Wet Caddis

Taking fish on dry flies is great fun, but as I learned the hard way on a recent trip when my friend Jirka totally outclassed me, trout truly do consume most of their food below surface.

I was fishing a dry caddis imitation and enjoying seeing the occasional strike on surface, while he was fishing a wet caddis and having fun getting 10 fish to 1 mine.

Once I got home I sat down and tied these simple wet caddis flies to do better the next time.

It is a very simple tie, the key factor being wing of Australian Possum hair. It has a peculiar wavy but coarse look and once wet is very mobile. I hear that it is commonly used in many Australian fly patterns.

The tie:
#8 Veniard Ospery heavyweight grub hook (1x short, 1x strong)
tan UTC thread, 70 den
ribbing of fine gold Gütermann tinsel
body & thorax from homemade rough hare dubbing
underwing of 5 threads of orange Krystal flash
overwing of Australian Possum guard hairs