A simple caddis dry fly I came up with for water that is somewhere between smooth-as-glass and very fast and riffled.
- Hook: #12-16 dry
- Thread: Tan
- Body: Tan dubbing (synthetic)
- Wing: Coyote mask (or fine hair like rabbit or fox)
- Overwing: Thin Crystal Flash
- Hackle: Light tan or cream
I fish a lot of caddis dry flies here in the Mid-Atlantic and I’ve got patterns that work in both extremes– slow pools of crystal clear water, with the surface as smooth as glass, and very fast, choppy and riffled water. This pattern is a compromise between both of those situations.
How it’s different is, instead of something hollow or coarse for the wing like a deer hair or elk, I use a very soft fine fur. This one uses coyote but rabbit or fox would work as well. Anything that is fairly fine and will give just the slightest hint of movement as it sits in the surface film.