It’s officially caddis season here in the Greater Yellowstone Region. While a few weeks earlier than usual, the epic Mother’s Day Caddis hatches are in full swing on many rivers, and dry fly fishing is hot. With caddis on the mind, I share a few Caddis fly patterns that have been catching fish for me.
Mother's Day Caddis
Before I share a few caddis fly patterns, let’s hit on the Mothers day caddis hatch.
The Mother’s Day Caddis hatch is one of the most prolific hatches in the Yellowstone Region. Depending on the river and spring weather, the first caddis hatches occur in late April and extend through May. Many of the local match-the-hatch anglers refer to them by their scientific name, Brachycentrus. They are often a size 14-16 and have a dark olive body with tan wings.
The water temperatures you are typically looking for are anywhere between 50-55 degrees, with slightly warmer being better. Since this hatch occurs in the spring, runoff can drastically impact the caddis fishing. It can be hard to find a window when water temperatures are prime, and the river is clear enough to fish dry flies. Timing it when the bugs are on the water, not just migrating through the air, is also a challenge. Luckily, the hatch lasts a few weeks on a variety of rivers, and one can usually experience a few days of epic fishing with enough days on the water.
I personally love heading out in the evenings after work to hit the low-light hours before dark. It doesn’t line up all the time, but when the caddis come back down to lay their eggs, the evening fishing can be lights out. The combination of the fading light and an insane amount of bugs often brings some of the better fish to the surface. It’s also a time when many guides and anglers have headed back to town, so you can usually find some open water.
Caddis Fly Patterns
There is an array of beautiful and effective caddis fly patterns out there. Some are simpler than others. Here I highlight a few I have been tying along with some that remain staples in my fly box year after year.
Iris/X-Caddis
I saw Rick Wollum tying a few of these caddis, and I couldn’t wait to tie some up for myself. A combination of two famous caddis patterns from Blue Ribbon Flies, the Iris and X-caddis. This fly looks great in the fly box and has already fooled a few trout on this spring’s caddis hatch.
X-Caddis
One of the best and most famous caddis fly patterns in the Yellowstone Region, the X-caddis speaks for itself.
X2 Caddis
By now, it’s obvious that I love the caddis patterns from Blue Ribbon Flies. With some sparkle and bugginess, the X2 caddis was new to my fly box last season. This fly quickly rose to become one of my favorite caddis patterns for Yellowstone fisheries.
Dark Winged Caddis
Spring brings on sporadic weather and cloudy days. With the clouds and fading light in the evenings, the glare can make it very hard to see many traditional caddis patterns tied with tan elk hair wings. To combat the glare, I tie a few caddis patterns with dark wings. These darker flies stand out on those cloudy days or in the evening light, and are a must-have for me when fishing the caddis hatch.
Soft Hackle Caddis
I tied up some soft hackle caddis patterns to fish behind a dry fly. While I have yet to use them, I look forward to a future scenario where these come in handy. I hear something like this can work well in the fall for the white miller caddis hatches, too.
Sparkle Pupa
While I don’t do much nymphing during the caddis hatch, when I do, my go-to fly is Gary Lafontaine’s sparkle pupa. Gary is famous for his extensive research and book on caddisflies, and his Sparkle Pupa is one of his most popular fly patterns. I like fishing it behind a dry fly in shallow riffles and slicks, though I will also sink it behind a stonefly nymph in deeper water.
Other patterns that I like but have yet to take over my fly box include the cornfed caddis, CDC Henry’s Fork caddis, and the partridge caddis. I’d like to incorporate more CDC caddis patterns since I use CDC in many of my mayfly dries.
Anyway, I hope this inspires you at the vise and that you can get out and enjoy some caddis fishing in the next few weeks. It’s hard to beat spring in the Yellowstone Region. Get out there while it’s good!
