October Caddis
Caddis fly top to bottom.
🐛 What Is a Caddisfly?
Caddisflies belong to the insect order Trichoptera, closely related to moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera). They are known for their aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults, and play a vital role in freshwater ecosystems.
🌊 Life Cycle & Habitat
• Eggs: Laid in jelly-like masses that swell in water. Females may deposit them on stones or aquatic plants.
• Larvae: Aquatic and famous for building protective cases from silk and debris like sand, twigs, or pebbles.
• Pupae: Develop inside their cases before emerging as adults.
• Adults: Moth-like, with hairy wings. They live near water but typically do not feed and have short lifespans.
Caddisfly larvae are found in:
• Streams and rivers
• Lakes and ponds
• Spring seeps and even temporary pools
• Some species live in marine intertidal zones or damp leaf litter
🧵 Case Building Behavior
One of the most iconic traits of caddisfly larvae is their case construction:
• Integripalpia: Build portable cases and move around.
• Annulipalpia: Create fixed retreats and wait for food.
• There are free living Larvae that do not create a case at all.
Throughout a caddisfly’s one-year development, the aquatic larva passes through five instars—the stages between successive molts. There are a few species that produce two broods a year, and some case makers actually remain in the river longer than a year. During the pupal stage the larva is protected in a sealed case or cocoon prior to the development of the winged adult. During emergence, the pupae rip through the cocoons and swim rapidly to the surface. The winged adult remains protected by the pupal cuticles until it breaks the surface tension (meniscus)and becomes airborne
Tying Instructions
(Elk Hair Style)
Material’s list:
Hook: Ahrex FW501 size 10
Thread: Nanosilk 12/0 Brown
Body: Hareline Fly Fish Food’s Bruiser Blend - Sunburst
Hackle: Ginger hackle feather – palmered over the body
Thorax: Natural Squirrel Dubbing/one half of a CDC Select feather – tied in split thread technique
Wing: Light Natural Deer Hair
Personal Tying instructions
1. Start the thread approximately 2 eye lengths behind the eye to leave room up front to tie in the deer hair wing.
2. Advance thread back to the bend of the hook.
3. Tie in a prepped ginger hackle feather by the tip – wrap the thread over the tip of the feather back up front to the tie in point.
4. Move the thread back to the bend of the hook and form a dubbing noodle and spin a dubbed body up the shank stopping short of the original tie in point.
5. Spin a thorax of natural squirrel dubbing and ½ of a cdc feather still leaving room behind the eye for the deer hair wing – use the split thread or dubbing loop technique to spin the sparse but buggy thorax.
6. Tie in a clump of cleaned and stacked light natural deer hair in front of the thorax. Work the thread up through the butts of the deer hair and whip finish under the butts behind the eye of the hook. (The length of the deer hair should be a bit longer than the actual bend of the hook)
Other notes: The darker thorax provides some contrast to the pattern and the cdc fibers add the look of the longer legs on the adult caddis fly.
Soft Hackle Fly
Material list
Hook: Ahrex FW521 size 10
Thread: Nanosilk 12/0 Brown
Body: Hareline Fly Fish Food’s Bruiser Blend - Sunburst
Rib: Copper Ultra Wire – Brassie size
Thorax: Natural Squirrel Dubbing
Hackle: Ruffed Grouse soft hackle feather
Head: Small thread head directly in front of the hackle collar
Personal Tying instructions
1. Attach thread about one eye length back from the eye of the hook.
2. Advance the thread back to the bend of the hook.
3. Tie in copper brassie size ultra wire and cover the wire with the thread back up front to the tie in point.
4. Move the thread back to the bend and form a dubbing noodle and wrap a dubbed tapered body up to just short of the tie in point.
5. Counter rib the copper wire forward over the dubbed body and tie off the wire.
6. Spin up a thorax of natural squirrel dubbing directly in front of the dubbed body.
7. Prep a Ruffed Grouse soft hackle feather to tie in soft hackle style. (Removing the fluffy fibers from the bottom, clipping the left side of the fibers off close to the stem and forming a small triangle at the top of the feather for a tie in section).
8. Use your hackle pliers to spin the soft hackle feather (probably about 2 turns) in front of the thorax and tie off.
9. Form a small head with the thread in front of the hackle and whip finish to complete the fly.
Other notes: I never weight any of my soft hackle flies. Whether tied below a dry as a dropper or part of a multiple wet fly rig, I feel thy have more natural movement with the currents if they are unweighted. The soft hackle collar is tied sparsely to provide even more movement.
Larvae
Material’s list:
Hook: Fulling Mill FM5065 size 10
thread: Nanosilk 12/0 Brown
Weight: 12 wraps of .020 lead wire
Body: Hareline Fly Fish Food’s Bruiser Blend - Sunburst
Rib: Small Spanflex - Ginger
Thorax: Natural Squirrel Dubbing/one half of a CDC Select feather tied in split thread technique or using a dubbing loop – picked out and very buggy
Head: Thread head in front of thorax
Personal Tying instructions
1. Start by wrapping about 12 wraps of .020 lead wire onto the curved hook shank.
2. Tie in the thread in front of lead wire and wrap overtop, in front and behind the lead wire covering it and securing it in that position.
3. Advance the thread back deep into the bend of the hook.
4. Tie in the spanflex ribbing material and tie down back to the rear of the lead wire.
5. Move the thread back to the rear and create a dubbing loop and form a dubbed body over top of the lead wire.
6. Counter rib the spanflex forward over the dubbed body and tie off up front leaving enough room to form a very buggy thorax.
7. Spin up a thorax of natural squirrel dubbing and ½ of a select cdc feather, picking it out to make a very buggy darker thorax. Use the split thread or dubbing loop technique to spin the thorax.
8. Form a thread head and whip finish in front of the thorax to complete the fly.
Other notes: The addition of lead wire under the body adds weight so this fly will run in the lower part of the water column where caddis larvae generally are located.