dry
Elk Hair Caddis
- Sizes
- #12–#18
- Imitates
- adult caddis · October caddis · Grannom
- Origin
- Al Troth, 1957
Al Troth's Elk Hair Caddis is the definitive adult caddis imitation. The palmered hackle body and tent-shaped elk hair wing create a buoyant, high-riding silhouette that trout slam in broken water. It is a must-have on every freestone river from Montana to Patagonia.
Recipe
This is one dressing. Tie it in other colors to match the hatch in front of you.
Workbench
Variants
Swipe to see In box and Add
| Size | Bead | Body | In box | Add to box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 | — | Tan | — | — |
| #14 | — | Tan | — | — |
| #16 | — | Tan | — | — |
| #18 | — | Tan | — | — |
At the vise
Palmer a hackle over a dubbed body from bend to thorax, tie in a tent wing of elk hair tips, trim the butts to form a bullet head.
Tying video
Fishing now on
Rivers whose hatch chart names this pattern this month. Names and sizes only.
- Barren Fork Creek#12-18
- Beaverkill River#16
- Bighorn River#16-18
- Bighorn River (Wyoming)#14-16
- Chattahoochee River#16
- Clearwater River#14-16
- Cranberry River#16
- Cumberland River#16
- Current River#16-18
- Eleven Point River#16-18
- Elk River#16
- Gibbon River#14-16
- Gore Creek#10-20
- Grande Ronde River#14-16
- Green River#14-16
- Kickapoo River#10-12
- Kootenai River (below Libby Dam)#14-18
- Little Manistee River#16-18
- Lochsa River#14-16
- Madison River#6-10
- North Fork of the White River#16-18
- North Platte River (Northgate Canyon)#10-20
- Pecos River#16-18
- Pigeon River#16-18
- Rio Chama#16-18
- Salmon River#14-16
- Selway River#14-16
- South Fork Snake River#14-16
- St. Joe River#14-16
- Taylor River#16-18
- Toccoa River#16
- Truckee River (Nevada)#14-18
- Weber River#16-18
- White River — White Mountains#16-18
On the water
Fish the Elk Hair Caddis with a slight downstream twitch to imitate caddis skating on the surface. It is deadly in pocket water and riffles where caddis are active. On evening caddis hatches, skitter it across the current seams.
History
Al Troth developed the Elk Hair Caddis in 1957 on the Beaverhead River in Montana. Frustrated with existing caddis patterns that sank quickly, he designed a durable, high-floating fly using elk hair's natural buoyancy. It quickly became the world's most popular caddis imitation.