How to Tie Champagne Caddis

The champagne caddis is designed to imitate the larva and pupa stages of the caddis fly life cycle. The fly requires minimal materials and basic fly tying techniques to complete. The champagne caddis closely resembles several other patterns like fox pupa, and it is effective for catching trout. Fish the fly close to the bottom of a river to imitate the larva or add movement to the pattern to imitate emerging pupa. Imitate both stages by dead drifting the fly, and allow it swing upward in the water column at the end of the drift.

Things You'll Need

  • Vise
  • Standard nymph hook #12-16
  • Silver bead
  • Olive micro chenille
  • Krystal Flash
  • Dubbing wax
  • Natural hare's mask
  • Olive hare's mask
  • Mallard flank feather
  • Super Glue
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Instructions

    • 1

      Slide the bead over the hook point and down the hook shank until you reach the eye of the hook. Clamp the fly tying vise around the lower hook bend. Start the thread in front of the bead and wrap it half way up the hook shank.

    • 2

      Cut a piece of olive micro-chenille twice the length of the hook shank. Hold the chenille on the hook shank with one end at the bead and one end extending past the hook bend. Make six thread wraps to secure the chenille on top of the hook. Wrap the thread to the bead, covering the entire base of the chenille. Use a lighter to singe the tip of the chenille. Quickly blow out the flame as soon as it ignites.

    • 3

      Return the thread to the halfway point on the hook shank. Cut four pieces of stiff, Krystal Flash fibers from a bunch. Measure the fibers slightly longer than the micro-chenille. Hold two fibers on each side of the hook shank and secure the fibers with five thread wraps.

    • 4

      Add a small dab of dubbing wax to the thread. Place a layer of natural hare's mask dubbing against the thread. Twist the dubbing with your fingers to spin it on the thread. Make seven dubbing wraps with each subsequent wrap, moving closer to the bead. Stop with a short gap between the dubbing and the bead.

    • 5

      Add another dab of dubbing wax to the thread. Spin a layer of olive hare's mask on the thread. Make five dubbing wraps, stopping when the thread is against the bead.

    • 6

      Hold a mallard flank feather on top of the fly to create a wing. Measure the tip of the feather slightly shorter than the end of the micro-chenille. Make five tight thread wraps to secure the feather stem at the bead. Cut the excess stem from the feather.

    • 7

      Half-hitch the thread with a whip-finishing tool and cut the thread away from the hook.