Elk Hair Caddis

[George Werbacher 0]

I wanted to share an Elk Hair Caddis with the group. This bug has really nice characteristics and is a joy to tie. I love the similarities with a Stimulator but how different materials create a different fly altogether. I hope you all like it.

 

 

[skeet3t 0]

Good looking fly! It's my go-go fly in many instances. I don't have elk hair but use deer hair.

[niveker 0]

Didn't watch the video, but nice small head in the photo, like Mr. Troth originally tied.  Being the heathen that I am, I like to trim the under hackle above the hook point.    

[George Werbacher 0]

28 minutes ago, niveker said:

Didn't watch the video, but nice small head in the photo, like Mr. Troth originally tied.  Being the heathen that I am, I like to trim the under hackle above the hook point.    

Thanks. I will have to try some smaller feathers and get out of the habit of using the biggest I can find. No worries if you don't watch the video I appreciate the feedback more. The trout wont watch the videos either and only seem interested in the finished result (if I'm lucky).

[SilverCreek 0]

The elk hair caddis was designed as a fast water fly and to imitate the skittering caddis by twitching and skating the fly on the hackle tips. It was not meant to be a slower water fly.

Al Troth, when he first published his EHC, noted that the EHC should be tied with hair that did not flair, but this type of hair is difficult to find especially for smaller patterns and now virtually every EHC now is tied with a prominent flared wing.

Did you also know that the EHC is not in the Gary LaFontaine's "Caddisflies”? The reason is that the EHC, as it is most often tied, is not a very realistic caddis fly pattern. Most EHC pattern are tied with hollow hair which flairs. When tied, this hair will flair up and form a wing that extend up over the body rather than down flat as a real caddis fly.

Gary Lafontaine makes the following observation about the dry fly patterns in his book, “There are some notable absences in the selections. There are no patterns with upright wings. This type generally recommended as an imitation of a fluttering caddisfly is not very effective when trout are feeding selectively, even if the adults are fluttering. When the natural begins unfolding its wings it usually flies off very quickly and such a transitory moment is not worth imitating. The tent wing fly is usually better because it imitates the insect at rest.”

The second caddis bible is Larry Solomon and Eric Leiser's "The Caddis and the Angler" published in 1977. "The Caddis and the Angler" has the elk hair caddis pattern on pg 200. You will notice that the hair on the pattern is tent like and does NOT flair much. See below for Al Troth's original EHC:

During an interview with Al Troth before his death, Al's son talks about his father's EHC. Go to 5:35 in the video below and you will see the EHC as it is meant to be tied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR27csOJPVc

My version tied with low flair hair.

Why then is the EHC so popular? Well it is a great fast water fly and a fluttering caddis fly, it is easily tied, it is a high floater, it is easy to see, and it is durable. But is is NOT IMHO the best fly for calm waters. It is not an all around fly. It can be a better fly for calm waters if you clip the bottom hackles off flat to the hook, and clip off some of flaired deer hair to give the wing a flatter profile.

Here are three keys to a flatter EHC wing:

1. Selection of the right hair/material for the wing. Since hollow hair flares, select material that is less hollow. Either less hollow deer/elk hair; another animal like woodchuck, squirrel tail; synthetic material like polypropylene.

Test the deer/elk hair. Do the pinch test to see how the hair flares. Most of the pre-packed hair is not very good or EHCs. Occasionally you find good package, but that is the exception.

I wrote about proper hair selection here:

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/general-fly-tying-discussions/251936-selecting-deer-elk-hair-comparaduns.html

2. Learn the proper technique to tie in the hair. Use the pinch with the noose method:

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=81429&p=630123

3. If you must tie an EHC with hollow hair, bend the hook at the tie in point so the flared hair or wing material lies parallel to the body.

http://www.garyborger.com/2011/06/08/poly-caddis/

Here is a tying tip to make the wings flatter.  If you dub the body so that it has a "reverse taper" so that it is thicker at the tail of the fly and then narrows at the head end of the fly, the wing will lie flatter on the body. Then there will be no "bump" at the front edge of the dubbing to lift the wing up.

