I have added another cased caddis pattern to this series: the deer hair cased caddis. It’s probably a quicker and easier pattern to tie than Thornton’s Cased Caddis and adds a bit of variety to your box.

There are a number of purists in the fly-tying fraternity who believe that material should not be glued or stuck down to create a fly pattern. This has never remotely bothered me and I will use any given materials and techniques that are available (and some that are not!) to create the desired effect. After all, I’m in the business of trying to deceive fish with hook, fur, feathers, synthetics, gravel from the stream bed etc, so as far as I’m concerned, anything goes in the battle against our piscatorial opponents.

Since starting this series I’ve thought long and hard about what flies to show the readers; after all everybody who enjoys fly-fishing for grayling has their own favourite patterns. Over the years I’ve probably tried every genre and variation of grayling deceiver, from wets and dries to nymphs and bugs and every stage in between. I can only offer my insight into what friends up and down the country have told me about what has consistently worked for them. And what has been successful for me.

So here we go.

Hook: any standard longshank nymph hook, any size – this pattern works well in smaller sizes.

Underbody: thin lead sheet or tungsten sheet.

Body: Oliver Edwards’ caddis dubbing rope, coloured to match the hatch.

Or you can make your own, using a dubbing block and deer hair spun

with Kevlar thread. I like to make my own because you can do different blends, dark and light. The Czechs traditionally scoop up everything left over on the bench or in the Marriage Saver and put it all into the dubbing block, eg deer hair, pheasant tails – all the wee offcuts, which makes for a unique case.

Peeping grub: Spanflex – various colours – cream, tan and green work well.

Legs: golden pheasant centre tail, Veli Autie style.

Thread: Dyneema, Powersilk or other gsp.

Colouration: Permanent markers.

With your hook in the vice, tie on your thread just behind the eye, and with a couple

of wraps, catch on your Spanflex at the very end of the Spanflex strand. Tie down the

preferred length of your peeping grub – should be 4-6mm.

Advance your thread back down to the eye then build up a carrot shape with the

Spanflex towards the hook eye. Tie off the Spanflex, whip finish and tie off your

thread. Snip off thread.

Attach the thread just above the hook point and wind down towards the peeping grub.

Spin your thread to make a fine rope and spiral into the Spanflex segmentations. Add

your Veli Autie legs. It sometimes helps to invert the hook. Once you have

positioned three legs either side, darken the Powersilk with a permanent marker,

whip finish and tie off. Add a dab of head cement for security.

Cut a 1.5 – 2mm strip of thin lead sheet and lay on your sticky-backed lead just above

the bend in touching turns towards the peeping grub. Nip off the waste with your

nails. You can add two or three layers of the lead, depending on the depth of the river

or stream. Incidentally, the fly in the picture is jam-packed full of lead.

Go over the lead windings with Powersilk, tie on your caddis rope midway between

the hook bend and the peeping grub and bind down your caddis rope towards the hook

bend very securely. Take your thread and wind it back up toward the peeping grub,

add a small dab of Superglue if you’re not sure of your windings.

Wind on the caddis rope towards the grub end, stroking back the fibres as you go until

you reach the grub end. Tie off and whip finish, snip off the waste tags.

Get your scissors and with long, sloping cuts, cut down all the sides in tapering

motion. Alternatively you can use a hot-tip cauteriser, as I feel this gives a more

pebbly finish. Coat the case with varnish and stroke over the back of the peeping

grub with brown marker.

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This is a fly that a few in the know have known about for a wee while. I believe the original design belongs to Veli Autie (the guy with the caddis leg technique) but this, along with so many others, was brought to my attention by the Yorkshire flytyer Oliver Edwards. Oliver travels the world on his fly-fishing fly-tying forays picking up local knowledge from the Czechs, the Poles, French, Italians, Fins, Americans etc, and also a few patterns along the way (along with a spot of fishing!)

And I believe local knowledge of flies is a wonderful thing, If someone is catching fish, watch them first, the tactics they’re using, beg some flies, don’t be content if you ask them “What are you using?” and they say bugs, it could mean anything! On a few occasions I’ve been asked by nervous teenagers (or more abrasive oldagers!) what I’m using. I don’t just give them the flies but the leader set up as well (nipped off at the minicon) I probably give away more flies in a season than I actually lose.

They walk or wade away happy at the end of the day with maybe the odd fish thrown in for good measure, and at the end of the day everybody’s happy. Except maybe the fish! All the best, and a Happy New Year!

James Matthews

January 2005