Caddis Pupa

[smallstreams.co.za]

Hi guys

While looking at my flybox list (Thread: Flybox Contents), I noticed I had no Caddis Pupa imitations, nor do I really have any serviceble pattern in mind to tie.

How about sharing yours?? Images of the final fly would be awesome.

The Natural:

[smallstreams.co.za]

This looks tieable ...

[smallstreams.co.za]

as well ...

[croozer]

This looks tieable ...

Damn intricate work that !

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Hi Mario,

This is all u'll ever need.

G

[KevinE]

Mario,

These patterns desiged by my old mate Jack Murray have worked very well for me. They seem to work better than the adults during a caddis hatch:

http://www.danica.com/flytier/jmurra..._fall_coat.htm

Jack goes to the extent of tying different shades for the different seasons, but I haven't gone there yet.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

i see you have a copy of barr flies good book.

have you fished those patterns. what size ?

the green one with the bright butt is nice - because that is excactly what the LIVE pupa's abdomen looks like. these are the # 18-16 pupa's i'm talking about.

I fish the Tan and the Olive one's on a size 14 TMC 2487 tied slightly shorter.

G

[chris williams]

Hi Mario

Further to my PM to you, this is more for newbies who may not be aware, appreciate you probably know all this - whether it's all true or not I havn't a clue!!!!:

I can't speak for the EC, but on the Vaal we have two main caddis types. Macrostemum Capense Signatum (species) and various Hydropsyche species. Check out the search engine as I've developed two larvae imitiations (they're both web-spinning non-casemakers) which work for me anyway. In shorthand the MCS (for short) - or so-called Vaal rockworm - totally separate to the Yanks' Rhycophila rockworm which has a uniform green football-segmented shape - has a lightish green body and brown back. The Hydro's are generally what is often called the mustard caddis, but I tie them with a fusion of colour to more closely imitate the natural and these seem to catch more fish than a bland uniform mustard dubbing. The pupa of each are of a similar colour and need to be tied 'fuzzy' so they trap bits of air bubble. Hence exact imitiations which take hours to tie often don't work nearly as well. As the pupae usually come to the surface to hatch late pm/evenings, often that's the best time to use them instead of larvae. and they should be fished accordingly to look like the natural. Partridge and orange, yellow, green or hare's ear body work well with a fuzzy hare's ear thorax in the appropriate colour. These can be fished as a dropper above a control fly or on it's own fished upstream as a dry but slightly under the surface. Fished just under a dry caddis also can work. The odd twitch works well. Often fish will take a sub-surface hatching pupa way before grabbing an adult on the water.
Thje other two flies which are simple to tie and give the 'air bubble' reality are the late-great Gary LaFontaine's Deep Sparkle Pupa and Sparkle Pupa. The Deep Sparkle can also double up as an adult caddis diving to lay eggs on the stream bed which certain species often do.

All of these are quick/easy to tie and efficient fish catchers. Occasionally you may need a more realistic pupa when fishing's tough then you can tie a Sparkle Pupa variant with grey bird 'wings' tied sloping downwards. I like using hadedah for this though any normal grey bird wing will work. You can also use Antron for this. Most of these you can tie on size 10/16 sedge pupa hooks.
The recipes for the MCS/Hydro larvae for those that are interested check under the 'search'. The Patridge series are self-explanatory - I prefer tying the body short as per the original 'spider'. The Sparkle pupa are basic - leaded underbody for the Deep, body of appropriate colour with mixed Antron/Ice Dubbing/natural dubbing. Upper and lower 'Halo' tied in at hook eye both above and below the hook, and pulled back and trapped in at the rear. a few fibres can extend as a tail or shuck. For the Deep you can add the ubiquitous goldbead if you wish.

Some ways of fishing them depending on the time of day:

CZning or indicator-nymphing:
Hydro/MCS as control fly, Partridge or Sparkle as 'dropper'.
Deep Sparkle '' '' ''

Elk Hair Caddis dry with Partridge or Sparkle as trailer fly

Partridge or Sparkle on it's own fished upstream sub-surface at dusk - I almost guarantee you'll get more takes to this than to an adult fished dry - but use the combo dry/sub-surface to ensure no room for error!!

Hope the above from my experience helps some of you guys. Nothing's written in ink in ffishing but the above techniques have worked for me at least
over the years and are simple and easy - rather like me..

Sorry got to shoot to soccer so havn't had chance check spelling etc...

[smallstreams.co.za]

Thanks for all the replies, info and suggestions. I'll incorporate many of these ideas and tie, fish and report what I found to work best for me in our situations. Once again, thanks for all the effort.