Some issues with my elk-hair caddis

[djamieson]

When I tie smaller caddis, in sizes 16 or 18, I'm having two problems that seem related. First of all, the elk hair isn't set firmly on the hook and likes to turn on its own, even though I have a thread base beneath it. (Could this be the result of using too much elk hair?) Secondly, as I try to secure the elk hair with more wraps, I'm leaving the fly with a head that seems too big. Anyone have any ideas on how I can nix these problems? Maybe a sparser wing? Or would greater thread tension do the trick? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Best,

Dave

[Al Beatty]

Hi Dave,

Without seeing the amount of hair in the wing, I can say if there is too much in it. One method I use to keep the EHC wing in place is to take a loop of thread around the clump of hair and then anchor the hook shank to the clump of hair. The loop around the hair first forces the hair to stay in place on the hook. This method is very helpful also for tying mixed color bucktail streamer wings and keeping each color from "bleeding over" into the color under/above it. Take care & ...

Tight Lines - Al Beatty
www.btsflyfishing.com

[pspaint]

Al's method is a good way of securing the stacked hair to the hook. It sounds though, like you might be using too large of a clump of hair, especially if the head appears to large. Use less hair and try the method Al mentioned and you should be in business.

[Normand]

Go to this web site and click on the video and watch how Hans ties in the wing.

http://www.danica.com/FLYTIER/hweilenmann/cdcelk.htm

The rest of the fly isnt bad either!

[Jayatwork]

Al's tip is great for keeping the wing together. Here's something else that may help. Don't let go of the wing until it's secure. Then make a couple of wraps under the butts of the hair and whip finish it there.

[dragonfly1]

Can it possibly be that the hair is to coarse? I had a similar problem that I solved by using fine coastal deer hair in place of the elk hair and it seemed to work a lot better. I only substitue the hair when I'm tying EHC's from 16's down to 20's. Just thought I would put out another idea to think about. Good luck,Dave

[billknepp]

A good rule of thunb when tying EHC's is when looking at the fly from the top, You should be able to see the boby through the winging material....A.K.Best suggests this for keeping things in check....It works for me...

[Joe Billingsley]

I agree with all the above. Also try having a THIN layer of dubbing under the tie in point of the wing instead of just a thread base. This sometimes works for me.
Joe

[RonMT]

You got some good advise above. But I think you are having the same problem a lot of new tiers do. You do not know the breaking strength of your thread and are afraid of pulling to hard on it when wrapping the ELK hair down.
My advise is for you to pratice by wrapping your thread around a larger hook placed in your vise and breaking it. Pull slowly until it breaks. Do this about 25 times and then do it while tying some hair on the same hook. In so doing you will learn how hard you can pull on your thread before it breaks.
I have said many times Fly Tying is all about knowing what your thread will do and how it will react with different tying materails. Without that knowledge it is very hard to tie well.

When buying Elk Hair for these flies, many people do not know the differences in the types of Elk hair you can buy. Just any old hair does not work. You want good light in color Bull hair. It should be light in color, fine without black tips. It should also not be solid and should have some hollowness to it. The fine part is very important. I know a lot of people try and use Cow Elk for these flies and it just dosen't work well.


I am lucky in that I live in a state were a lot of elk are killed each year and I can choose the hides I like. But you can learn to choose hair by taking it out of the package and looking at it. Most shops will allow this. Without the right hair I don't care how good of a tier you are you will not be able to tie a good small Elk Hair Caddis. Most of the local tiers that make a living tying are very picky in choosing there hair. I sugeest you be the same way. Good tying. Ron

[Scruffy Fly]

Like already stated I found using coastal deer hair for small versions easier to tie with.

But I have also had good success with using less elk hair than what I thought I needed. After getting done I thought the wing looked sparce. But after fishing with it I realized that the fly remained quite fishable and visible with the sparcer wing.

Another thing I have done in the past:
After making a couple of loose wraps around the hair try spinning the bobbin. This will get the thread to stay twisted instead of flattening out against the hair. It will dig into the hair more thus gripping it better but will not cut through. I then spin the bobbin a little in the opposite direction just before I whip finish. Twisted thread seems to be stronger than untwisted thread.

This technique also gets the hair to flair a little more so that when you use less hair it appears to be a fuller silhouette.