Flies

Dancing Caddis Fly

Origin

When one thinks about tying Caddis flies, the name of Gary La Fontaine comes up much more than any other. The Dancing Caddis is one of many patterns developed by Gary, and was introduced in 1977. He was author of numerous books; one of the most famous is "Caddisflies." He had a regular column on caddis in the Fly Tyer Magazine. He passed away in 2002 and will be much missed.

Pattern

  • Hook-Partridge Swedish dry fly - sizes 12 to 16.
  • Thread-size 6/0 and 8/0, color to match the body.
  • Tail-small bunch of hackle fibers, color to match the body.
  • Body-fine dubbing, various colors to match the natural insects ( favorites are: olive, tan, and cinnamon ).
  • Wing-deer hair; natural or dyed to match the natural fly.
  • Hackle-dry fly hackle - tan or light brown.

Tying Instructions

  • Tie on a short/small bunch of hackle feathers at the bend of the hook for a tail.
  • Wrap the dubbing from the tail over the entire hook shank and on up to the first bend.
  • After stacking the deer hair, tie on the flat part of the hook near the eye of the hook.
  • The deer hair wings should be slightly longer than the hook.
  • Tie the hackle on and wrap several times around the flat part of the hook.
  • Tie off the hackle and wrap a small head with the thread.

Flies Imitated

It is a great imitation of an egg laying female. It is best to use when swarms of adult caddis return to the river of stream to lay eggs.