Tying the CDC Caddis Emerger: A Great Pattern for Tough Fish

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This is one of my favorite caddis emerger patterns. It excels in catching trout feeding on caddis flies when the traditional flies – Elk Hair Caddis or X-Caddis – don’t work.

The chenille in this fly is arguably the secret to it – it waterlogs immediately and means the fly sits low in the surface film. The deer hair and CDC wing ensure it doesn’t submerge completely, and the orange head is a little hot spot.

All in all, it makes for a great pattern for fish that are selectively feeding on emerging caddis flies. There are a few steps to it, but it is not an overly difficult pattern to tie.

You need to tie it in 14 or 16 – keep it reasonably small.

Step-by-step pictorial instructions follow and see below for materials and video instructions.

Materials list:

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AUTHOR
Rick Wallace is a passionate angler and fly fisher whose work has appeared in fishing publications including FlyLife. He's appeared in fishing movies, founded a successful fishing site and spends every spare moment on the water.