Deschutes Sagebrush Elk Hair Caddis
by @sunny
Elk Hair Caddis · Dry fly
Dry sage, fast water, a caddis on top
A tan and brown Elk Hair Caddis dry fly on a size 14 hook, built to float high over riffles for trout during caddis flights.
An Elk Hair Caddis held in the vise above a fast desert river, its wing swept back over a buggy body. Natural elk hair, brown palmered hackle and a tan dubbed body ribbed in gold wire give it the dusty colours of sage and basalt.
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Imitates
- Caddis emergence and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Natural elk hair wing floats high
- Brown palmered hackle for a buggy profile
- Gold wire rib locks the hackle
- Size 14 standard dry fly hook
- Tan dubbed body, trimmed elk head
On the water
Tan elk hair fans back over the hook like a folded caddis wing. Brown hackle spirals down a dubbed tan body, held tight by a thin gold rib. Up front, a neat thread collar and a clipped stub of elk butts square off the head.
Fish it where riffles break into seams and the water turns to foam. Dead-drift it first, then give a short twitch or skate it as the light fades and adult caddis start dancing on the surface.
Trimming the hackle on top lets the elk wing sit low and flat over the body. Wrap the hackle forward, counter-wrap the gold wire through it, then clip a narrow channel so the wing beds down cleanly.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 4X or 5X tippet; go finer in slick tailouts where trout get a long look.
- Treat the wing with floatant before the first cast and false cast to dry it between drifts.
- Swing or skate it on a tight line at dusk to mimic egg-laying caddis skittering across the surface.
Where and when
- Water
- Deschutes River, Central Oregon
- Hatch
- Caddis emergence and egg-laying flights, typically late spring through summer evenings
- Target
- Rainbow trout, Brown trout
- Water type
- Riffles, pocket water and foam seams along broken freestone runs
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well as a searching dry in pocket water, as an indicator over a small dropper, and on small stillwaters during evening caddis.
Also on this water
- SalmonflyMay–Jun
- CaddisJun–Sep
- October CaddisSep–Oct
Fished out of Maupin and Warm Springs.
Make it yourself
Intermediate5 materials · 12 steps
- Pattern
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Standard dry fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Tan 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- RibFine gold wire
- BodyTan hare's ear dubbing
- HackleBrown dry fly hackle, palmered
- WingNatural cow elk hair
- HeadTrimmed elk hair butts
Details
- Imitates
- Adult caddis
- Colors
- Tan, Brown, Natural elk, Gold
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (12)
- Mount the size 14 dry fly hook and start the tan 8/0 thread just behind the eye, then wrap back to the bend.
- Tie in a length of fine gold wire at the bend and leave it hanging.
- Dub a slim, slightly tapered body of tan hare's ear forward to about two eye-lengths behind the eye.
- Tie in a brown dry fly hackle at the front of the body, shiny side forward, with fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Palmer the hackle back to the bend in evenly spaced turns.
- Counter-wrap the gold wire forward through the hackle to lock the stem, tie it off and trim.
- Trim the hackle fibres flat on top of the body so the wing can sit low.
- Clean and stack a small bunch of natural cow elk hair, tips even.
- Measure the wing so the tips reach just past the bend, then tie it in with two loose turns followed by firm ones.
- Build a short, neat thread collar over the wing tie-in point.
- Clip the elk butts square, leaving a short stub ahead of the collar as the head.
- Whip finish behind the eye under the butts and add a touch of cement to the collar.
Proportions (4)
- Wing: elk tips reach just past the bend, no further than the end of the hook.
- Hackle: fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Body: covers the shank from bend to two eye-lengths behind the eye.
- Head: trimmed elk butts about one eye-length long, cut square.
Tips (4)
- Stack the elk hair well so the tips line up into a clean, even wing edge.
- Use cow elk hair with medium-length tips; it flares less and stays tidy under thread.
- Keep the dubbing thin; a slim body lets the hackle and wing set the profile.
- Leave room at the front from the start so the wing and head do not crowd the eye.
Common mistakes (4)
- Wing spinning around the shank: hold the hair firmly on top and use two soft turns before cinching down.
- Crowded eye: stop the body two eye-lengths back so the wing, collar and head fit.
- Loose hackle that unravels: always counter-wrap the gold wire through it before trimming.
- Wing too long: measure against the hook and keep the tips just past the bend.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$46.10
$3.84 a fly
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$11.95
- Natural cow 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
$76.05
$1.58 a fly
Bought separately $80.05 · you save $4
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$23.90
- Natural cow 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
$170.06
$1.18 a fly
Bought separately $193.25 · you save $23.19
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$71.70
- Natural cow 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
$196.10
$16.34 a fly
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$11.95
- Natural cow 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
$218.55
$4.55 a fly
Bought separately $230.05 · you save $11.50
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$9
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$23.90
- Natural cow 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
$302.06
$2.10 a fly
Bought separately $343.25 · you save $41.19
Includes Standard dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Tan 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Tan hare's ear dubbing$18
- Brown dry fly hackle, palmered$71.70
- Natural cow 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
- deschutes
- tan
- brown hackle
- elk hair
- fly tying
- summer evening
- riffles
- sagebrush