Tight Lines Fly Fishing: 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.