Back

Basalt Canyon Elk Hair Caddis

by @john

Basalt Canyon Elk Hair Caddis — a fly pattern by John
More by @john

Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly

Tan wings over a roaring canyon

A classic Elk Hair Caddis dry fly in tan and brown, size 14, for trout rising to adult caddis in riffles and pocket water.

An Elk Hair Caddis dry fly sits in a brass vise above a whitewater canyon of dark basalt and sage. It carries a tan dubbed body ribbed in gold wire, a palmered brown hackle and a pale elk hair wing.

Pattern
Elk Hair Caddis
Imitates
Adult caddis hatches and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
Hook
size 14
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Elk hair wing floats high in riffles
  • Palmered brown hackle down the body
  • Gold wire rib protects the hackle
  • Tan dubbed body, size 14 dry hook
  • Clipped elk butts form the head

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Pale elk hair sweeps back over a segmented tan body. Brown hackle bristles down its length, and a stubby clipped head sits behind the eye. Behind it, white water tumbles between rust-coloured rock and dusty sage.

Drop it at the head of a riffle or tight to a boulder seam and let it bounce down drag-free. When caddis are skittering in the evening, give it a small twitch to make it hop. The hair and hackle keep it riding high in broken water.

Counter-wrapped gold wire is the detail that matters. Wind it forward in the opposite direction through the palmered hackle, and every stem gets locked down so a trout's teeth cannot unravel it.

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
  • Fish it on 5X tippet; step to 4X when trailing a dropper in fast water.
  • Dress the wing with floatant before the first cast and false cast dry between drifts.
  • Dead drift first, then try a short skate or twitch when caddis are active on the surface.

Where and when

The Deschutes River
Water
Deschutes River, Central Oregon
Hatch
Adult caddis hatches and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
Target
Rainbow trout, Brown trout
Water type
Riffles, pocket water and the soft edges of fast canyon runs
Also fishes
Works as a searching dry on small freestone streams, and as a high-floating indicator above a small nymph dropper.

Also on this water

  • SalmonflyMay–Jun
  • CaddisJun–Sep
  • October CaddisSep–Oct

Fished out of Maupin and Warm Springs.

Make it yourself

Intermediate5 materials · 11 steps

Pattern
Elk Hair Caddis
Style
Dry fly
Hook
Tiemco 100size 14
Thread
Tan 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. RibFine gold wire
  2. BodyTan dubbing
  3. HackleBrown dry-fly hackle, palmered
  4. WingBleached elk hair
  5. HeadTrimmed elk hair butts

Details

Imitates
Adult caddisfly
Colors
Tan, Ginger brown, Cream, Gold
A fly-tying vise holding a bare hook on a wooden bench

How to tie it

The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
  1. Mount the hook in the vise and start the thread just behind the eye, wrapping a smooth base back to the bend.
  2. Tie in the fine gold wire at the bend and leave it hanging off the back.
  3. Tie in the brown hackle by its stem at the bend, shiny side forward, with fibres about one and a half hook gaps long.
  4. Dub a slim, slightly tapered tan body forward, stopping two eye lengths behind the eye.
  5. Palmer the hackle forward in five or six even, open turns and tie it off at the front of the body.
  6. Counter-wrap the gold wire forward through the hackle in open spirals, wiggling it to avoid trapping fibres, then tie off and trim.
  7. Clean the underfur from a pinch of elk hair and even the tips in a hair stacker.
  8. Measure the wing so the tips reach the end of the hook bend.
  9. Hold the hair on top of the hook and take two loose pinch wraps, then pull tight so the hair flares, adding a few firm wraps.
  10. Whip finish on the bare shank just behind the hair and add a drop of head cement.
  11. Trim the elk butts square to leave a short, blunt head over the eye.
Proportions (4)
  • Wing tips reach the end of the hook bend, no further.
  • Hackle fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
  • Body covers the shank from the bend to two eye lengths behind the eye.
  • Clipped head about one eye length long, trimmed square.
Tips (3)
  • Use bleached or light elk hair with fine, solid tips; it flares less and lies neater over the body.
  • Keep the dubbing thin; a slim body floats better and leaves room for the wing tie-in.
  • Stroke the hackle fibres back before winding the wire so the rib slips between them.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Crowding the eye leaves no room for the wing; stop the body two eye lengths back.
  • Skipping the stacker gives a ragged wing; always even the tips before measuring.
  • Winding the wire in the same direction as the hackle traps fibres; counter-wrap it.
  • Loose wing wraps let the hair spin; use pinch wraps and pull straight down firmly.
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

$46.10

$3.84 a fly

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Fine gold wire$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$11.951 saddle pack
  • Bleached elk hair$5.501 patch
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$5.501 patch

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies

$76.05

$1.58 a fly

Bought separately $80.05 · you save $4

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Fine gold wire$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$23.902 saddle packs
  • Bleached elk hair$112 patches
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$112 patches

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies

$170.06

$1.18 a fly

Bought separately $193.25 · you save $23.19

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$8.853 spools
  • Fine gold wire$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$71.706 saddle packs
  • Bleached elk hair$224 patches
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$224 patches

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

With vise & tools

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies

$196.10

$16.34 a fly

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Fine gold wire$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$11.951 saddle pack
  • Bleached elk hair$5.501 patch
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$5.501 patch

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

$218.55

$4.55 a fly

Bought separately $230.05 · you save $11.50

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Fine gold wire$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$23.902 saddle packs
  • Bleached elk hair$112 patches
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$112 patches

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

$302.06

$2.10 a fly

Bought separately $343.25 · you save $41.19

Includes Tiemco 100 · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco 100$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Tan 8/0 thread$8.853 spools
  • Fine gold wire$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Tan dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$71.706 saddle packs
  • Bleached elk hair$224 patches
  • Trimmed elk hair butts$224 patches

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 John (an illustration, not a photograph)

John

@john

Tight line, quiet feet, zero slack.

  • Faceted Copper Pheasant Tail Nymph — a fly pattern by John
  • Russet Mayfly CDC Soft Hackle — a fly pattern by John
  • Window Light Caddis Soft Hackle — a fly pattern by John

See everything by @john

Remixes

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

fly pattern · made

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.

  • elk hair caddis
  • caddis
  • dry fly
  • trout
  • tan
  • brown hackle
  • gold wire
  • size 14
  • riffles
  • pocket water
  • canyon
  • fly tying