Has anyone used these flies and if so, how’d you do?
Typically the books show them tied on an English worm hook(Mustad 31740?). The latex body is wrapped forward with slight overlap for segmentation, tied down, and some peacock or ostrich is wrapped for the head. An underbody can give the fly some tint of color or you can use magic markers. Just wondering if this style of caddis has worked for anyone, in what shades of colors and in what sizes?
Allan
Allan,
I have tied and used them in bright green, olive, and tan, usually in sizes 14-18 on a scud/emerger hook. I haven’t had as much success with them as I have with caddis tied with something fuzzier. I guess La Fontaine was right when he said they look great out of the water, but in the water they just looked like plastic.
Joe
Allan, I have used the latex caddis pattern and I have found the same as Joe. I have better success with dubbed bodies. I use the deep sparkle pupa most of the time.
We have used a caddis pupa pattern tied with a gold bead, red throat(thread) and body made out a rubber Dr. type glove. Caught lots of fish on our tailwaters here in Arkansas on that fly.
Allan:
Those flies were big over 20 years ago and I had good luck with them but the bodies wouldn’t hold up or didn’t many moons ago. The natural latex which is what I used, would fall apart after awhile. Maybe today’s latex is better.
But, today I use regular dubbing at times ribbed with Vinyl Rib other times ribbed with wire or thread with better more durable results.
Hi,
I’ve never fished with them, though I’ve seen them in pattern books. I’ve also seen a variation called a “silk worm”, where one first palmers the hook with ostrich hurl. Then, wrap the latex forward, allowing a bit of hurl to stick out between the wraps. I would think fairly long fibered hurl is required as the latex is probably still over lapped, and the idea is just to get some hairy bits sticking out for motion, etc.
As I say, I’ve never tried either so I can’t comment on the relative benefits of one over the other.
Like was mentioned previous, we used them about twenty years ago. They seemed to work okay for whitefish in the winter. I remember they went bad after a year especially if they were left in a hot car or truck.
I have used latex for many patterns over the years and have found the secret is the grade of latex used. I use a medical grade latex and apply a thin coat of either Softbody or Soft-tex after the color is applied. For the extra air bubble “sparkle” I rib them with a strip of prepared organza ribbon. Then trim the organza to get the effect I am after.
They have served me well over the years. 
Latex and Prepared Organza Rib
Color and Light Coating
Finished Pattern
Very very nice…
What did you secure the organza under to represent the wing case ?..and what is the antenna material?
That fly is unique enough …at least to me…it is FOTW material 
Thanks ducksterman … The wing case is a thin strip of latex left over from the body strip folded to produce the head, and thorax segments. The antennae are porcupine guard hairs. The organza gives it a nice sparkle in the water.
Salmonfly - Thanks and Very nice. Will give it a try. - Allan
Thanks Allan!
That’s one nice looking caddis pattern.
Warmouth
Salmonfly may have the successful answer. I remember tying caddis larvae with latex bodies many years ago, probably the ~20 years mentioned above, and catching absolutely nothing. Apparently this is just another area where I’ll completely agree with Gary LaFontaine. (It’s hard, probably silly to argue with him.) I’ve successfully used his patterns. They work!
Bill
I used this pattern - Swannundaze Sedge Pupa - as a basis for a latex version. I did not have any Swannundaze or any access to it so I tied with a long narrow strip of latex. It worked as an exercise in fly tying very well but did not catch me any fish. I maybe did not persevere with it enough but still the fly looked very good.
Here is the pattern I used with the substitution of latex for the Swannundaze.
* Hook : 8 - 10 Shrimp or grub
* Thread : Yellow
* Underbody : Fluo red floss
* Overbody : Clear amber swannudaze
* Rib : Peacock herl
* Hackle : Brown partridge
* Wingcase : Cock pheasant
* Thorax : Brown seal’s fur or similar
* Horns : Long cock pheasant tail fibres
I cant find the fly I tied, buried in a spare fly box somewhere,
but here is a site with a version of the Swannundaze Sedge Pupa.
http://www.fish4flies.com/Nymphs/Caddis … Sedge_Pupa