Diving/Emerger
Caddis Beadhead (Wet)
A new dual purpose Diving/Emerger Caddis pattern which incorporates the two most
successful Caddis imitations used by a multitude of Flyfishers. These patterns are
LaFontaines Sparkle Pupa and the Nemes Soft Hackle imitations. Most Flyfishers are
familiar with the hatch that involves the erratic dancing adult Caddis which lays it's
eggs on the surface of the water, but the majority of Caddis species dive to the bottom of
the stream to deposit their eggs on rocks, gravel and debris. The later is usually not
readily apparent to the casual observer and when it resurfaces, it can easily imitate the
emerging Caddis. This activity accounts
for the reason that an essentially dry type Elk Hair Caddis may successfully be used
subsurface. What a pleasure to have such a dual purpose pattern in your flybox and it
gives the Flyfishing Community an ironclad out when asked which stage of the hatch they
happen to be imitating. The pattern is a pleasure to tie and particularly eliminates the
special knack required when tying the Sparkly Pupa envelope.
This fly is fished in the usual dead drift, down
and across, or simply dragging in the current with an occassional twitch employed in all
methods. An alternate method to the twitch would be lifting, then relaxing the rod tip to
imitate the diving and emerging phases of this insect's lifestyle. Used thus far has been
very encouraging, do don't miss out on the fun. The beadhead usually provides sufficent
weight to get tthe fly down near the bottom of the stream. |
|
| Materials |
| Hook |
Mustad 9672, Sizes 14-16; Mustad 9671, Sizes
12-16; Tiemco 2302, Sizes 14-16 |
| Thread |
Olive 6/0, 8/0 (Match Body Color) |
| Tail |
None |
| Overbody |
White, Orange, Olive, or Brown Antron or Zelon |
| Body |
Peacock Herl. Brown Olive, Light or Medium Olive,
Chartreuise, Pale Morning Dun, or Grey Magic Dub |
| Rib |
Fine Green Copper Wire |
| Overwing |
Antron or Zelon. Colors as specified in Overbody
Sheath above |
| Beadhead |
1/8 Brass or Silver Bead |
Tying
Instructions
1. Properly place hook in vise. Elevate hook eye slightly above horizontal to compensate
for hook bending downward during tying operations.2. Apply thread behind the hook eye and wrap tightly back to the bend of
the hook. Cut off excess thread.
3. Tie in a full piece of white spooled Antron.
Comb out a small section of the Antron with a dubbing needle before ttie in so that it
will spread slightly when tied in a later sequence.
4. Tie in three strands of Peacock Herl and a piece
of fine green wire at the bend of the hook. Arrange the Peacock Herl so the long fibers
will point outward when wrapped. Wrap the Peacock Herl to the 2/3 hook shank position and
cut off the excess herl. Wrap about four or five wraps of fine green wire up to the thread
position and cut off the excess.
5. Tie in a small Partridge feather or mottled Hen
Saddle feather by the tip at the 2/3 hood shank position and wrap a maximum of two wraps
as a collar. Clip off the excess. Cut out the center of the hackle collar that protruds on
top of the hood. Pull the Antron yarn that was initially tied in at the bend of the hook
overtop the body as a sheath, tie off and cutt off the excess. Partridge hackle purchased
in packages is seldom small enough for this type fly as the smaller hackle is removed for
commercial tying purposes. The best bet is to purchase a full partridge skin or a mottled
hen saddle which is much cheaper.
6. Tie in about half a thickness of the Antron yarn
on top of the fly as a downwing. The length of the downwing should be the length of the
hook. Clip off the excess. Whip finish the head area, clip off tying thread in preparation
for installing the beadhead.
7. Place a drop of Zap-A-Gap CA+ directly on the
hook eye. Slip a 1/8" bead (large drilled out opening facing toward bend of hook) and
tap lightly on top of bead so that it makes contact with the hook. Take note that the
Zap-A-Gap is sucked inside the bead when it is slipped over the hook eye. Placing the
Zap-A-Gap on the hook eye prevents it from absorbing into the body material before the
bead is installed. Also note that the bead comletely covers the threaded eye area which
results in a much neater fly. Place a needle tip into the hook eye for a few seconds to
remove any Zap-A-Gap that may have lingered at this spot.
Note. If placing the bead over the hook eye as
described, it will be necessary to redrill the existing hole in the bead with a #53 wire
drill or adjust the drill size accordingly for larger or smaller hooks. Of all the methods
I have encountered for placing a bead on the hook, the method described here is the one
that I have developed and prefer. |
