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Limestone Tan Elk Hair Caddis

by @sunny

Limestone Tan Elk Hair Caddis — a fly pattern by Sunny
More by @sunny

Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly

Soft light on a jade-green river

A tan Elk Hair Caddis dry fly on a size 14 hook, with a brown palmered hackle, for trout rising to adult caddis.

An Elk Hair Caddis dry fly held in the vise above a still green river under a pale cliff. Tan elk hair sweeps back over a buggy tan body wrapped in brown hackle and fine gold wire.

Pattern
Elk Hair Caddis
Imitates
Adult caddis emergence and egg-laying
When
typically spring through summer, busiest in the evening
Hook
size 14
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Natural tan elk hair wing
  • Brown hackle palmered through the body
  • Fine gold wire rib protects the hackle
  • Size 14 dry fly hook
  • Clipped elk butts form the head

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Tan elk hair flares back in a tent over the body, its butts clipped into a neat blunt head. Brown hackle bristles down the length of a rough tan body, and a thread of gold wire catches the light. Behind it, the river runs slow and green below a grey limestone bluff.

Fish it where caddis bounce and skitter: the tail of a riffle, the edge of a run, the slick below a bend. Dead-drift it first. Then give it a small twitch so it skates an inch, the way a female caddis does when she dips to lay eggs.

Elk hair needs stacking before it goes on. Even tips give the wing its clean tent shape and let it sit low and steady on the water.

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 lightly with floatant.
  • Dead-drift through seams first, then add a gentle twitch to skate it.
  • In fast pocket water, let the hackle ride high and keep the drift short.

Where and when

The White River
Water
White River, Ozarks, North Arkansas
Hatch
Adult caddis emergence and egg-layingtypically spring through summer, busiest in the evening
Target
Trout
Water type
Riffles, runs and slick glides on freestone and limestone rivers
Also fishes
Works as a high-floating indicator over a small dropper nymph, and on stillwater margins when caddis skitter across the surface at dusk.

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

Beginner5 materials · 12 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. RibFine gold wire
  2. BodyTan hare's ear dubbing
  3. HackleBrown dry fly hackle
  4. WingNatural tan elk hair
  5. HeadTrimmed elk hair butts

Details

Imitates
Adult caddisfly
Colors
Tan, Brown, 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 (12)
  1. Mount the size 14 dry fly hook in the vise and start the tan thread just behind the eye.
  2. Wrap the thread back to the bend and tie in the fine gold wire.
  3. Dub a slim, slightly tapered tan hare's ear body forward, stopping about two eye-lengths behind the eye.
  4. Tie in the brown hackle by its butt at the front of the body, shiny side forward.
  5. Palmer the hackle back toward the bend in open, even turns.
  6. Trap the hackle tip at the bend with the gold wire, then counter-wrap the wire forward through the hackle to the front and tie it off.
  7. Clip the hackle tip and the excess wire at the rear.
  8. Clean and stack a pencil-thick clump of natural tan elk hair so the tips are even.
  9. Measure the wing so the tips reach just past the bend, then tie it in at the front with two loose wraps followed by firm, tight ones.
  10. Lift the butts and take a few wraps of thread in front of them, close to the eye.
  11. Whip finish under the butts behind the eye and cut the thread.
  12. Trim the elk butts square to form a short, blunt head.
Proportions (4)
  • Wing: elk tips reach just past the hook bend, no farther than the tail of the body.
  • Body: fills the shank from the bend to about two eye-lengths behind the eye.
  • Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
  • Head: trimmed elk butts roughly one eye-length long.
Tips (4)
  • Remove the underfur from the elk hair with a comb before stacking, or the wing will look bulky and spin.
  • Keep the dubbing thin; a fat body sits low and soaks up water.
  • Counter-wrapping the wire locks the hackle stem so teeth cannot cut it.
  • Leave the head long enough to clip square, which keeps water off the eye.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Wing rolls around the shank: hold it firmly and use two soft wraps before you tighten.
  • Crowded eye: leave space behind it before the wing goes on.
  • Hackle fibres trapped under the wire: wiggle the wire through each turn as you wrap forward.
  • Uneven wing tips: stack the hair properly instead of tying it straight from the patch.
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 Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Brown dry fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack
  • Natural tan 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 Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Brown dry fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs
  • Natural tan 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 Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

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

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Brown dry fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs
  • Natural tan 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 Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Brown dry fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack
  • Natural tan 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 Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Brown dry fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs
  • Natural tan 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 Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

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

Thread & wire

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

Materials

  • Tan hare's ear dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Brown dry fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs
  • Natural tan 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 Sunny (an illustration, not a photograph)

Sunny

@sunny

Strips it fast and stays for the grab.

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See everything by @sunny

Remixes

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Where this came from

fly pattern · made

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  • elk hair caddis
  • caddis
  • dry fly
  • tan
  • brown hackle
  • elk hair
  • trout
  • fly tying
  • riffles
  • river