Another way to tie the fly with a flat wing is to bend the front 1/3 of the hook up at a 30 degree angle. Then tie the hair on this bent section. The 30 degree up angle will angle the tied hair DOWN 30 degrees and it will lie flat over the back of the fly. Tie it in the manner that Gary Borger ties his Poly Caddis

 

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread. If the above makes you examine how you tie the EHC and how the wing really should look, all the better. Hopefully, the next time you try an EHC in the right color and size and the fish refuse, you'll think about this post and trim the fly. 

 

 

 

[Moshup 0]

Silvercreek. Your tie is very nice.

[Sandan 0]

2 minutes ago, Moshup said:

Silvercreek. Your tie is very nice.

@Moshup true dat. @SilverCreek great info presented.

[George Werbacher 0]

11 minutes ago, Sandan said:

@Moshup true dat. @SilverCreek great info presented.

Thanks

 

23 minutes ago, SilverCreek said:

The elk hair caddis was designed as a fast water fly and to imitate the skittering caddis by twitching and skating the fly on the hackle tips. It was not meant to be a slower water fly.

Al Troth, when he first published his EHC, noted that the EHC should be tied with hair that did not flair, but this type of hair is difficult to find especially for smaller patterns and now virtually every EHC now is tied with a prominent flared wing.

Did you also know that the EHC is not in the Gary LaFontaine's "Caddisflies”? The reason is that the EHC, as it is most often tied, is not a very realistic caddis fly pattern. Most EHC pattern are tied with hollow hair which flairs. When tied, this hair will flair up and form a wing that extend up over the body rather than down flat as a real caddis fly.

Gary Lafontaine makes the following observation about the dry fly patterns in his book, “There are some notable absences in the selections. There are no patterns with upright wings. This type generally recommended as an imitation of a fluttering caddisfly is not very effective when trout are feeding selectively, even if the adults are fluttering. When the natural begins unfolding its wings it usually flies off very quickly and such a transitory moment is not worth imitating. The tent wing fly is usually better because it imitates the insect at rest.”

The second caddis bible is Larry Solomon and Eric Leiser's "The Caddis and the Angler" published in 1977. "The Caddis and the Angler" has the elk hair caddis pattern on pg 200. You will notice that the hair on the pattern is tent like and does NOT flair much. See below for Al Troth's original EHC:

During an interview with Al Troth before his death, Al's son talks about his father's EHC. Go to 5:35 in the video below and you will see the EHC as it is meant to be tied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR27csOJPVc

My version tied with low flair hair.

Why then is the EHC so popular? Well it is a great fast water fly and a fluttering caddis fly, it is easily tied, it is a high floater, it is easy to see, and it is durable. But is is NOT IMHO the best fly for calm waters. It is not an all around fly. It can be a better fly for calm waters if you clip the bottom hackles off flat to the hook, and clip off some of flaired deer hair to give the wing a flatter profile.

Here are three keys to a flatter EHC wing:

1. Selection of the right hair/material for the wing. Since hollow hair flares, select material that is less hollow. Either less hollow deer/elk hair; another animal like woodchuck, squirrel tail; synthetic material like polypropylene.

Test the deer/elk hair. Do the pinch test to see how the hair flares. Most of the pre-packed hair is not very good or EHCs. Occasionally you find good package, but that is the exception.

I wrote about proper hair selection here:

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/general-fly-tying-discussions/251936-selecting-deer-elk-hair-comparaduns.html

2. Learn the proper technique to tie in the hair. Use the pinch with the noose method:

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=81429&p=630123

3. If you must tie an EHC with hollow hair, bend the hook at the tie in point so the flared hair or wing material lies parallel to the body.

http://www.garyborger.com/2011/06/08/poly-caddis/

Here is a tying tip to make the wings flatter.  If you dub the body so that it has a "reverse taper" so that it is thicker at the tail of the fly and then narrows at the head end of the fly, the wing will lie flatter on the body. Then there will be no "bump" at the front edge of the dubbing to lift the wing up.

