Paul's May 2022 Bonus Fly of the Month

 Sweet Meat Caddis

Bead:  Slotted Tungsten Gold Bead, 3mm for Size #14.

Hook:  Hanak 450 BL in Size #14 & #16. 

Thread:  Brown 6/0 Danville.

Abdomen:  Small Golden Olive UTC Wire.

Collar:  UV Brown Ice Dub.  

Wing:  Natural Dun CDC

Antenna:  Natural Mallard Flank Fibers.

Head:  Peacock Ice Dub.

 

This fly was developed by Boulder Colorado native Garrison Doctor.  He is also famous for designing ‘Rep Your Water’ hats and Tees.  What I love about the SMC Caddis is it gets down fast with it’s wire body & tungsten bead.  Because it’s tied on a hook, more times than not, trout are safely hooked in the upper lip.  Different than other caddis pupa patterns, it’s a great attractor pattern on the Housatonic & Farmington Rivers.

 

To tie this fly, place your bead on the hook, then place the hook in your vice.  Start the thread behind the bead and create a thread dam behind it.  Make a nice even thread base along the hook shank.  It’s important to have a smooth underbody when you have a wire overbody.  Next tie in your UTC Wire, starting behind the bead and wrapping back to the hook bend.  Now build a tapered body with your thread.  Leave your thread approximately and eye gap length behind the bead.  Using tight touching wraps, carefully wrap your wire forward.  Tie the wire off with a few turns and ‘helecopter’ the butt end of the wire off.

 

You are now going to dub a slight collar of UV Brown Ice Dub.  A small pinch is all you’ll need.  2-3 Wraps around the hook shank is all you will need.  Next, using 2 Natural Dun CDC feathers, align the tips of both.  Clip the tips at the center stem of the feathers.  Now, stroke the fibers forward, clumping and bundling them with your fingers.  Next, tie them in at the underside of the hook creating a ‘beard like’ wing.  It should extend about the length of the hook shank.  Trim off the butt ends of the CDC.  On the sides of the hook, tie in 4-6 Mallard Fibers to be used as the Antennae of the Fly.  You want 2 clumps, one on each side, that are a hook shank in length. 

 

You are now going to finish the collar of the fly.  Dub a collar of Peacock Ice Dub behind the bead.  You are going to brush this dubbing out after you apply it, so make sure there is enough on your collar to do that.  3-4 Wraps around the hook shank should do it.  Whip finish and tie your thread off behind the bead.  With a piece of Velcro, dubbing brush, sweep that dubbing back towards the rear of the fly.  You want to give it a ‘buggy’ look and create a veil around the fly.  Some of the dubbing may come off the fly when you do this.  Don’t worry as long as you have initially applied enough dubbing.  Good luck and tight lines.

 

FlyFishermanMagazine 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, email me at pdinice@frontier.com . 

Paul's May 2022 Fly of the Month

 Lead Wing Coachman

Hook:   Rip Lips DE,2XH Sproat Bend , Mustad 3096B or S82-3906B, Sabre 7030, Daichi 1560, Tiemco 3761,  Dai-Riki 060, size 20 to size 8

Tag: Gold tinsel to match hook size

Body: Peacock herl

Rib: Fine gold wire

Thread: Black 6/0 to 14/0 sized to hook size

Hackle: Brown hen or brown partridge

Wing: Sections of mallard wing quill

 

This pattern was submitted by my friend Bill Goeben.  Bill teaches the HFFA fresh water tying class.  I’ve taken tying lessons from many well-known tyers. The  experience and tying techniques I obtained by taking Bill’s class far surpassed those of the other instructors.  Furthermore, the flies you learn in his class will put you in the top 1/3 of all fly fishers who fish the Housatonic.

 

To tie this fly:  Wind thread to bend of hook. Cut a taper in the end of the tinsel and catch the end of the taper with a couple of thread wraps. Wrap down the bend a couple of turns and back up to the flat of the shanks and tie off the tinsel with a couple of wraps. Put a drop of head cement on the tag. To avoid a bump in the body, lay the rib on the hook almost to the eye and wrap up and back over it, ending back at the bend. Tie in 1 to 5 peacock hurl fibers according to hook size. Make a dubbing loop at the bend and take a couple of wraps over it and wind the thread almost back to the eye. Cut one leg of the dubbing loop close to the hook and then twist it with the herls to make a rope, then wrap almost to the eye and tie it off. Counter wrap the rib almost up to the eye and tie it off. Rock the wire back and forth to break it off instead of cutting it. Putting the drop of head cement on the tag, and counter winding the rib will make your fly much more durable. This fly really works and trout teeth will quickly destroy it. Next tie in the hackle by the tip and take two wraps of the hackle and tie it off. Cut 2 segments of mallard quill and place the far wing against the hook high on the far side with the tip just barely past the end of the hook. Place the nearside wing   against the hook. Pinch the wings together and take 2 soft wraps, tilt the wings toward you a couple of degrees and tighten the thread wraps. The thread torque will stand the wings up and compress the fibers down onto the hook. Release the wings and adjust them. Secure them with a few more tight wraps. Trim the butts at an angle and wrap a neat head. Whip finish and cut the thread. Add a couple of coats of head cement making sure that you don’t fill the eye with cement.  

There is a great instructional video on how to tie the Lead Wing Coachman by Tightlinevideo below: 

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