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theflycrate

CDC and Elk

CDC and Elk

$1.71 USD
$1.71 USD
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36 in stock

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One of the more reliable spring hatches is the caddis. When the snow melts, the caddis will start to hatch so make sure you have a smattering of options with you on early-season outings! This pattern is so simple yet so effective. Tied with a CDC Body and Elk hair for the wing, this fly is irresistible for feeding trout.

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About Caddis Flies

Caddis flies are a moth-like group of insects that inhabit a wide range of habitats and water types throughout the world. They come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny #22 micro caddis to large #10 October caddis. Caddisflies are unique in that many of them build cases, spin webs, or are even free-living. Adult caddisflies are similar in appearance to moths, with down-turned wings that resemble a pup tent.

For the fly angler, it is not important to decipher which species is hatching; rather, it is more important to match the size, color, and behavior of the species on the water.

Three of the four phases of the caddis fly life cycle are relevant to fly fishermen: larval, pupal, and adult. When choosing flies for caddis hatches, select patterns that represent all three phases. Classic standby patterns like the Elk Hair Caddis or X Caddis always produce.

How To Fly Fish Caddis Flies

Here are a few quick tips to fly fishing caddis flies.

When Do Caddis Flies Hatch?

  • On many rivers, caddis hatches start to happen in the first few weeks of April to mid April. Then continue through October.
  • A caddis hatch can happen any time of the day. Their lifecycle is dependent on water temperature.

How To Fly Fish Caddis Dry Flies

When fishing caddis flies as a dry fly, most times a perfectly drag-free drift is what you’re shooting for, but that can change with caddis. By wiggling the rod top, a slight retrieve, or really focusing on the swing of the fly, anglers can better match what the naturals are doing, and as such, give a more realistic showing that trout can’t resist!

Try a drag-free drift for upstream presentations. As your fly drifts past you or on a downstream presentation, try picking up your rod tip high and wiggle the line to skate the caddis dry fly across the surface a bit. Caddis like to skate while depositing their eggs in the late afternoon.

How To Fish Caddis Pupae

The easiest way to fish pupae is with soft hackled wet flies.

The whole idea is to cast your line downstream to the side and let the flies swing across the stream and down.

Letting your line swing across the stream allows you to cover more water. Although insects do not swing across currents, fish don’t seem to care. As your flies swing across the currents, you follow the line with your rod until your line completes its swing. Let the fly complete its swing. The line will straighten out and in the process, your fly will do something extraordinary. Your fly will rise to the surface like a swimming larva. That’s it! That is it in its basic form. Here's more on fishing soft hackles.

How To Nymph Caddis Flies

There's nothing really special in the technique for nymphing caddis flies. It's just the same as how you would fish any other nymph pattern. We prefer to fish our caddis nymphs in multi-fly rigs either under an indicator or tight-line nymphed.

You could go a little fancy and do a hopper dropper on caddis flies by dropping a nymph below a dry fly.

More About Caddis FliesTactics & Rigging Up

Common Questions

Do I need a membership to place an order?

No, we want to make your shopping experience straightforward and hassle-free. You do not need a membership to place an order from our online fly shop.

Placing an order without a membership is simple. You can browse our website, select the items you want, add them to your cart, and proceed to checkout. You’ll be prompted to provide your shipping and payment information to complete your order.

How much is shipping?

We offer a variety of shipping options to suit your needs. Here are the available shipping methods along with their estimated costs:

  • USPS First Class Package: $4.90+
  • USPS Priority Package: $9.90+
  • UPS Ground Delivery: $9.95+

Please allow 1 to 2 business days for processing and handling of your order. This is in addition to delivery estimates from shipping carriers.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. We also offer the option to pay securely through PayPal and Amazon. In addition, we now accept checks through the mail. Once payment is collected and verified, we ship orders within 1-business day.

Where are you located?

We are located in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and ship all orders from our PA facility. Our staff are all based in the USA.

Why Choose Us

The Fly Crate, American-owned and based in Pennsylvania, offers fast service, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and donates 2% of sales to support veterans. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

    We stand behind our products so if any flies unravel first-cast-in or you're unhappy with the performance, we offer exchanges and refunds on all purchases.

  • American Owned

    Based in the heart of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, The Fly Crate takes pride in offering fast shipping and reliable service to anglers across the country.

  • 2% Goes to Veterans

    It’s true, 2% of all sales is committed to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and their participants. Every year we contribute 1,000's of flies to events across the USA.