In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, Galloup’s Slide Inn gives us a great tutorial on how to tie the North Branch Caddis.
Learn About This Fly:
Difficulty: Easy
The North Branch Caddis is a relatively simple caddis dry fly that should be in every summer box. The legend Kelly Galloup has brought us this incredible pattern, substituting short-fine deer hair for the traditional elk hair used in caddis dries. From a single dry to a dry dropper, the North Branch Caddis has the buoyancy to do it all on the water.
It should be a shock to no one that one of Kelly Galloup’s patterns is extremely effective. The ingredients and structure of this fly are methodical and create a highly buoyant trout snack. The short-fine deer hair for the wing and body paired with a few turns of hackle in the head make the North Branch Caddis one of the most naturally buoyant caddis dry flies on the market today, never mind once treated with floatant.
During the warmer months of the year, you should always keep an eye out for caddis hatches. Mornings and afternoons will typically produce the most prolific hatches and carrying a wide variety of caddis is important. From nymphs to dries, it pays to carry each. Trying various tactics such as skittering and using an emerger as a dropper will only increase your chances of figuring out your trout adversary. The North Branch Caddis is a tool that should always be in your box during those spring and summer months.
Ingredients:
- Thread: 12/0 SemperFli Nano Silk
- Hook: TMC 100
- Body: Short-Fine Deer Hair
- Wing: Short-Fine Deer Hair
- Hackle: Brown or Dark Barred Ginger
Now you know how to tie the North Branch Caddis.
Video and ingredients courtesy of Galloup’s Slide Inn.
