I’ve been tying a lot of caddis fly patterns lately, specifically Iris Caddis. I’m working on filling the caddis provider box that will include Iris Caddis and X Caddis in amber, tan, and olive.
Here is a picture of the provider box I’m working on. There are 1 1/2 dozen flies in each slot…a total of 10 1/2 dozen so far.
While I was tying flies today, that got me thinking about the materials I use for these VERY effective fly patterns. Most of them are from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT.
The tails and body are the same for each fly…Caddis Gold Zelon and Zelon dubbing. Iris Caddis wings use white Zelon and a head of Hare’s Ear dubbing. The X Caddis finishes the fly with deer hair wing.
I’ve written about many of the effective fly patterns created at Blue Ribbon Flies. Besides the Iris Caddis and X Caddis, their Sparkle Dun, Improved Sparkle Dun, $3 Dip, Mayfly Cripples, Mighty Midget Emerger, and Zelon Midge are a few of the flies I use to catch some very nice fish.
Blue Ribbon Flies is a very friendly fly shop I always stop at when I head to Yellowstone Country. I take inventory of materials I can only find there and seem to leave with a bag full after each visit. Sure, you may find similar products for these flies, but why argue with success?
I am very particular with deer hair and I like to hand select my own. I always paw through the bins of hair to select the perfect piece. If you aren’t able to do that, give them a call and they can select a good piece for you. Otherwise, your local fly shop may carry the Nature’s Spirit brand of materials. I’ve seen some great “comparadun” hair in their packages as well.
In addition, be sure to check out their soft hackle materials. The Hungarian Partridge skins are the best I’ve ever seen.
I wrote an earlier post entitled Craig Mathews and Blue Ribbon Flies where I talked about the influence they’ve had on my fly tying and the flies I fish. The flies they develop fit my description for success – simple to tie, effective in catching fish.
Central Oregon was very fortunate to host Craig Mathews for their 2015 winter seminar. As part of his presentation, Craig tied several of his popular flies. I wrote about it in a post entitled Craig Mathews Winter Seminar. Be sure to check it out.
So tie a few of these caddis fly patterns, or buy them at Blue Ribbon Flies, or contact me and I’ll pull a few out of the provider box.
Enjoy…go fish!
