Size 18 CDC Caddis Emerger. Usually produces all summer. #flytying #euronymphing #flyfishing #ignoringmydayjob

A post shared by BlogFlyFish (@blogflyfish) on May 11, 2017 at 6:05am PDT

Some rivers I fish have ridiculous Caddis hatches and not many mayflies. Who knows why. At those spots, I find that emerger patterns can work very well. On some days, it is the only dropper fly I need all day.

Caddis emerge quickly, which is why takes are often loud and splashy. So, fishing this fly as a dry is worth it, too.

Some of my favorite fly-fishing memories involve fishing this fly to wild fish in Pittsburg, NH. Fish it solo in the surface film, as part of a nymph rig, or as a dropper attached to a X-Caddis dry, and you can be good to go all day up there.

As I’ve posted before, I tie a Caddis Emerger that is based on the Tightline Productions version (here). But, recently, I’ve made a few tweaks. I no longer use a dry fly hook, as I find that some hook sets don’t stick. So, I’ve gone to a curved hook with a wider gape. I also sometimes use CDC rather than Hungarian Partridge.

I like this fly small-ish. Size 16 works when water is quick, but, for slower water, a size 18 is much better.

This fly is super-simple to tie. It is a bit of a “guide fly,” as it takes take little time to make a bunch.

Here is the materials list:

• Hook: TMC 2487, Orvis 1639 or Daiichi 1130 in size 16 or 18
• Bubble: white Z Lon, Antron or NZ strike indicator wool
• Thread: Veevus, black, 12/0
• Body: squirrel, light olive
• Wing/legs: CDC, dark dun
• Thorax: squirrel, brown