CFC October Caddis

[JohnScott]

Caught a live one late last week while fishing the Crooked Fork Creek.



Hadn't seen one for a while. Guess I had forgotten just how leggy these guys are. I had been catching some fish on one of my earlier October Caddis patterns, but wasn't fully satisfied with the results I was getting and decided to go back to the drawing board.

Found some 3mm foam and some died deer hair at Kesel's Four Rivers Fly Shop in Missoula Saturday ( nice seeing you there REE and VEE ) in a good color for this local specimen. This fly came off the vice this morning.



Headed on over to the Lochsa this afternoon for a test drive. Didn't find any trout at the first run I fished, but ended up with six cutts in hand and counted another three or four refusals or misses in not much more than an hour and a half at the second one.

Went upstream to Crooked Fork Creek, to the spot where I took the pic of the October Caddis. There was quite a caddis hatch going on, but just the little guys, not the big ones. Regardless, this guy just slammed the CFC October Caddis. At just about 16", he's one of the biggest cutts I've caught on this creek. Had another one earlier down on the Lochsa that was almost this big.



A few minutes later, I ended the day with this guy, who is pretty typical of the majority of the cutts I caught today.



This is a VERY simple fly to tie, did better than I expected with the low water conditions on these streams, and held up well to eight fish in hand and a total of about two hours on the water.

The fly is tied on a size 10 Dai-Riki 280 2XL hopper hook. Cut a strip of the foam about twice the length of the hook and to width, slightly tapered wider at the rear to narrower at the front of the abdomen. Tied down the abdomen just back of midshank.

Tied in the rear "legs" ( Montana Fly Company centipede legs - small ) and advanced the thread to the wing tie in point, tying down the foam strip on top of the shank as I advanced the thread. Cut, combed, stacked, and cut deer hair wing to length, to extend well beyond the abdomen. Tied in the wing taking a generous number of wraps through the butts to secure it.

After tying in the deer hair wing, I advanced the thread ahead of the foam strip, pulled it back out of the way, and tied in the front "legs" or antennae. Pulled the foam strip forward over the eye then doubled it back to form a bullethead and tied it down.

There are reports of October Caddis on the Blackfoot and Rock Creek. Hmmmmm .....

John

[Ron Eagle Elk]

John,

Nice seeing you too. Much better color on this version of the October Caddis. Truer to the real bug.

Do I see another FOTW offering?

REE

[fishdog54]

John,

Nice pattern & beautiful trout! I haven't used a lot of foam on any flies until a few years ago. I started to tie foam beetles, liked it, went over board, now have a life time (maybe two life times,LOL!) worth of every color foam imaginable. I usually tie Improved Sofa Pillows for the large caddis, but will have to give your pattern a go. Thanks for sharing.

Best regards, Dave S. ( fishdog54)

[AlbaSurf]

very nice! thanks for sharing! those are some pretty fishes too!

[herefishy]

What an easy way to tie all those foam flies of yours - and the nice thing is you publish the proof!

[JohnScott]

.... Do I see another FOTW offering? ....REE

Ron -

A successful first outing with a new fly can get it on the Fly Tying Forum.

But it's gonna have to prove itself a number of times on different streams before getting consideration as a FOTW.

Takes several tying sessions before I settle on a final tying sequence - already changed a couple things tying some for an outing on the Blackfoot tomorrow - but once it "morphs" to a final version and proves it effectiveness, I'll consider submitting it.

John

[herefishy]

John, I just looked at the eyes on that critter - would those be a trigger, do you think? It would be easy to stick some of those mono eyes on them, don't know if it would help.

[NJTroutbum]

Nice pattern! And noce fish as well. I love the Octobers.....the rise is pretty awesome when the fish start keying on them.

We just completed the October Caddis Swap....I'll be taking the pics of all 9 patterns involved and posting them shortly. A very nice turnout.

Ralph

[Steven McGarthwaite]

At the 2003 Idaho Fish-In, I dressed some Iridescent October Caddis pattern by Ronn Lucas Sr.!

Found them very effective, and even dress a variation with a bit of pale yellow yarn (that I borrowed from Al Campbell, who was tying across from me in the Rumpus Room), for Montana Moose to try out!

I watched the female October Caddis on the Locha and Selway in the early evening hours, as they lay their eggs in the water. The females did a crash landing on the water surface to dislodge the eggs, then instantly lift off the water to do another crash landing on the water close by. So I use that demonstration for my casting the October Caddis. It worked, the Cutthroats, Rainbows and Cut-bows where striking immediately as the fly pattern hit the water.

This Ronn Lucas Sr. pattern is not available on FAOL you can find it at http://flytyingworld.com/fly-detail-...berCaddis.html



1252366191_addis.jpg

Hook: TMC, 200R, size 10.

Tail: Optional squirrel tail.

Butt: Optional squirrel tail.

Body: Rear 1/3 rust iridescent dubbing, next 1/8" Burgundy iridescent dubbing,
front 1/3 purple iridescent dubbing.

Ribs: Fine copper wire, tied in from in body.

Hackle: Dark Dun, tied in about 3/16' to 1/4" from eye, two turns.

Wings: Dark deer or elk mane.

Antennae: Stripped dark brown hackle stems.

Note: Ronn Lucas Sr. no longer sells the Iridescent Dubbing listed in the material listing. I bought most of the remaining stock that Ronn Lucas had, so I am willing to share the three Irridescent Dubbing colors called for in the pattern, with members of FAOL who which to dress a few of this pattern. There is no charge for the material and I will pay the postage, just email me at parnelli@comcast.net I will send enough material for 3 or 4 flies, with what I have left. ~Parnelli

[Byron haugh]

Very nice fly and beautiful photos!!
Ever put an egg sac at the butt end.