Smoke Wing Thread Body Caddis
by @dekasso
Thread Body Caddis · Dry fly
A smoke-grey wing over evening riffles
A slender Thread Body Caddis dry fly in size 14, brown and dark dun, for trout and grayling during caddis activity.
A slim caddis dry fly with a smooth, tightly wrapped thread body and a long smoky wing laid back over the bend. The body is brown thread, the wing is dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot, and a sparse collar of brown hackle sits at the head.
- Pattern
- Thread Body Caddis
- Imitates
- Brown and tan caddis activity
- When
- typically late spring through summer evenings
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Smooth brown thread body, slim profile
- Dark dun snowshoe wing past the bend
- Sparse brown hackle collar
- Size 14 dry fly hook
- Four materials, quick to tie
On the water
A dark dun wing sweeps back like a puff of smoke. Underneath, the body is nothing but brown thread, wrapped smooth and tight until it shines like a polished twig. A thin collar of brown hackle flares at the head, its fibres catching the light.
Fish it through riffles and along the seams when caddis start bouncing over the water. Dead-drift it first, then give it a small twitch or let it skate on a tight line at the end of the swing. The wispy wing holds air and keeps it riding in the film.
Thread wraps make or break the body. Lay each turn flat against the last, flattening the thread with a counter-spin so it builds a smooth, segmented taper with no bumps or gaps.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 5X or 6X tippet, about 9 to 12 feet of leader for smooth glides.
- Dead-drift first, then add a short twitch or a skating swing as caddis get active.
- Dab floatant into the wing and hackle only; keep the thread body sitting in the film.
Where and when
- Water
- Henry's Fork of the Snake, Eastern Idaho
- Hatch
- Brown and tan caddis activitytypically late spring through summer evenings
- Target
- Brown trout, Rainbow trout, Grayling
- Water type
- Riffles, pocket water and smooth glides
- Also fishes
- Also works on slow pools and stillwater margins in calm evenings, and as a searching dry in pocket water between hatches.
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
Beginner4 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Thread Body Caddis
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Brown 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- BodyBrown 8/0 thread
- WingDark dun snowshoe rabbit foot
- HackleBrown dry fly hackle
- HeadBrown 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Caddisfly
- Colors
- Dark dun, Brown, Ginger
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 14 dry fly hook in the vise, shank level.
- Start the brown 8/0 thread just behind the eye and wrap back in touching turns to the point above the barb.
- Build the body forward with flat, touching thread wraps, adding a few extra layers toward the front for a gentle taper.
- Stop the body about one quarter of the shank behind the eye, leaving room for the wing and hackle.
- Clean a clump of dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot fibres of underfur and even the tips.
- Tie the wing in on top of the shank, tips reaching about one third of a shank length past the bend.
- Trim the wing butts at an angle and cover them with a few thread wraps.
- Tie in a brown dry fly hackle by the stem, shiny side forward, just ahead of the wing.
- Wrap the hackle forward in three or four touching turns to form a sparse collar, then tie off and trim.
- Build a small, neat thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Body: from the bend to about three quarters of the shank, slim with a gentle forward taper.
- Wing: tips extend roughly one third of a shank length past the bend, lying low over the body.
- Hackle: fibres about one and a half to two times the hook gap, sparse.
- Head: small, no wider than the hook eye.
Tips (4)
- Spin the bobbin counter-clockwise now and then to flatten the thread for a smoother body.
- Pick out the snowshoe underfur so the wing stays wispy and sheds water.
- Keep the hackle sparse; three or four turns hold the fly up without hiding the slim body.
- Rub a little dark dun fibre across your fingers to stack tips before tying the wing.
Common mistakes (4)
- Lumpy body from overlapping wraps: lay every turn edge to edge and flatten the thread.
- Crowded eye: leave a quarter of the shank bare before tying the wing and hackle.
- Wing tied too long: measure against the shank so tips stop about a third past the bend.
- Too many hackle turns: stop at three or four so the collar stays light and the fly lands softly.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$31.85
$2.65 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 5 more
Every item in this kit · 6 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$4.50
- Brown dry fly hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$57.67
$1.20 a fly
Bought separately $60.70 · you save $3.03
Includes Dry fly hook · and 5 more
Every item in this kit · 6 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$9
- Brown dry fly hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$142.30
$0.99 a fly
Bought separately $161.70 · you save $19.40
Includes Dry fly hook · and 5 more
Every item in this kit · 6 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$26.55
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$22.50
- Brown dry fly hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$181.85
$15.15 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 14 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$4.50
- Brown dry fly hackle$11.95
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
$200.17
$4.17 a fly
Bought separately $210.70 · you save $10.53
Includes Dry fly hook · and 14 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$9
- Brown dry fly hackle$23.90
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
$274.30
$1.90 a fly
Bought separately $311.70 · you save $37.40
Includes Dry fly hook · and 14 more
Every item in this kit · 15 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$26.55
Materials
- Other material: Dark dun snowshoe rabbit foot$22.50
- Brown dry fly hackle$71.70
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
2 iterations led here; the saved one is marked
1
2 Saved
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make the body less fuzzy.”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- caddis
- dry fly
- thread body
- caddisfly
- snowshoe rabbit
- dark dun
- trout fly
- grayling
- size 14
- riffles
- evening hatch