Another way to tie the fly with a flat wing is to bend the front 1/3 of the hook up at a 30 degree angle. Then tie the hair on this bent section. The 30 degree up angle will angle the tied hair DOWN 30 degrees and it will lie flat over the back of the fly. Tie it in the manner that Gary Borger ties his Poly Caddis

 

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread. If the above makes you examine how you tie the EHC and how the wing really should look, all the better. Hopefully, the next time you try an EHC in the right color and size and the fish refuse, you'll think about this post and trim the fly. 

 

 

 

Thanks. No problem hijacking. I don’t watch videos (as an artist you really impedes your development in creating a unique style. I do research like you provided. There is so many different sources and variations. I like yours and will definitely give them a try. The images I found on a traditional had the body hair extending past the barb so was hesitant on trimming. Thanks for sharing and like Office Space has showed us you could never have enough flair.

she does need a trim though. I will chalk it up to COVID.

[SilverCreek 0]

Thanks for the compliments. I do appreciated them.

Here's one additional tip. Notice where I tied off the hair. It is well back of the eye of the hook. Note that this leaves the hook eye easily accessible for threading the eye with your tippet. In the EHC, the clump of hair in front of the tie off is supposed to represent the head of the caddis fly so leave space in front of that for the hook eye.

[George Werbacher 0]

22 minutes ago, SilverCreek said:

Thanks for the compliments. I do appreciated them.

Here's one additional tip. Notice where I tied off the hair. It is well back of the eye of the hook. Note that this leaves the hook eye easily accessible for threading the eye with your tippet. In the EHC, the clump of hair in front of the tie off is supposed to represent the head of the caddis fly so leave space in front of that for the hook eye.

What. A rookie crowding the eye. That rarely ever happens. I learn my lesson with that one at 5:30 in the morning, standing in a river, trying to tie in the fly. I end up cursing so bad all the fish start practicing social distancing. Thanks and will ad to my gig list.

[mikemac1 0]

George, tying on the wing of the EHC has always been the biggest challenge for tiers.   After watching your video, I noted you used what seems to be the most logical approach—tie and trim.  Kelly Galloup takes a different approach—trim and tie.  Once I started using the trim and tie approach, my EHC came out much cleaner and neater.  Watch the end of his video to see how he does it, then give it a try.

[George Werbacher 0]

9 minutes ago, mikemac1 said:

George, tying on the wing of the EHC has always been the biggest challenge for tiers.   After watching your video, I noted you used what seems to be the most logical approach—tie and trim.  Kelly Galloup takes a different approach—trim and tie.  Once I started using the trim and tie approach, my EHC came out much cleaner and neater.  Watch the end of his video to see how he does it, then give it a try.

Awesome. I will skip to the end and check it out. I would love to be able to trim first and make it right. It would’ve like painting behind the light switch plate first instead of trying to paint around the plate after. Gig list is getting longer. Thanks again

[SilverCreek 0]

45 minutes ago, mikemac1 said:

George, tying on the wing of the EHC has always been the biggest challenge for tiers.   After watching your video, I noted you used what seems to be the most logical approach—tie and trim.  Kelly Galloup takes a different approach—trim and tie.  Once I started using the trim and tie approach, my EHC came out much cleaner and neater.  Watch the end of his video to see how he does it, then give it a try.

He is using the loose loop method of tying down the EHC hair.

The instructions are on this post.

https://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/cdc-and-elk-two-minute-tying-video.902492/#post-1554501

[SBPatt 0]

Nice take on Mr. Troth’s version. I used to tie them like that but now I prefer a larger, flaired head on mine to get a bit more buoyancy; fish don’t seem to care one way or another.

Regards,
Scott

 

[SilverCreek 0]

I use woodchuck hair when I need a more imitative and realistic wing profile for a caddis pattern. Woodchuck hair is solid and will not flair so it ties down flatter and more tent like.

I got the idea from Eric Leiser's Woodchuck Caddis. It has palmered hackle for floatation. Eliminate the hackle and tie in the wing at the head of the fly in the pattern below and you get a very good caddis profile.

http://www.flytierspage.com/gnocentini/woodchuck_caddis.htm