Five years ago, I was fishing on the White River between the New and Old Bridges in Cotter. I was fishing a Partridge and Green soft hackle during a caddis hatch and having great success. I took time out to pump the stomachs of a few trout as I caught them. I noticed that they were full of caddis with a bright green abdomen. I was beginning to realize that this particular caddis, Rhyacophilia, was our major hatch of the year. I decided to try and match this it better. I thought of the red ass which is a very successful pattern on the Little Red. I substituted a green tag to imitate the abdomen instead of the red one. I used fine gold wire for the rib to add durability and brown thread to give it a more natural look. I am sure that others have had the same idea. I have found it to be a great caddis emerger and very productive right before a hatch. I have added it to my arsenal, fish it all year, and regularly catch trout with it.
The recipe is:
Hook: Tiemco 102Y (or the 103BL, the barbless version of the 102 Y) Size 15
Thread: Danville Brown 6/0
Tag: 1/8 inch tag of single strand bright green floss
Body: single strand of peacock herl tied in by the tip
Rib: fine gold wire (counter ribbed)
Hackle: two turns of natural Hungarian Partridge tied in by the tip.
I insert the hook in the vise. I lay down a thread base. I tie in the Bright Green Floss and wrap a tag of about 1/8 of an inch. I tie in a single strand of peacock herl by the tip and a section of fine gold wire. I wrap a tight body with the peacock herl leaving plenty of room near the hook eye to tie in the hackle. I rib the fly by applying five wraps of fine gold wire in the opposite direction that I applied the peacock. I tie in the Hungarian Partridge by the tip and make two wraps and tie it off. I make a whip finish and apply a drop of head cement (fishing buddy, Dean Darling also adds a drop of head cement to the floss tag to increase its durability).
To fish it, I tie a five foot section of 5X tippet (6 X in Catch and Release water) to a seven and a half foot 4X leader with a surgeons knot and tie on the Green Butt with an improved clinch knot. I stand in the top of runs with a broken surface looking down stream. I cast to the right in a 45 degree angle to the bank and strip the fly under the surface of the water as soon as it lands. I keep the rod low and I let the fly swing in the current until it is directly below me. I do not mend the line. I do the same thing to the left. I repeat the process three times and take a step down stream and repeat. In this manner I slowly work my way down stream. I can search a huge section of water. When you feel a strike, raise the rod. Fish on!
Tied by John Berry
