Morning Fog Elk Hair Caddis
by @john
Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly
Fog lifting off the river at first light
An Elk Hair Caddis dry fly on a size 14 hook, in tan, brown and natural elk, for trout rising to adult caddis in riffles and runs.
An Elk Hair Caddis dry fly sits in the vise over a misty green river below a limestone bluff. It carries a natural elk hair wing, palmered brown hackle and a tan dubbed body ribbed with gold wire.
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Imitates
- Adult caddis emergence and egg-laying
- When
- typically late spring through summer evenings
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Natural elk hair wing for flotation
- Brown hackle palmered over the body
- Gold wire rib locks the hackle down
- Tan hare's ear dubbed body
- Size 14 dry fly hook
On the water
A tent of natural elk hair arches over a shaggy tan body. Gold wire ticks across it in neat bands, and brown hackle bristles from end to end. The clipped hair butts make a blunt little head, cinched with a collar of brown thread.
Drop it at the top of a riffle when caddis are bouncing off the water and let it ride the seam. When fish slash at fluttering bugs, a short twitch skitters it across the surface like a female laying eggs.
Palmered hackle is the part worth slowing down for. Wind it back in open, even turns, then bring the gold wire forward through it so every fiber gets locked down and the fly keeps floating after a chewing.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Fish it on 5X tippet with a dead drift through riffles and seams.
- Add a short twitch or skate when trout chase egg-laying caddis.
- Dress the elk hair with floatant before the first cast and after each fish.
Where and when
- Water
- White River, Ozarks, North Arkansas
- Hatch
- Adult caddis emergence and egg-layingtypically late spring through summer evenings
- Target
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and pocket water
- Also fishes
- Also works as a searching dry in pocket water and along grassy banks, and as a high-floating indicator above a small dropper nymph.
Also on this water
- MidgeJan–Feb, Nov–Dec
- SowbugJan–Apr, Oct–Dec
- CaddisApr–May
Fished out of Cotter, Mountain Home and Bull Shoals.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Brown 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailBrown hackle fibers
- RibFine gold wire
- BodyTan hare's ear dubbing
- HackleBrown dry-fly hackle, palmered
- WingNatural elk hair
- HeadTrimmed elk hair butts
Details
- Imitates
- Caddis
- Colors
- Tan, Brown, Natural elk, Gold
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the size 14 dry fly hook in the vise and start the brown 8/0 thread behind the eye, wrapping back to the bend.
- Tie in a small bunch of brown hackle fibers at the bend for a tail about half the hook shank long.
- Tie in the fine gold wire at the bend and leave it hanging for the rib.
- Dub a slim, slightly tapered tan hare's ear body forward, stopping about a quarter of the shank behind the eye.
- Tie in the brown hackle by the stem at the front of the body, shiny side forward.
- Palmer the hackle back to the bend in five or six open turns and trap the tip with the wire.
- Wind the gold wire forward through the hackle in counter turns, tie it off at the front and trim the excess.
- Clean and stack a pencil-thin bunch of natural elk hair, tips even.
- Measure the wing so the tips reach just past the bend, then tie it on top with two loose wraps followed by firm ones.
- Trim the elk hair butts square to form a short, blunt head just behind the eye.
- Build a neat thread collar behind the clipped head, whip finish there and add a drop of cement.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about half the shank length.
- Wing: tips extend just past the bend, roughly the length of the hook.
- Body: covers the rear three quarters of the shank.
- Hackle: fibers about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Head: trimmed butts about the length of the eye or a touch longer.
Tips (4)
- Stack the elk hair before measuring so the wing tips line up cleanly.
- Use soft wraps first on the wing, then tighten, so the hair flares without spinning around the shank.
- Keep the dubbing thin; a fat body soaks water and sits low.
- Trim the head with sharp scissors in one clean cut for a tidy profile.
Common mistakes (4)
- Crowding the eye: stop the body a quarter shank back so the wing and head have room.
- Rib wound the same direction as the hackle: counter wrap the wire so it crosses and locks each stem.
- Too much elk hair: a bulky bunch spins and hides the body, so start pencil-thin.
- Loose wing: finish with a few hard wraps over the base and a drop of cement at the collar.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$58.05
$4.84 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$11.95
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$11.95
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Trimmed elk hair butts$5.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$98.75
$2.06 a fly
Bought separately $103.95 · you save $5.20
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$23.90
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$23.90
- Natural elk hair$11
- Trimmed elk hair butts$11
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$233.16
$1.62 a fly
Bought separately $264.95 · you save $31.79
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$71.70
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$71.70
- Natural elk hair$22
- 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
$208.05
$17.34 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$11.95
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$11.95
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- 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
$241.25
$5.03 a fly
Bought separately $253.95 · you save $12.70
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$23.90
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$23.90
- Natural elk hair$11
- 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
$365.16
$2.54 a fly
Bought separately $414.95 · you save $49.79
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$71.70
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Brown dry-fly hackle, palmered$71.70
- Natural elk hair$22
- 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
Remixes
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Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- elk hair caddis
- caddis
- dry fly
- trout fly
- palmered hackle
- elk hair
- gold wire
- tan
- brown
- fly tying
- riffles
- summer evening