Biot Caddis - Step by Step

[ShaunF]

Biot Caddis

Not sure how well this fly would actually work as I was just buggering around and didn't have the right colour materials for what I actually wanted to do. Nevertheless here it is anyway:

Receipe

Hook: TMC 100 #16
Body: Chopped up Light brown CDC barbs
Wings: Goose Biots
Hackle: Whiting Dry Fly Hackle - I reckon a dark brown colour would be better but I didn't have so used black.
Antennae: Barbs from Partridge feather

Step 1:

Mount the thread and wrap down to above the hook barb.


Step 2:

Cut the barbs off a CDC feather and roughly chop up with a pair of sissors. Form a dubbing noodle on the thread and dub a body.


Step 3:

Cut 2 biots of appropriate size and colour, trim the rear fatter side as shown to form the correct wing shape and mount with the concave size onto the body.


Step 4:

Mount 2 barbs from a partridge feather as shown to form the antennae.


Step 5:

Tie in an appropriately sized hackle feather, make 2-3 turns and tie off. Trim the excess, whip finish and apply head cement.

[Chris Shelton]

Oh yes, now that is one for the Cape streams if ever I've seen one. Will be a bit difficult to see, but I have no doubt that it will be a fish slayer!

You tie very well Shaun, well done! Keep the awesome fly tying posts coming!

[dlampert]

Agree with Chris that it would be difficult to see. A lot of guys in the WC tie a similar pattern to match micro-caddis but as a parachute to make it easier to see.

[MyWorld]

Okay, this one is going on the list to see if it will entice the yellows in the winter!

[MyWorld]

Have you tried this fly? Am about to tie it and was wondering if there was some impovements (if needed) that you added to the design?

[ShaunF]

Hi,

I tried it back in April on one of our stillwaters and ended up getting 3 fish on it before it got bitten off. I like the pattern, but I would tie it with a white and black grizzly hackle or perhaps a combination of grizzly and ginger or light brown rather than black.

[MyWorld]

Thanks, also used ginger hackle instead, gonna try this the week-end and see what I get!

[ShaunF]

The nice thing with fishing it on stillwaters is it doesn't really need to be the visible. I was fishing it at quite a distance and always had a good idea of where it was sitting. Just watch for the swirl in the general area and strike !

It looks very realistic sitting in the water and the fish took it confidently. The antenna were gone on the first take, so I'd look for something equally thin but a little more sturdy, but they're a necessity as they make sure the fly is balanced and sitting nicely on top of the surface film. Perhaps microfibbets or something would be better ?

Good luck !

[Scythe]

Shaun, very nice fly, did you thin up the design yourself ?

Marno, winter is the wrong time of year for Caddis on the Vaal. You want to be tying MF and Midge imitations.

[ShaunF]

Shaun, very nice fly, did you thin up the design yourself ?

Marno, winter is the wrong time of year for Caddis on the Vaal. You want to be tying MF and Midge imitations.

Hey Scythe,

Thanks mate, but I can't really say that I thought it up myself and so can't take any form of credit for that. I don't think there's really much in fly tying these days that one could actually call unique or original, so chances are I've either seen it before or have used techniques I've seen before somewhere.