EHC Body Color

[capmblade]

I really like the Elk Hair Caddis. I've had a some success fishing them on various local rivers but now that I am tying my own I am wondering about the body color.

It is my impression that in the fall one uses a rusty or orange color (the October Caddis). Yellow seems to be another common color.

My question is twofold:

1. What are the common body colors for the northwest?

2. When do you use what color? Is it seasonal or do you capture a local specimen and examine it before you start fishing?

[FT]

If you ever get to Montana and stop in a fly shop there, you will find ELC's in a variety of colors and sizes because it is such a versitile fly pattern. All you have to do is vary the color of the body (and perhaps use a dark elk wing on the dark bodied ones) to match any caddis. When I lived in Montana, I carried them in tan, golden yellow, olive, dark greyish olive (wonderful Grannom or Mother's Day Caddis imitation), brown, and black in sizes from #12 down to #24. Al Troth (who originated the ELC) ties and fishes them in these same colors.

An ELC in bright yellow (including the wing and hackle) is great for the little yellow stoneflies found in summer and one in chartreuse (including wing and hackle) is very good for the little green stoneflies found in some rivers during summer.

[Wayne Kohan]

Mine are tied in tan or olive. Occasionally black. It's the most common fly I use all summer, and usually the first one I tie on. And easy to tie.

Wayne

[capmblade]

Mine are tied in tan or olive. Occasionally black. It's the most common fly I use all summer, and usually the first one I tie on. And easy to tie.

Wayne -- how do you decide which color to try first? Dark ones on dark days? Or does it depend on the river?

[Kent Lufkin]

Once you've seen an October caddis you'll know immediately that the EHC is the wrong pattern, no matter what color you tie it in. It's simply not big enough.

One night in the campground at Kelly Forks, we had one crawl up the side of the lantern that was almost 2" long. They're so big that the cutties will rocket a foot or more out of the water to try and snatch one as a mid-air full meal deal.

There are several October caddis patterns, most tied on a long shank streamer or 200R type hook. But IMHO an orange stimulator or a skwala adult work just as well.

K

[sixfinger]

I agree, a stimi is a better october caddis fly

For caddis around here I use , tan, golden brown, black and olive.

To figure out what to use first, try catching one!

But if none are around usually the most drab color.

[Wayne Kohan]

I use whichever color I grab first. I open my flybox, and whichever fly talks to me is the one I tie on. Not very scientific.

Wayne

[Old Man]

I think it depends on what river system you are fishing on. I used yellow on the S.F Sauk,Olive on another system,and black on the head waters of the Sky,both forks.

That is why they are tied in so many colors.

Jim

[David Prutsman]

I use whichever color I grab first. I open my flybox, and whichever fly talks to me is the one I tie on. Not very scientific.

Wayne

I like your style!

Brown and olive are most common colors for me, I like to use bleached elk hair for the wing, easier to see.

[salt dog]

Seems like I remember the Yakima caddis hatch starts with a tan sz 14-16, and several weeks later overlaps with a smaller dark bodied caddis, sz 16. When they both come off, I fish them in tandem until you see which one they are hitting on. I've also had late afternoons where they wouldn't hardly touch anything but a hot butt caddis. Picky little devils.