This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Blue Ribbon Flies X Caddis.
The Blue Ribbon Flies X Caddis is a fly I fish often and honestly didn’t think about featuring as a TBT fly. It struck me as I wrote my last post, Fly Fish the Madison River in Early July, that many readers may not know about this fly.
Blue Ribbon Flies is one of my favorite fly shops in West Yellowstone, MT. It’s where I spend time standing at the deer and elk bins hand selecting the hair I use to tie my flies.
This style of fly can be tied in many colors and sizes to match any caddis.
I’ve been using an X Caddis for several years, probably after purchasing Fly Patterns of Yellowstone – volume two by Craig Mathews and John Juracek of Blue Ribbon Flies. The copyright lists 2008 as the year it was published. I’m sure I had volume one, but must have loaned it to someone or misplaced it over the years.
Their story in the book credits Craig’s wife Jackie as the one who had the original idea for the X Caddis. She thought the fish might like the shuck hanging off the back of a caddis much like that from their popular Sparkle Dun fly pattern. They were targeting large, selective fish on the Henry’s Fork river in Idaho who would “drive by” an Elk Hair Caddis and not eat the fly.
The change worked!
If you are a fly tyer, be sure to check out my fly pattern sheet. Otherwise, these flies can be purchased from Blue Ribbon Flies, other fly shops, or via custom order from me.
Enjoy…go fish!
