Lime Tinsel Elk Hair Caddis
by @dekasso
Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly
Lime bands glinting over a misty run
An Elk Hair Caddis dry fly on a size 14 hook, with lime tinsel rib and CDC-blended wing, for trout during caddis hatches.
An elk hair caddis dry fly with a slim tan body banded in bright lime tinsel and a soft swept-back wing. The wing blends sparse elk hair with dun CDC, finished with a few turns of grizzly hackle and a clipped elk head.
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Imitates
- Adult caddis hatch and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Lime tinsel rib bands a slim tan body
- Elk hair wing blended with dun CDC
- Light grizzly hackle behind the head
- Size 14 dry-fly hook
- Clipped elk butts form the head
On the water
Lime green tinsel wraps a slim tan body in clean, even bands. Above it, a thin elk hair wing mixes with soft dun CDC, and a few turns of grizzly hackle sit just behind the clipped elk head. Behind it, the river runs green and grey under morning haze.
Fish it through riffles and the seams at the head of a run when caddis start skittering in the evening. Dead-drift it first, then give it a small twitch so it skates an inch, the way an egg-laying female dips and lifts off the surface.
CDC and elk in one wing take a light hand. Stack the elk, lay the CDC under it, and tie both down with soft, firm wraps so the CDC fibres stay loose and lively instead of crushed flat.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 5X tippet; drop to 6X on slick, clear water.
- Treat the elk with floatant but keep it off the CDC; use a powder dressing there.
- Dead-drift first, then add a short twitch to skate it across the seam.
Where and when
- Water
- Henry's Fork of the Snake, Eastern Idaho
- Hatch
- Adult caddis hatch and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, pocket water and freestone runs
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well on slower flats and pool tails, and as a dry on top of a dry-dropper rig with a small nymph below.
Also on this water
- Green DrakeJun
- Pale Morning DunJun–Jul
- Brown DrakeJun
- TricoAug–Sep
Fished out of Last Chance, Island Park and Ashton.
Make it yourself
Intermediate7 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Tan 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailNatural elk hair fibres
- RibLime green tinsel
- BodyTan hare's ear dubbing
- UnderwingNatural dun CDC
- WingSparse natural elk hair
- HackleGrizzly
- HeadTrimmed elk hair butts
Details
- Imitates
- Caddisfly
- Colors
- Tan, Lime green, Grizzly grey, Natural dun
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 14 dry-fly hook in the vise and start the tan 8/0 thread at the eye, wrapping back to the bend.
- Tie in a small bunch of elk hair fibres as a tail, about half a shank length long.
- Tie in the lime green tinsel at the bend and leave it hanging.
- Dub a slim, lightly tapered body of tan hare's ear forward to about three quarters of the shank.
- Wrap the lime tinsel forward in five or six evenly spaced turns, tie it off and trim.
- Lay a small clump of dun CDC on top of the body as an underwing, tips reaching the bend.
- Stack a sparse bunch of elk hair and tie it on over the CDC, tips just past the bend, with two soft wraps then firm ones.
- Tie in a grizzly hackle just behind the head and wind two or three light, open turns.
- Tie off the hackle, trim the excess, and clip the elk butts square to form a short head.
- Whip finish behind the eye and add a drop of head cement to the thread.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about half a shank length, sparse.
- Body: slim, covering roughly three quarters of the shank.
- Wing: elk tips reaching just past the bend, CDC the same length beneath.
- Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap, only two or three turns.
- Head: clipped elk butts roughly the width of the hook eye.
Tips (4)
- Keep the dubbing thin so the tinsel bands show clearly against the tan.
- Clean and stack the elk hair so the wing tips line up evenly.
- Wind the grizzly hackle open and light so the wing profile stays visible.
- Use powder floatant on the finished fly to keep the CDC fluffy.
Common mistakes (4)
- Too much elk hair makes a bulky wing; use a thin pencil-width bunch.
- Wraps that are too tight crush the CDC; ease off with the first two turns.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the head; stop the body short.
- Uneven tinsel spacing looks messy; count your turns before you start.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$58.55
$4.88 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 10 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Lime green tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$5.50
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Natural dun CDC$6.95
- Sparse natural elk hair$5.50
- Grizzly$11.95
- Trimmed elk hair butts$5.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$106.31
$2.21 a fly
Bought separately $111.90 · you save $5.59
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 10 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Lime green tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$11
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Natural dun CDC$20.85
- Sparse natural elk hair$11
- Grizzly$23.90
- Trimmed elk hair butts$11
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$238.35
$1.66 a fly
Bought separately $270.85 · you save $32.50
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 10 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$8.85
- Lime green tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$22
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Natural dun CDC$55.60
- Sparse natural elk hair$22
- Grizzly$71.70
- Trimmed elk hair butts$22
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$208.55
$17.38 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 19 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Lime green tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$5.50
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Natural dun CDC$6.95
- Sparse natural elk hair$5.50
- Grizzly$11.95
- Trimmed elk hair butts$5.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$248.81
$5.18 a fly
Bought separately $261.90 · you save $13.09
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 19 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Lime green tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$11
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Natural dun CDC$20.85
- Sparse natural elk hair$11
- Grizzly$23.90
- Trimmed elk hair butts$11
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$370.35
$2.57 a fly
Bought separately $420.85 · you save $50.50
Includes Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook · and 19 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$8.85
- Lime green tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Natural elk hair fibres$22
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Natural dun CDC$55.60
- Sparse natural elk hair$22
- Grizzly$71.70
- Trimmed elk hair butts$22
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
Remixed from
- Lime Tinsel Elk Hair Caddisyou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“make the body slightly thinner and chain the rib to a lime green tensil. Make the wings so far less elk hair strands and that the remain strands are blended with a brown cdc. on the neck just behind the head spin a couple light wraps of a grizzly hackle”
fly pattern · made
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- elk hair caddis
- caddis
- dry fly
- cdc
- lime green
- tinsel rib
- grizzly hackle
- trout
- size 14
- riffles