Paul's May 2021 Fly of the Month

 Corn Fed Caddis

Hook:  TMC Size # 14 1X Dry Fly Hook or hook of choice. 

Thread:  MFC Light Brown 6/0 Thread.

Shuck:  Antron Yarn PMD Shuck/Olive.

Rib:  Tan Tying Thread.

Body/Thorax:  Super Fine Tan Dubbing.

Wing/Hackle:  Natural CDC – 4 feathers. 

Over Wing:  White Para Post Wing Material.

Collar/Head:  Additional dubbing with a dubbing loop of CDC fibers wrapped over it. 

This is a great caddis imitation.  It floats like a cork and the movement of the CDC fibers mimics that of a living insect.  Give it a try and I guarantee it will become one of your favorite patterns. 

I’ve tied all of my Corn Fed Caddis on a Size #14 hook.  There is a lot of material on this hook shank so please be aware that proportion is everything to tie this fly correctly.  Also, creating a dubbing loop of CDC is not an easy matter.  With practice you can master it. 

To tie this fly, begin your thread a couple eye lengths behind the eye.  Wrap down to the bend.  Next, prepare your Antron Shuck material.  Usually, half of strand of material is enough.  Tie it in at the bend of the hook.  Wrap the butt end up the hook shank.  Cut it off and wrap back down to the bend.  Trim the Shuck so that it is ½ the hook shank length beyond the bend.  Bring your thread back up the hook shank.  Create a thread loop and bind it down along the hook shank.  After it is secured, cut the loop so that the tag end extends beyond the bend and shuck.  This is going to be your rib.  

Now dub the body with Super Fine Dubbing. The body should be approximately 2/3 the hook shank length.  Next, counter wrap your rib forward creating a segmented body.  Tie and cut the rib off.  Align the tips of 4 CDC feathers so that they are relatively even.  These feathers will be your wing.  Tie them on the top of the hook shank.  They should extend to the halfway point of the shuck.  Once the wing is securely tied down trim the butts.  ‘Clean them up’ with your tying thread to create an even base.  Next, tie on your Para Post Wing.  For a size #14 fly use approximately ½ to 2/3 strand of material.  The Para Post makes your fly more visible in the water.  Tie a 3” strand in at it’s midpoint, then fold back the material to lay on top of your CDC Wing.  You then want to trim it so that it’s slightly shorter than your CDC Wing.  Again, use your thread to even out the remaining ‘head area’ of your fly.  Then apply a small amount of dubbing for the base of your head.  On the back side of the head, create a ‘dubbing loop’ to make a ‘brush’ of CDC fibers.  You can do this by creating a loop with your thread or by splitting the thread with a bodkin.  Take the fibers of two CDC feathers and insert them into your loop/thread create your dubbing brush.  Once the CDC brush is constructed, palmer it through your ‘head’ to create a buggy head/collar.  Tie it off behind the eye.  Clip off the tag end and whip finish your fly.  

Fly Fish Food has a great instructional video on how to tie this fly below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or at pdinice@frontier.com .