One of my most productive caddis patterns is still the X-Caddis.
Recently, I have been using Marc Petigean tools and techniques with CDC.
I quickly admit, this tie is pretty rough, but, I think it deserves some serious use this summer. The body is a Petijean style twisted CDC feather which is then trimmed all around. The twisting gives the body something of a segmented look and a natural conical shape, and the remaining CDC fluff might not hurt the buoyancy.
Anyway, plan to tie up some more and do a better job of it for stream testing in mid-june.
Your tying looks a bit too polished in my opinion… it’s usually the not so perfect fly that catches the most fish…I used to try n keep everything neat n tidy… but I found my catch rate dropped as I “improved” my tying… That said… what’s your taking material here? Good sir…
You could, but the CDC is tied in at the tip back at hook bend. At the front of the fly you end up with a pretty pronounced stem and not much CDC. Haven’t tried it, but my surmising.
Why not try one tied the other way, that is tied in by the butt? That would put the taper in proper direction for a caddis and let you try the tip if any is left as an underwing. I’d give it a try myself before making speculative suggestion but my gout is not allowing me to tie right now.
You’re right about the proper Caddis shape, although hardly anyone ties them that way. I had thought of doing that, but opted for the method Marc Petijean ties his Caddis body since I was using his body style.
If you wrap like Marc does, without the trailing shuck, then trim in his method on only the bottom leaving the top (under-wing) CDC full length. It gives you a very floatable body, and the longer CDC provides the semblance of a shuck on it’s own because they tend to extend about half the length of the body longer. Tan CDC with ginger elk works out here the best. I like the way you think Byron.
NJ…
Good thoughts.
I know I’m “preaching to the choir” here, but, here goes anyway. The reason I use Zelon (especially a very light colored zelon) is because of the X-Caddis inventors…BRF. They believed, as I do, in the “glistening effect” of the material…like the natural shuck. Anyway, that is why I like to use a material like zelon on all flies with a trailing shuck…from the Sparkle Dun to the X-Caddis.
I like the way you think Byron.