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Amber Glass Caddis Emerger

by @dekasso

Amber Glass Caddis Emerger — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Caddis Emerger · Wet fly

Lamplight caught in an amber shuck

A size 14 caddis emerger with a translucent amber vinyl body, dun CDC wing and soft brown hackle, for trout taking caddis in the film.

A caddis emerger with a segmented amber body that glows like brown glass under the light. It wears a smoky dun CDC wing swept long over the back and a sparse collar of brown hen hackle.

Pattern
Caddis Emerger
Imitates
Caddis emergence, typically late spring and summer evenings
Hook
size 14
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Translucent segmented vinyl rib body
  • Long dun CDC wing traps air
  • Sparse brown hen hackle for legs
  • Size 14 wet-fly hook

On the water

A soft-hackle wet fly swinging through mid-water

Look at the body first. Tight, ribbed segments of amber that let the light through, each one edged in a thin bright line. Above it, a wisp of dun CDC trails long past the bend, and a few ginger-brown hackle fibres flare out underneath like legs.

Fish it when caddis are popping in the riffles and trout are slashing just under the surface. Swing it across and down, let it rise at the end of the drift, or grease the wing and let it hang in the film of a slow run.

Vinyl rib is the whole trick here. Stretch it gently as you wind and butt each turn against the last, so the segments stay clean and the light still passes through the brown.

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

Rigging

Tippet
5Xhook size divided by three
Leader
Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
  • Tie it to 5X or 6X tippet so it swings and lifts naturally.
  • Swing it on a tight line through riffles and let it rise as the drift ends.
  • Dab floatant on the CDC wing only to hold it in the film.

Where and when

Hatch
Caddis emergence, typically late spring and summer evenings
Target
Trout
Water type
Riffles, runs and the surface film of slow pools
Also fishes
Also works as a dropper below a dry in pocket water, and on still evenings over lakes where caddis hatch along the margins.

Make it yourself

Intermediate4 materials · 11 steps

Pattern
Caddis Emerger
Style
Wet fly
Hook
Standard wet-fly hooksize 14
Thread
Brown 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. BodyBrown translucent vinyl rib
  2. WingDun CDC
  3. HackleBrown hen hackle
  4. HeadBrown 8/0 thread

Details

Imitates
Caddisfly
Colors
Amber, Brown, Dun grey, Ginger
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.
  2. Wrap the thread back to the bend in a smooth, flat layer.
  3. Tie in the vinyl rib at the bend, flat side down, and bind it along the shank.
  4. Wrap the thread forward to leave a quarter of the shank bare behind the eye.
  5. Wind the vinyl rib forward in touching turns with light tension, stopping at that three-quarter mark.
  6. Tie off the vinyl rib and trim the tag close.
  7. Stack one or two dun CDC feathers and tie them on top, tips reaching about half a shank past the bend.
  8. Trim the CDC butts at an angle and cover them with a few thread wraps.
  9. Strip the fluff from a brown hen hackle and tie it in by the tip in front of the wing.
  10. Take two turns of hackle, sweep the fibres back and down, and tie off.
  11. Build a small, neat thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
  • Body: three-quarters of the shank, ending well behind the eye.
  • Wing: tips extend about half a shank length beyond the bend.
  • Hackle: fibres reach roughly to the hook point.
  • Head: small and tapered, no wider than the hook eye.
Tips (4)
  • Warm the vinyl rib between your fingers first so it stretches and lies flat.
  • Keep the thread underbody smooth; every bump shows through the translucent body.
  • Use CDC with long, fine barbs so the wing stays wispy and mobile.
  • Two hackle turns are enough; the legs should look sparse, not bushy.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Overlapping vinyl turns blurs the segments. Butt each wrap neatly against the last.
  • Crowding the eye leaves no room for wing and hackle. Stop the body at three-quarters.
  • Too much CDC mats into a clump. Use one or two feathers and keep them dry.
  • Pulling the vinyl too hard thins it and loses the amber colour. Stretch it gently.
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

$38.80

$3.23 a fly

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$6.951 pack
  • Brown hen hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies

$74.67

$1.56 a fly

Bought separately $78.60 · you save $3.93

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$20.853 packs
  • Brown hen hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies

$183.44

$1.27 a fly

Bought separately $208.45 · you save $25.01

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 6 more

Every item in this kit · 7 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$55.608 packs
  • Brown hen 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

$188.80

$15.73 a fly

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$6.951 pack
  • Brown hen 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

$217.17

$4.52 a fly

Bought separately $228.60 · you save $11.43

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$20.853 packs
  • Brown hen 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

$315.44

$2.19 a fly

Bought separately $358.45 · you save $43.01

Includes Standard wet-fly hook · and 15 more

Every item in this kit · 16 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard wet-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Brown translucent vinyl rib$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Dun CDC$55.608 packs
  • Brown hen 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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How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 11 Saved

Remixes

Remixed from

  1. Smoke Wing Thread Body Caddis — a fly pattern by DekassoSmoke Wing Thread Body Caddis@dekasso · the original
  2. Amber Glass Caddis Emergeryou are here

3 remixes of this

Amber Quill Caddis Dry Fly — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekassoDusk Black CDC Caddis Emerger — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekassoWheat Light Elk Hair Caddis — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekasso

Where this came from

“make the body more translucent but don't change it from brown”

fly pattern · made

3 remixes

75 — from 3 remixes, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.

  • caddis
  • emerger
  • caddis emerger
  • amber
  • cdc
  • soft hackle
  • wet fly
  • vinyl rib
  • trout
  • size 14