any elk hair type pattern