Ah, the good ol’ Caddis Fly—kinda like the blue-collar workhorse of trout streams, you know? Not as flashy as some mayflies, but boy, when fish are keyed in on ‘em, you better have a few decent imitations in your box. Let me tell ya, I’ve lost count of the evenings I’ve spent watching trout sip adult caddis like they’re at a happy hour, especially that elk hair wing pattern just skating across the surface. Thing floats like a cork, even in choppy water.

Now, tying these things—well, there’s no one "right" way, ‘cause caddis got more wardrobe changes than a Broadway actor. Larvae, pupae, adults… fish’ll eat ‘em all, but you gotta pay attention to what stage they’re chewing on. Size 12 to 20 hooks cover most of it, though I’ve had days where a chunky size 10 drowned pupa saved my bacon when nothing else worked. And here’s a tip: don’t overthink the body materials. A little dubbing, maybe some wire ribbing if you want it to sink faster—fish aren’t out there counting wraps, you know?

Well, actually, let me stop you right there if you think caddis are just trout food. I’ve caught smallmouth, panfish, even the occasional carp on a stray caddis nymph. Those little buggers are everywhere—14,000-some species, or something ridiculous like that. Point is, if there’s water, there’s probably caddis.

Matching the hatch? Yeah, yeah, everyone says that. But here’s the dirty secret: half the time, I don’t see squat on the water, and that’s when I go deep with a beadhead nymph. Start dragging bottom, slow as you can stand it. If that doesn’t work, inch it up mid-column. Sometimes they want it right in the face, other times they want it barely moving. Oh—and if you’re not getting hits, twitch it. Just a little. Caddis don’t sit still, and neither should your fly.

Last thing: color. Everyone obsesses over "perfect" matches, but I’ve had 20-fish days on an olive pupa when the naturals were tan. Fish aren’t always picky; they’re just looking for something close enough and moving right. So relax, have another coffee, and tie on something that looks alive. The rest? That’s just fishin’.