This weeks submission comes from Jack Harford. Jack is a past contributor to this blog and his Green Tail Caddis has been one of the more productive wet flies I have fished this year for both warm and cold water species.
Jack writes…
A lot of anglers are familiar with the use of caddis patterns for trout. However, over the last couple of years I have found that caddis patterns, especially the Green Tail Caddis, are quite effective for bluegills and other warm water fish.
Let me tell you a secret . . . bluegills love soft hackle flies and especially this Green Tail Caddis. Even though my signature fly is the foam “House Fly,” I have to admit that more and bigger gills have been landed on soft hackles recently.
This 11.25 inch bluegill readily took the Green Tail Caddis last year along with a whole bunch of his smaller brothers and sisters.
This is a simple fly to tie and is effective for bluegills on hooks size 8-12 or even 14. The trouble with size 14’s is that bluegills and other panfish tend to swallow the hook and it can be a pain in the “you know what” to get the hook out.
I like to fish two flies with my 10-foot 5wt or with the tenkara rod and have landed several doubles with this fly the past couple of years. I prefer an unweighted version that sinks slowly and seductively in the water column. If you feel you need to get deeper faster just add a bead.
Good Luck with this warm water application of the Green Tail Caddis.
Tight Lines,
Jack Harford
Pattern Recipe:
Hook: Size 8-12, I really like 10’s a lot and have used Mustads to barbless Firehole Sticks and several in between.
Thread: Green/chartreuse UTC 140 is my go-to thread, but olive or other greens can be used too. The key with the thread is to create a very noticeable green tail or egg sack at the rear of the fly.
Rib: Gold tinsel or flash
Body: Hares ear dubbing like Spirit River Mottled Nymph Blend Dubbing. If the caddis in your region have unique coloring, try different colors to see what the fish like.
Hackle: Hungarian Partridge.
If you have questions for Jack he can be reached at jharford.indy@gmail.com