CDC Caddis Dry Fly
I’ve always liked the CDC Caddis Dry Fly pattern, but always struggled with the trimming of the CDC feathers. Somewhere in my mind I’m stuck on the thought that to use this material, the aligned natural tips of the feathers should be the outer extent of the wings. I think can say with some certainty that it matters very little to the trout.
Having now tied this pattern for a few seasons, I’ve found a benefit of the trimming; it allows you to use up all the imperfect CDC feathers you have. Even with a pack of "premium" CDC, there is lots of "less-than-premium" material. The only change I’ve made to this pattern is the addition of the white CDC for visibility. Otherwise, the hook, dubbing and CDC colors can be substituted to suit the hatch you plan to fish. I tend to pack as much CDC in the wing as I think I can manage in the interest of buoyancy. It is a fast pattern to tie, great for fishing those spots choked with overhanging cedars….hungry for your flies!
Note: In the right size and color, this pattern will produce well during mayfly hatches too. I tie some size #18s and #20s with tails in pale olive, and fish them as caddis and BWOs. If there are lots of caddis on the water and the trout are refusing the fly, I’ll simply trim the tails off.
Tying The CDC Caddis Dry Fly Pattern
Hook:Tiemco 101 size #16 (or any standard dry fly hook)
Thread:8/0 to match dubbing
Body:Dry fly dubbing (Davy Wotton SLF "Minky" Dry Fly Dubbing used here)
Wing:Natural and White CDC feathers
Tie in thread, wind back to the bend of the hook. Begin dubbing the body, tapered to match the shape of a caddis fly. (opposite to the taper used to imitate mayflies)
Align and stack approx. 8 CDC feathers and tie them in so that they extend beyond the bend of the hook a little. Tie them in about 1/16" back from the eye of the hook, pinching them so that the fibers don’t slip down the sides.
Align the tips of 2 White CDC feathers and tie them in approx. half the length of the wing.
Stroke all the fibers FORWARD of the tie-in point up and back. Make several wraps of thread under the wing to help keep the tips of the feathers away from the eye, and to help secure the wing. You can add the head cement to these wraps now, or when the fly is complete.
Trim the wing at approx. the angle shown on my scissors in this shot. I know that caddis wings extend well beyond their abdomens, but the first time I saw this fly it was tied this way. ( The trout seem to be OK with the proportions too!)
Vise by, Peakfishing.com
