elk hair caddis

[fishy guts]

when i try to tie an elk hair caddis, everything but the wing looks perfect. the wing just lays down, and looks nothing like photos. is it because of the quality of the elk hair, or to much elk hair, im just not sure. need some help please, thanks

[mantis]

Okay Hans, where are ya?

[barel fly]

It could be too much hair, so the thread has nothing to bind down and make stand up. It could also be where you are tying the hair in. Do you clip the butt ends before tying in or after? I prefer to clip the butt ends first, then make two loose wraps when first tying in, then a couple of tight wraps to cinch down the hair. This helps me get the hair to stand up. I also prefer to use Deer hair over Elk hair.

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Tight lines,

Jeremy Barela
[url=http://www.danica.com/flytier/jbarela/jbarela.htm:ef793]jeremy's flies[/url:ef793]

[Bamboozle]

fishy guts:

My first guess would be the hair. If it is the fine stuff; it just doesn't flair as well. Look for patches of hair that appear and feel waxy and have even tips. The hair that works best for me has a diameter at the butt that is rather thick.

Second guess would be the amount of tension applied when wrapping the hair. If you can easily pull the fibers out it's too loose. Practice breaking your thread so you get an idea what the breaking point is and tighten down your wraps just below that point.

Hope this helps.

[bubba_orvis]

To flair the deer has to be hollow, look for hair that is a dull grey where the thread is pulled tight.

Fine hair and other colors of stem don't compress, so the fibers don't flair.

[Bob Widmaier]

To add to what has already been said, the elk hair or deer hair needs to be hollow hair. It should look thick except for the very tips. If is not hollow hair, get some that is. Deer or elk hair labelled for spinning is one choice. Your fly shop can help you if you tell them what you are tying. Solid hair like that in bucktail or squirrel hair, will not flare.

The amount of hair depends on the size of the hook. The rule of thumb is that most tyers over dress their flies. That is, we use more material than necessary or what is called for in the pattern. However, I think you would have to use a lot of extra hair for it not to flare. I suggest for a size 14 hook try a bundle of hair about 1/4 to 3/8" of hair across its base width. Comb out the fuzz and stack the hair in a hair stacker. Hold it atop the hook at the tye in point, take 2 loose wraps of thread over the hair and on the third wrap, pull it tight by pulling down while holding the hair in position. Take a few more tight wraps on the hair. It should be flaring now, but to seal the ends of the hollow hair, raise the tips pointing towards the hook eye and make several tight wraps around the hook shank against the hair tips. This should cause the tips to stick up at about a 45 degree angle. Do a wip finish with the thread. Trim the thread and the hair butts about even with the hook eye. There should be about 1/8 to 1/4" of hair between the butts and thread wraps over the hair. In other words, don't cut the butts too close to the hair tye down point and the tye down thread. Add head cement and you are good to go.

I hope this helps.

Dr Bob

[RonMT]

I can't tell you the numbers of EHC's I have tied over the years. I was taught to tie it by Al Troth. The hair is all important. It should come from a Bull Elk hide. Most of the real good hair is from just back of the neck area and over the shoulders. It should be light in color and have no broken tips. It should also be fine.

The ammount of hair used for a given hooks size is right at your finger tips. That is the bend and the gape of the hook. If you look at that area of the hook that is the ammount on hair that should be used for the wing. APROX? Give or take just a bit. Just draw a line from the point of the hook stright up to the shank of the hooks and there you go.

When tying down the wing, after having stacked it and cleaned the butt's out, You should first take a wrap of thread around the hair than go around the hook holding the hair firmly on top of the hook then pulling stright down on the thread. By taking a wrap around the hair first you will stop that clump of hair from twisting around the hook to the off side.
Take several wrap's of thread around this area and make sure they are tight. Now go to the head of the fly and wrap your thread back to the wing and take a few tight wraps against the underwing and whipfinish. By talking those wraps against the underwing you will pinch the wing and it will stay in place much better. Cut the wing and leave just a bit. Then put a drop of head cement in the butt's of the hair. This will lock the wing in when dry and it will stay there.

If an EHC is tied right you can catch many fish on one. The most I have caught on one fly I believe was over 24 fish.

NEVER I repeat NEVER use bleached Elk for and EHC wing unless you only want to catch a few fish with one of them. The bleached Elk will break right off because it is very brittle. I know a guide and tier that uses it becasue he can sell a lot more flies by tying them with Bleached Elk. Hope that helps Ron

[This message has been edited by RonMT (edited 16 January 2006).]

[lee s]

Ya might try this guy's site too. [url=http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/:534d3]http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/[/url:534d3]

[Gardenfish]

try fishing with those flies anyway. I have caught some lovely fish made from "mistake" flies.

[ducksterman]

BTW fishy...RonMT in another thread has a full description of tying the EHC...I've printed it out for myself it's so good...I recommend you do a search and read it.

Also because of his comments on bleached hair I no longer buy any .... wish I knew that early on...

And BTW that little trick about wrapping a time or two against the "underwing" I've heard called a "security wrap".