Featured Fly - GZ Pupa

The GZ Pupa, is a spin off of the Z Wing Caddis Pupa, but it has a few more realistic features. Last year, I started studying the caddis pupa a bit more than I would like to admit, but either way, ive tied a bunch of these and tested them the past 2 seasons, and they seem to do the trick.

Materials:

Hook: TMC 2457 sz. 14 - 18 

Bead: Killer Caddis Bead 

Abdomen: Life Cycle Dubbing - Bright Green

Rib: Copper Ultra Wire (sized to match hook)

Back: 3 or 4 Peacock Herls

Wing: Lemon Wood Duck feather

Wing 2: White or Gray Antron yarn

Wing 3: Holo Flash - Black

Head: SLF Dubbing

Step 1: Slid Bead on.

Step 2: Make a thread base, tying in the gold wire.

Step: 3 Tie in peacock hearls.

Step 4: Dub the body, leave about a space about the size of the bead free.

Step 5: Pull the peacock forward and tie off.

Step 6: Rib the body, securing the peacock down. 

Step 7: Tie in the Holo flash, making a side wing on each side.

Step 8: Tie in 3 or 4 wood duck fibers.

Step 9: Tie in the antron, flaring it out each side.

Step 10: Dub the hea

 Step 11: Whip Finish.

 Finished:

Tulpehocken Creek Report 04/22

I have been on the Tully the past 3 days, the water is low (as you all know), the fishing pressure is high, and caddis are flying high.

Friday was a great day to be on the water, caddis were on the water and the fish knew it, fishing a caddis dry with a pupa suspended in the film seemed to work the best for me. Yesterday I had a half day trip, finding a place to fish was easy at first light, but as the morning progressed the fishing pressure picked up drastically.

This morning, Steve (the mailman), and I hit the river around 8:30am, it was a very productive day yet again. With all the talk of rain and storms, the fishing pressure was manageable, caddis were emerging all morning and the fishing was really good. I stuck with the same rig I've used the past couple days; CDC Caddis with a Z-Wing under. It was about 50-50 on the dropper or dry. Steve was fishing an emerger he came up with; also having great success.

Hot Flies: CDC Caddis (Tan & Green), Bird of Prey Caddis, Pop Caddis, Z-Wing Caddis

Caddis on the Tully

Joe and I decided to hit the Tully this afternoon despite the high flows (875cfs). Joe decided to go with a dry fly regardless of the flow to try out is new Winston BIIt,  I was going to fish streamers. By the time I changed my rig to fish dries Joe had already landed 2 nice browns. For the next couple hours we fished to rising fish until we couldn't see any more!

Joe with a nice hold over Brown

Very Nice Brown

His mouth was full of caddis

Featured Fly - Z Wing Caddis

The Z Wing caddis is a very effective pattern this time of year with caddis starting to emerge. Hanging this fly off of a caddis dry is one of my favorite ways to fish it when there are selective fish feeding. One other variation of this pattern is tied with a bead head to add a little weight.

 Z Wing Caddis

Materials:

Hook: TMC 2457 sz. 14 -20

Abdomen: Yellow Tan East Coast Dudding

Rib: Copper Ultra Wire (sized to match hook)

Back: 3 or 4 Peacock Herls

Wing: Lemon Wood Duck feather

Wing 2: White or Gray Antron yarn

Collar: Yellow Tan East Coast Dubbing

Head: Peacock Herls

Z Wing Caddis Pupae

Start off by making a thread base; tie in the ultra wire (copper) to match the size of the hook

Tying back to the hook bend add 3 or 4 Peacock herls.

Dub the abdomen. Green dubbing can be substituted for Tan

Fold the Peacock forward and tie off, keeping the herls close together to form a nice back strap. Wrap the wire forming a rib and tie off with peacock.

Select 3 Lemon Barred Wood Duck fibers, tie in  about 1.5 times the length of the hook. Select a short length of Antron and tie it in the center pointing it back on each side of the hook. Cut Antron to about half the hooks length.

Make 2 or 3 wraps of Tan dubbing in front of the Anton to make a collar. Finally take the 3 or 4 peacock herls and make 2 or 3 wraps to form a head then tie off. Whip finish and head to the river!

 

Nice healthy brown on Valley Creek.