Hair Hackled Elk Hair Caddis

[.D.]

A variation on Troth?s Elk Hair Caddis. Excellent floater!



Hook : TMC 900BL 10-16
Thread : Your usual workhorse 6/0 or 8/0 thread. I use Danvilles Flymaster for this.
Body/ Hackle: Squirrel guard hair - no underfur. Hare body can be used too. For the one below I?ve used Red Fox Squirrel.
Wing: Deer Hair - I use Elk :?


1. Tie in thread behind eye. Take to rear



2. Catch in a dubbing loop, take thread back up to eye end ( I leave it about 1 ? eye widths back)



3. Catch your dubbing spinner into the loop - and then apply a generous mat of squirrel guard hairs. Don?t use any additional wax for this .



4. Spin up the loop.



5. Take the loop of  spun fur up the shank in touching turns - it helps the fibres stand out if you ?double? it, as you might when tying in a soft game hackle, say.




6. Tie off the loop when you get to the hanging thread ( you could fluff it up further with a piece of Velcro here)


7. Preen the fibres down with thumb and forefinger.



8. Make a cut, at a shallow angle through  the most  ?offensive? guard hairs still sticking up - makes a nice nest for the wing



9. Cut out, comb and stack a bunch of Elk, or similar hair. Offer it up for length.



10. Take it in the other hand, and trim the butts to length in advance of tying in.



11. Secure in place with around 4 turns of thread ( I usually take the twist out of the thread beforehand). Whip finish under the butts



12. Give the butts and whip finish a healthy dose of head cement



13. Invert hook in vice ( this could have been done  before step 12) and trim out the lower hackle - I trim it just lower than flush  in a shallow ?^?.




14. Let the cement dry .






From above.




- I usually treat these with ?Watershed? in advance. Floats like a cork. Sort of.

Cheers,

.D.

[Wildfisher]

Nice one .D. Looks deadly.

[scotfly]

About time we saw some of your step by steps on here .D. Makes a change from my repeats. :banana

Thanks for sharing.