Spring is creeping its way into the Colorado high country and that has us thinking about two of our favorite patterns from our friend, Umpqua signature tyer and former general manager, Greg Garcia. If you are excited about fishing caddis dries this summer, you may be getting ready to sit down at the vise to tie Garcia’s Mother’s Day Caddis and its spin-off, the Mother’s Day Sally. To help us out, we’ll follow along with these two videos below, as Greg himself shows us how it’s done.
Garcia’s Mother’s Day Caddis
Greg developed the Mother’s Day Caddis to imitate the bugs found on the Arkansas River during the famed Mother’s Day hatch. Since then, this pattern has gained attention far beyond the banks of the Ark. It’s a deadly pattern anywhere you find caddis.
There’s a lot to love about this innovative pattern. First of all, you probably haven’t tied a bead onto very many dry flies. It may seem unusual. But the Killer Caddis Glass Bead perfectly imitates the egg sac of an egg-laying caddis. Meanwhile, the dark body, which is tied with superfine dry fly dubbing, provides excellent contrast against the bleached elk hair wing.
During a caddis hatch, females return to the water in the afternoons and evenings to lay their eggs. If you’ve ever seen a caddis skittering across the surface of the water, you’ve probably witnessed this activity. The Mother’s Day Caddis is a great imitation. Dead drift this pattern, or try skating it along the surface to trigger a strike.
The caddis hatch on the Arkansas River usually begins at the end of April or early May at lower elevations, working its way upstream as temperatures warm. But whether we’re fishing the Ark, or anywhere else throughout the west this spring and summer, the Mother’s Day Caddis is one of our go-to caddis patterns. If you would rather buy this fly, click this link.
Materials List:
· HOOK: Tiemco 100 (14-18)
· BEAD: Killer Caddis Glass Bead (Midge | Kelly Green)
· THREAD 1: Ultra Thread 70 Denier (Fl. Green)
· THREAD 2: Ultra Thread 70 Denier (Black)
· BODY: Wapsi Superfine Dry Fly Dubbing (Black)
· UNDERWING: Accent Flash (Red AND Pearl) & Mirage Flash
· WING: Yearling Elk (Bleached)
· HACKLE: Rooster Cape Hackle (Natural Brown)
Garcia’s Mother’s Day Sally
Taking the elements that we all loved about the Mother’s Day Caddis, Greg developed yet another killer dry fly pattern. The Mother’s Day Sally is designed to imitate the yellow sally stoneflies that hatch throughout the west during the spring and early summer months. At higher elevations, yellow sallies are present even into August.
Yellow sallies are small, brightly colored stoneflies. One of their most prominent features is a red egg sac, making them an ideal spin-off from Greg’s egg-laying Mother’s Day Caddis. Using a red Killer Caddis Glass Bead and tied in slightly larger sizes, the Mother’s Day Sally is a very effective stonefly pattern.
Natural yellow sallies are smaller than golden stoneflies. Often overshadowed by the larger golden stones and salmonflies, which hatch around the same time, yellow sallies shouldn’t be ignored. They’re a prolific insect found on many western waters, including many of our freestones here in Colorado.
Typically fished in sizes 12 through 16, this is a pattern you’ll want to carry in your fly box throughout the dry fly season. If you would rather buy this fly, click this link.
Materials List:
· HOOK: Tiemco 100 (12 - 16)
· BEAD: Killer Caddis Glass Bead (Midge | Orange)
· THREAD 1: 8/0 UNI-Thread (Orange)
· THREAD 2: 8/0 UNI-Thread (Lt. Cahill)
· BODY: Wapsi Superfine Dry Fly Dubbing (Pale Yellow)
· UNDERWING: Flashabou (Mirage) AND Krystal Flash (Orange & Lime Green)
· WING: Stimulator Deer Hair (Bleached)
· HACKLE: Hen Hackle (Medium Dun)
Reach Out With Questions
If you have questions about fly tying materials, techniques, or anything else you need to get started, please let us know! You can visit us at the fly shop in Littleton or give us a call at 303-794-1104. Let us know how we can help and have fun fishing these great dry fly hatches!
