Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2015 - 8

Tying the
Beadhead Caddis Pupa

by Carl Haensel

photos by the author

When hatches start, there are often emerging insects in the water struggling to
escape. Prior to this emergence, the juvenile insects are active in the stream. In
the case of caddisflies, this includes caddis pupa. Since they come in a variety
of shapes and sizes, trout are often less picky about eating pupa patterns. They
often have wings and antennae that are swept back along the insect and move
in the current. Flies with soft hackle made of partridge like the one below
can be effective at fooling trout in the spring. Carry a variety of caddis pupa
patterns in differing sizes and colors to target the different hatches you may
run into. Learn what caddisflies inhabit your local trout stream by turning over
rocks and looking for caddis pupa and larva that you may be able to imitate.
Fish a caddis pupa pattern like you would other nymphs. When you have
the opportunity, allow your fly to swing at the end of a drift and rise toward
the surface as if it were a hatching insect. You can also choose to lift your fly
midway through your drift as if it were a caddis pupa struggling to hatch.
Boiling rises from trout that do not break the surface can signal caddis pupa
attempting to hatch. Make sure that you have very little slack line when raising
your fly through the water column.

Beadhead Caddis Pupa materials

Hook: Curved nymph hook in sizes 12 to 16
Thread: 6/0 olive fly tying thread
Body: Olive antron or other synthetic mix dubbing
Bead: 1/8-inch black, silver or gold bead
Tail/Extended Body: Ultra chenille or other fine chenille in olive sized to hook.
Antennae: Long partridge, guinea or other feather barbs
Hackle: Gray partridge
Head: Peacock herl
Glue: Head cement

1 Add the bead to the hook with the small hole facing toward the eye. Place

the hook in the vise, secure the thread and wrap a base layer over the hook.

2 Dub the body from the front to the back of the hook, taking care not to
place too much material near the bead.

3 Cut a short section of the chenille, and use a butane lighter to lightly flame
the end. This will taper it to a point. Attach the chenille on the top of the
hook in only two places to avoid crushing the fibers.

4 Tie in the antennae on the top of the body, just to the rear of the head area.
5 Tie in a section of partridge feather and wrap it to create a soft hackled

area imitating legs. If wrapping the feather is challenging, try using rotary hackle pliers.

6 Tie in one or two pieces of peacock herl, and wrap them snugly, just behind the bead to form a head for the fly. Trim the herl tight to
the bead, and whip finish the fly next to the bead. Finish the fly by lightly head cementing it, avoiding getting any on the herl.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2015

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2015

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