Fly Tying: The Elk Hair Caddis

Article contributed by Field Staff Writer M. Spencer.

Tied small enough, the Elk Hair Caddis is capable of imitating everything from the smallest caddis and mayflies to a cluster of midges or a drowning ant. Tied large enough, it can be used as a stonefly, mayfly, monster caddis, or even a grasshopper. Click “Read More” for step by step instructions.

The Elk Hair Caddis is also one of the simplest dry flies to tie.

Hook: Dry Fly hook of your choice in size 8-20 (or smaller if you can pull it off)

Body: Dubbing of your choice. I prefer either Hareline Superfine or Flytyersdungeon Frawg Hair dubbings.

Rib: Dry fly hackle, matched to hook size. 90% of the time I’m using either brown or grizzly.

Wing: Elk Hock or Yearling Elk.

Step 1: Starting at the eye of the hook, wrap a single thread layer toward the bend of the hook, stopping just before the bend.
Step 2: Tie in a hackle feather by the tip.
Step 3: Wrap a body of dubbing covering the rear ¾ of the hook shank.
Step 4: Palmer your hackle up to the dubbing using relatively close wraps.
Step 5: Tie off your hackle.
Step 6: Take a small clump of your Elk hair, align the tips, and with the tips extending just beyond the bend of the hook, tie them to the top of the hook shank. Make sure you hold them on top while tightening the thread to keep the wing from spinning.
Step 7: Whip finish and cement.

Read about The Top Five Flies to Catch Trout Anywhere