Flyfishing the Sierras

• Hook: TMC 900BL #16-18
• Thread: Olive 6/0
• Hackle: Light Blue Dun, Palmered
• Wing: Natural Elk Hair
• Body: Olive Dubbing
• Rib: Fine Gold Wire

Notes: This is probably one of the most popular dry flies used in the Sierras. Al Troth originally designed this fly in 1957 on Loyalsock Creek in Pennsylvannia. He brought the fly with him to Montana where he was guiding and it became popular due to it's simplicity, effectiveness and adaptation. The EHC (Elk Hair Caddis) can be tied with many variations of color, ie Tan , Black, Brown. There are a few different ways to tie this pattern, also. I'm using the technique described by Al Troth, using a wire rib and wrapping the hackle back to the rear of the fly, 4-5 wraps. Another popular method is to tie the hackle in at the rear by the butt and wrap the hackle forward without the need of a wire ribbing. Al Troth did not trim the upper fibers of the hackle but you will often see this done to lay the wing closer to the body. The hackle is meant to represent the legs of the caddis and is not designed for floating the fly, the wing does that. The body is a reversed taper. Al used Hare's Mask dubbing on his original fly but often you will find Antron, Superfine, and other synthetics being used. The wing is the most important component of this fly. You need to select hair that is fairly soft and compressible. Too soft...and the hair will flare too much. The length of the wing should be the same as the hook length. Al would trim off the butts after tying in the wing, the butts representing the head of the fly. The fly was finished with wraps behind the head and a whip finish. Cement was applied to the wraps and allowed to get tacky. Then, the wrap would be compressed by your L.H. thumbnail to splay the wing while the R.H. thumbnail pressed the butts upward. This really helps to keep the eye clear. Some tiers, however, prefer to trim the wing to length prior to securing the wing to the shank. This technique allows for fewer thread wraps and the opportunity to apply a thread wrap within the hair butts, finishing with a whip finish beneath the head, and no head cement.
The near cousin of the Elk Hair Caddis is the Deer Hair Caddis, a variation that Jim Schollmeyer devised for smaller, darker caddis impressions.
The fly pattern is particularly good on small streams with riffles and runs. The hackle is usually removed on slower moving streams to allow the fly to sit deeper in the surface film. In the Sierra's, it is mostly used from June through October.
Hans Weilenmann created a variation using just CDC and Elk. By attaching the CDC tip to the hook bend and wrapping the hackle forward, fine fibrules emerge from the body giving the fly a very active appearance.

Variations:

• Hook: TMC 900BL #12-18
• Thread: Tan 8/0
• Body: Tan Dubbing
• Hackle: Ginger , Palmered
• Wing: Light Elk Hair

• Hook: TMC 900BL, #16-22
• Thread: Olive 8/0
• Wing: Natural Grey Deer Hair
• Body: Dark Olive Dubbing
• Hackle: Dark Blue Dun, Palmered

• Hook: TMC 100, #12-18
• Thread: Gray 8/0
• Wing: Brown Dyed Elk
• Body: Peacock Herl
• Hackle: Grizzly, Palmered

• Hook: TMC 100, #12-18
• Thread: Brown 8/0
• Wing: Gray Elk Hair
• Body: Dark Dun CDC
• Hackle: Dark Dun CDC