Cased Caddis (originally devised by Steve Thornton)

by James Matthews

Much has been written over the years of the Cased caddis, from Hans van Klinken’s Leadhead to Oliver Edwards’ Peeping Caddis, both unique grayling deceivers in their own right, and many more (fishcatching) variations may be featured here later. In this article we’ll look at another variation which you may not be familiar with: Steve Thornton’s Cased Caddis. The most striking feature is the way the case is constructed, using lead wire in steps and stages, flat floss and freestone caddis coating. It also features a pen lid (stroke of genius!) It’s quite simply the most realistic caddis I have come across to date. Remember, although Steve designs realistic flies, first and foremost they are fishing flies. These flies do look fantastic in a frame, but their rightful place is at the bottom of your favourite stream. You can copy a whole host of caddis patterns with this style, for example, large cinnamon sedge (potamophlax latipennis), brown sedge (anabolia nervosa – I’m on the pills for that one!), caperer (halesus radiatus –use mouthwash for this one) and many more. I don’t want to bore you with Latin any more, but as the Greeks would say,

O Kadis mou einai pano sto dendro, which translates as My caddis is up a tree.

Oh bugger.

For this fly you will need:

Thread - Powersilk, Dyneema or any other fine GSP thread

Hook - Mustad 80050 (check the caddis you’re trying to recreate to decide on size of hook, but could be around size 10-12)

Legs - Golden Pheasant centre tail or plucked ostrich herl

Grub head - Nymphskin or Flytyers Designer Skin

Colouration - permanent markers or Dylon dyes

Abdomen - lead wire, flat yarn, Freestone Caddis Coating (available from Virtual Nymph outlets), black Bic biro pen lid (available from stationers or your office supply cupboard!)

Clamp the hook in the vice and nip down the barb. Tie on your thread behind the eye

and wind on for 5 or 6 mm – measure this, it’s crucial. Tie on your nymph skin by the

tip, ie the corner (no angled cuts for this one). Obviously make sure it’s tied in

securely. Cut a thin sliver of lead sheet or your preferred underbody (I’m currently

playing about with tungsten lace). If using lead sheet it should be 1.5mm or slimmer.

Then wind on to build up an egg-shape (think buzzers!) with a neat taper. Wind your

thread forward, covering the underbody. Take your nymph skin, stretch it and wind

forward to the hook eye, then tie off just before the eye. Four or five turns should

secure. Whip finish and snip off the tag. Dye your thread with a permanent brown

marker. Build a small head and whip finish again. Wind backwards and add Veli

Autie style legs for the first three segments on either side. Tie off and snip off your

thread. Take a Bic biro pen lid and from the tapering end cut off 5mm with a scalpel

blade. Take the fly out of the vice and push the pen top, wide end first, over the hook,

to cover the tail end of the peeping grub. Secure with epoxy with a dubbing needle.

Tie on your thread behind the penlid. Build up a tapering effect with the lead wire, ie

thinner at the back end, becoming thicker in three steps.

Take your flat yarn and tie in just behind the plastic pen lid. Tie in all the way down

to the thinnest segment of lead wire, then wind the yarn over the lead segments,

following the tapers quite securely – no lumps or bumps!

Coat the yarn and pen lid with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails (Boots the Chemist), then

sprinkle on some freestone caddis coating. Rotate the vice and cover all but the

peeping grub evenly.

Give it a try – you’ll love it (grayling love it even more – a real crunchy mouthful!)

Just be careful near the trees.

James Matthews, Ayr

November 2004