The Caddis Box - Preparing for Next Summer

I am a fan of caddisflies.  They remind me of summer afternoons and evenings, green leaves, blue skies, hot days and cool water slowly leaking into my waders.  I have spent many fly fishing summer nights racing against the setting sun and increasing darkness, trying to find one more pattern to fool one more hungry trout before it's too dark to see to tie on another fly.



In preparation for this coming summer, a new arsenal of caddisflies has begun to emerge from my fly tying table.

Even as it looks like this outside.

I am a fan of xcaddis patterns, so the first flies to come off the bench were a few different xcaddis combinations.

Then, I added some more more general emerging caddis patterns, while keeping with the shuck / hatching caddis concept.  I really think the trout target these shuck pattern as caddisflies usually explode through the surface film.  These "stuck" flies provide the trout a chance of catching up with these hearty, but fast snacks. 

 

I even added a few Gary LaFontaine Sparkle Emergers.

So, for now, it's still winter here in Denver, Colorado and the trout are not rising to the surface of my favorite streams targeting tasty caddis treats.  But, soon they will be and I hope to be there and ready.  I will continue to fill my fly box with new patterns as well as old favorites.  If you are a tier, you are probably doing the same thing, along with dreaming of your favorite stretch of stream and some of your favorite fishing memories.

Summer on Clear Creek

It's the middle of winter, but I'm still thinking of warm summer days spent fly fishing for brown trout on Clear Creek just outside of Denver on Colorado's front range.

This footage comes from a few days on Clear Creek last year just above the canyon reach.  Elk hair caddis and assorted nymphs, including medallion midges, fooled these small brown trout holding in the slower edges of the creek.

Although it's cold out now, it's the thoughts of these lively fish that keep me dreaming of summer fly fishing which isn't really that far away.  Is it?