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Wheat Light Elk Hair Caddis

by @dekasso

Wheat Light Elk Hair Caddis — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly

Pale wings over evening riffles

A tan Elk Hair Caddis dry fly on a size 14 hook, with a segmented V-Rib body, for trout during caddis hatches.

A tan Elk Hair Caddis dry fly with a ridged, segmented body and a flared hair wing. Tan elk hair, tan hackle and tan V-Rib give it one soft wheat colour from tail to eye.

Pattern
Elk Hair Caddis
Imitates
Tan caddis hatch, typically late spring and summer evenings
Hook
size 14
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Segmented tan V-Rib body
  • Tan elk hair wing floats high
  • Tan hackle collar at the head
  • Size 14 dry fly hook
  • Matches tan caddis hatches

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Wheat-coloured elk hair sweeps back over a body of tight tan ridges. A collar of tan hackle splays beneath the eye, and the whole fly reads one warm shade against the light.

Fish it in riffles and pocket water when caddis are popping at dusk. Dead-drift it first, then give it a small twitch or let it skate at the end of the swing, the way a laying female skitters on the surface.

V-Rib wrapped with each turn just touching the last builds those clean segments. Stretch it lightly as you wrap so the ridges stay even and the body stays slim.

A coiled leader, tippet spools and an open fly box on slate

Rigging

Tippet
5Xhook size divided by three
Leader
Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
  • Rig on 5X tippet and dress the wing with floatant before the first cast.
  • Dead-drift through riffle seams, then let it skate or twitch as the line tightens.
  • Fish it as the top fly over a small dropper nymph in broken water.

Where and when

Hatch
Tan caddis hatch, typically late spring and summer evenings
Target
Trout
Water type
Riffles, pocket water and freestone runs
Also fishes
Works as a searching dry on small freestone streams and along grassy stillwater edges when caddis are around.

Make it yourself

Intermediate4 materials · 10 steps

Pattern
Elk Hair Caddis
Style
Dry fly
Hook
Dry fly hooksize 14
Thread
Tan 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. BodyTan V-Rib
  2. WingTan elk hair
  3. HackleTan dry fly hackle
  4. HeadTan 8/0 thread

Details

Imitates
Caddisfly
Colors
Tan, Cream, Wheat
A fly-tying vise holding a bare hook on a wooden bench

How to tie it

The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
  1. Mount the size 14 dry fly hook in the vise and start the tan 8/0 thread behind the eye, then wrap back to the bend.
  2. Tie in the tan V-Rib at the bend with the flat side down and bring the thread forward to the three-quarter point.
  3. Wrap the V-Rib forward in touching turns with light tension to form even segments, ending at the three-quarter point.
  4. Tie off the V-Rib and trim the excess cleanly.
  5. Clean the underfur from a pencil-thick bunch of tan elk hair and even the tips in a stacker.
  6. Measure the wing so the tips reach just past the bend, then tie it in with two loose wraps followed by firm ones.
  7. Trim the elk hair butts at a slight angle, leaving a short stub ahead of the tie-in point.
  8. Tie in the tan hackle feather by the stem just ahead of the wing.
  9. Wrap the hackle forward in three to four close turns to the eye and tie it off.
  10. Build a small, neat tan thread head, whip finish and trim the thread.
Proportions (4)
  • Body: covers the rear three-quarters of the hook shank.
  • Wing: tips extend just past the bend of the hook.
  • Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
  • Head: small, leaving the eye clear for the tippet.
Tips (3)
  • Stack the elk hair well so the wing tips line up in a clean tent.
  • Keep the V-Rib wraps touching but not overlapping for crisp segments.
  • Use only a few hackle turns so the collar supports the fly without hiding the body.
Common mistakes (3)
  • Leaving underfur in the elk hair makes a mushy wing; comb it out before stacking.
  • Too much thread tension on the elk hair spins it around the hook; use two soft wraps first.
  • A bulky head crowds the eye; trim the butts short and keep wraps few.
A dozen-fly materials kit laid out on slate with its recipe card.
The kit

Every kit size

Materials only

Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies

$37.35

$3.11 a fly

Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$5.501 patch
  • Tan dry fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies

$65.31

$1.36 a fly

Bought separately $68.75 · you save $3.44

Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$112 patches
  • Tan dry fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies

$153.87

$1.07 a fly

Bought separately $174.85 · you save $20.98

Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$224 patches
  • Tan dry fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

With vise & tools

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies

$187.35

$15.61 a fly

Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$5.501 patch
  • Tan dry fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies

$207.81

$4.33 a fly

Bought separately $218.75 · you save $10.94

Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$112 patches
  • Tan dry fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies

$285.87

$1.99 a fly

Bought separately $324.85 · you save $38.98

Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Tan V-Rib$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Tan elk hair$224 patches
  • Tan dry fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

The creator

An illustrated portrait for Dekasso (an illustration, not a photograph)

Dekasso

@dekasso

Wherever the truck rolls to a stop.

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See everything by @dekasso

How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 11 Saved

Remixes

2 steps back

  1. Smoke Wing Thread Body Caddis@dekasso · the original
  2. Amber Glass Caddis Emerger — a fly pattern by DekassoAmber Glass Caddis Emerger@dekasso
  3. Wheat Light Elk Hair Caddisyou are here

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

“shift the colors from brown to tan”

fly pattern · made

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  • elk hair caddis
  • caddis
  • dry fly
  • tan
  • trout
  • segmented body
  • elk hair
  • v-rib
  • size 14
  • riffles