6Fold-Over EHC Head
The Elk-Hair Caddis has caught a lot of fish for us over the years, and no doubt for you, too. One afternoon, while lying on the bank of a river near our home, we wondered if we could improve on the original fly design. Since that time we’ve tried several ideas with the goal of improving the pattern’s flotation while reducing the overall profile. The Stub-Tail Caddis is our answer. We like tying it with and without hackle. Here is the no-hackle version.
7Tie the Fold-Over RC
One day at a fly fishing show in San Mateo, California, we found a pattern tied by Ralph Cutter that we thought was a great twist on the Elk-Hair Caddis. We immediately added it to our fly boxes. Later, we combined Ralph’s pattern with our Stub-Tail Caddis and created the Fold-Over RC. This pattern is one you should test on your home waters; you won’t be disappointed!
8Better Compara-dun Wings
Have you ever tied a great-looking bunch of Compara-duns, placed them in your fly box, and then later, when you went to use them, discovered that all the wings had tipped forward? We struggled with this problem until Marvin Nolte and Brett Phillips came to our rescue. They both showed us this trick, but we just can’t remember which one shared it first, so we credit them both.
9The Fold-Over Humpy
There are numerous ways to TIE Humpies, and all the flies end up looking very similar. The fold-over technique is the fastest method we’ve found, but it is challenging: Making proper measurements is critical and they are easy to mess up. We made a gauge to help with the process. If this sounds interesting, read on!
10A Hackle Director Takes Control
When we hear the word director, we think of someone who controls things, like the director of a movie. In this case, a hackle director, which is a small device we make from monofilament, controls the hackle on a fly. Here our fly is a parachute pattern with a wing of cul de canard; in most situations, CDC is not strong enough to support a parachute hackle. That is when we use a hackle director.
Al and Gretchen Beatty are two professional tiers who live in Idaho. They also write books, make tying videos, and travel the country giving fly tying demonstrations. Be sure to check out their website, www.btsflyfishing.com.
