How to Tie a Fox's Caddis Poopah

Fox's Caddis Poopah is an effective fly for imitating caddis larva at a subsurface level. The fly is designed for trout fishing in rivers and streams and it is best fished between the bottom and middle of the water column. It is also tied in various colors and sizes to imitate the natural colors in a given river system. Simply pick up rocks to determine the general size and color for the river you are fishing. Tying the fly requires basic fly-tying skills and equipment.

Things You'll Need

  • Olive 8/0 thread
  • Olive vernille
  • Tiemco 2312-size 12 to 16
  • Black ostrich herl
  • Wood duck feather
  • Partridge feather
  • Gold wire
  • Gold tinsel flat
  • Lighter
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the hook in the vise and start the thread at the halfway point on the shank. Wrap the thread forward to the bend in the hook. Place a moderate length of gold wire on the hook, and make several wraps of thread to secure the wire to the shank. Lay a moderate length of gold tinsel on the bend of the hook, and make several wraps of thread to secure it in place.

    • 2

      Wrap the thread forward and stop three-fourths of the way down the shank. This will leave a moderate gap between the eye and the thread. Wrap the tinsel to the thread, covering the hook shank. Make several thread wraps to secure the tinsel, and cut away the excess with your scissors.

    • 3

      Use a lighter to burn the end of the olive vernille. Lay the vernille on the hook shank with the burnt end extending slightly past the bend in the hook. Make several thread wraps to secure the vernille. Hold the vernille flat on the hook, and counter-wrap the gold wire at an angle until you reach the thread. Secure the wire with the thread, and cut away the excess.

    • 4

      Turn the hook upside down in the vise. Select a single partridge feather, and remove a small clump of fibers from the feather. Lay the fibers on the hook and make several thread wraps to secure them in place. Cut away the excess, and turn the upright in the vise.

    • 5

      Remove two long fibers from a wood duck feather. Choose fibers slightly longer than the hook shank. Lay the two fibers on top of the shank to form a "V." Make several thread wraps to secure the fibers in place.

    • 6

      Tie in one ostrich herl at the tip. Wrap the thread forward leaving a small gap before the eye of the hook. Wrap the herl to the thread, and make several wraps of thread to secure it to the hook. Cut away the excess herl. Use a whip finisher to create a thread head and finish the fly.