There are a significant number of caddis hatches here in Nova Scotia. The wings of the actual flies here have a darker mottled look to them. Deer body hair seems to best emulate the wings of the flies here. So a popular variation of the Elk Hair Caddis, used here, involves replacing the Elk Hair wing with a medium grey colored Deer body hair with the brown and beigeish color tips. That is the only difference from the original pattern. As with the original this can be tied in a number of colors. Grey/Brown and Olive/Blue Dun are good combinations here.
Hook:
Mustad 94840 Size 12-18
Thread:
Match Body Color
Tail:
None
Rib:
Fine Gold Wire
Body:
Match the hatch (the one pictured is grey body/brown hackle)
Hackle:
Match the hatch
Wing:
Deer Body Hair
Head:
Deer Body Hair Clipped
Instructions:
The only thing special I can say here is about the ribbing and hackle. You should tie in the fine gold wire at the rear of the fly. Then dub the body. Tie in the hackle at the point you stopped the body. Using hackle pliers wind the hackle back over the body to where the gold wire is tied off. Let your hackle pliers hang there and then do two turns of the fine gold wire to secure the hackle. Then wind the ribbing forward through the hackle. Tie off and clip.
Using the gold wire to secure the hackle makes this fly very durable as well. Make sure that you do not wrap the hackle in turns that are too close. Make it look like a body with hackle wrapped around it and not a hackle with body wrapped around it. The difference is minute but it makes a big difference.
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