The fall is a nice time on the Deschutes.  The season brings cooler weather, less competition, and the emergence of the fall caddis – noticeably bigger than their summer cousins.  A favorite nymph of mine is the October Caddis. 

Materials: 

Hook:                                            Tiemco 2457 #s 6, 8

Thread:                                         Black 8/0

Body:                                             Burnt orange dubbing

Rib:                                                Fine copper wire

Thorax:                                         Black deer hair

1. Attach a piece of copper wire.  Tie it down tight with thread wraps from just behind the head to almost where the turn of the hook goes vertical.

2. Make a dubbing loop at the back of the tied-down wire, and spin a dubbing “yarn” of burnt orange material.  For these hooks, the yarn should be around two inches long.  Then wind the thread to just behind the eye.

3. Wrap the dubbing yarn forward in moderately tight turns against each other to about an eighth of an inch behind the eye.  Secure with three tight thread turns and clip the excess.

4. Counterwind the wire with about five or six turns to the front of the body, secure with two thread turns and clip the excess.  The bobbin will be hanging down at the clip point; have about an inch and a half of thread showing.

5. Snip a small bunch of deer hair and pinch it on top of the hook (parallel to the hook) with the tips pointing backward and the middle of the bundle at the thread point.  Make two gentle loops of thread over the hair bundle, then tighten the thread so that the hair will spin around, flare out and tighten against the hook.

6. With your fingers, stroke the hair sticking out over the eye back and hold it back out of the way while making a number of thread turns at the eye to build a head.  Finish with several half hitches and a double half hitch, tighten and trim the thread.

7. With a small scissors, trim the excess hair to shape the thorax.