Fly Tying

>Directions: The head is formed by burning a piece of monofilament. I use 10-12lb. tippet for most sizes. Use a lighter and carefully touch the flame to the end of mono to form a small ball of burnt mono. Once the head is the size you want slide two beads of the appropriate color on the mono. The head will keep them from sliding off. Form an even thread base on the hook. Loosely tie in the mono so that the head and beads are hanging off the back of the hook. Make sure the beads still have room to slide a bit. Pull the mono back towards the hook eye until the back of the bead nearest the hook meets the far bend of the hook. This will push the two beads together. Form an even thread base along the hook shank. Wrap the lead covering the majority of the shank. Tie in three strands of peacock herl that have been moistened with water at the eye of the hook. Wrap to the beads and tie off. Coat the peacock body with head cement and press the fibers against the body by twisting your fingers around the hook in a clockwise direction. You can also put on a little super glue for additional strength. Next tie in 4-6 black deer hair fibers, pointing down. You can also add a little bit of black dubbing to fill the gap next to the beads and near the deer hair. Whip finish.

>Comments: A friend introduced me to this fly. I was skeptical until the first time I fished it. When nothing else was working I put this fly on and caught 2 nice browns. I was then convinced this is a viable cased caddis pattern. I have also decided this is the most realistic cased caddis pattern I have ever seen. The smashed down peacock herl gives a nice look. This pattern will match most cased caddis patterns on the Provo, Weber, and Green Rivers or wherever you find these types of cased caddis. One suggestion: mix and match bead colors such as a black bead and a green bead.