Of Hoppers and Crickets....

[Gigmaster]

I was tying up a few Elk Hair Caddis's for a local shop yesterday, and my mind wa drifting to bluegill fishing, and how much I was looking forward to fishing for them this weekend. They LOVE crickets.

Then, I started really looking at the Elk Hair Caddis I was tying. Other than the general side sillouette, it doesn't really look much like an adult Tricoptera. I examined it from the bottom,. the way a fish would see it, and realized this looks as much like a grasshopper, as it does a Caddis Fly. Tied in all black, it should make a good cricket pattern. Tied in green, yellow and/or brown, it'd be a great hopper.

My B.S. was in Biology, so I know that fish cannot count, so the number of legs is irrelevant. The large angled rear leg is also redundant, because a fish has mere seconds for a window of opportunity to decide to eat, or not, before the bug either drifts away, or another fish grabs it. This doesn't leave a lot of time for the fish to examine it closely. As long as there is nothng obvious wrong with the fly, like ridiculous proportions, or wrong shape/size, it should work. I've been spending tons of time tryng to tie realistic-looking crickets (I hate tying knots in feathers or rubber legs for the rear jumping legs), and it may have been unnecesary.

Everybody else has probably already figured all this out a long time ago, but for me, it was something of an epiphany.

I have tied a few of these up in black, and I will see if the local panfish will accept my humble offerings tomorrow.

Here it is....the black Elk Hair Bug (I am dropping the Caddis from the name for this color).

Hook: #10 Cabelas Model 03, Dry Fly Hook 2X long.
Thread: black 6/0 Unithread
Body: black Superfine dubbing
Hackle: black Whiting Hen Neck, tied in by tip and palmered forward.
Wing: Black Elk Hair



I think that any self-respecting panfish is going to have a hard time passing this up. I'll know tomorrow.

Ciao, y'all!

[wayneb]

Hi Joel;

Looks very cricketey to me, hopefully the panfish agree!

Wayneb

[BobC]

Fish love attractors. You have a real nice tie there, and it should work well. Pls let us know!

[herefishy]

Is the difference between the profile of a cricket and beetle - the little hump on the beetle, the bit longer body of a cricket - the only important difference? I guess crickets have longer legs? Anything else?

[MOturkE]

I've been wondering how to tie a really good simple cricket and here it is. Thanks Gig!


Tim

[JeffHamm]

Very nice! Add a spun deer hair head to it and it would be very similar to a Latorte cricket, which is a very good cricket pattern.

- Jeff

[DShock]

Gigmaster,
Your fly looks good! Here is a Black Stimulator, that is similar, and has added wing material and a hackled head:
http://hatchesmagazine.com/patterns/...imulator/7706/
Doug

[Steven]

As noted, looks like you pretty much reinvented Ed Shenk's Letort cricket. Shenk himself, at least according to his videos, doesn't actually spin a deer hair head, but rather just tied a deer hair wing a la an elk-hair caddis.

The Letort cricket has a plump black body, a black turkey slip underwing, and a black deer hair overwing/head. The Letort hopper is the same, but uses different coloring.

Just to comment on your tie, it looks as if a) you cut the tips of the elk wing off; and b) left a lot of under fur in the wing. Was the latter intentional for some reason?

[Gigmaster]

Does elk hair have underfur? I guess I answered that question.
I cut the tips of the elk hair because I don't have a hair stacker, and the recipe for an Elk-Hair Caddis says to put the hairs in a hair stacker. I cut them to make the ends even (sort of). And the length on a caddis is supposed to be the length of the hook shank, so I cut them that length. If I did wrong, I must plead ignorance. Sometimes, when one is faced with a lack of materials or equipment, one must improvise...for better or worse.

In reality, it is just an all-black Elk-Hair Caddis.....simple, no-frills, and quick to tie.

Semper angli.

As noted, looks like you pretty much reinvented Ed Shenk's Letort cricket. Shenk himself, at least according to his videos, doesn't actually spin a deer hair head, but rather just tied a deer hair wing a la an elk-hair caddis.

The Letort cricket has a plump black body, a black turkey slip underwing, and a black deer hair overwing/head. The Letort hopper is the same, but uses different coloring.

Just to comment on your tie, it looks as if a) you cut the tips of the elk wing off; and b) left a lot of under fur in the wing. Was the latter intentional for some reason?

[Steven]

One sometimes has to make do.

I understand cutting the tips but get a hair stacker if you can. I think the tips make the fly look nicer - less blunt.

Those fuzzy hairs flying around is the under fur. Before putting your elkhair into the stacker (or tying it on directly in this case), try to get that stuff out by combing it out. Fly shops sell a certain type of comb to do this, but a mustache comb purchased at your local pharmacy would probably do the trick.

-Steven