Fly of the Week: Elk Hair Caddis

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The Elk-Hair caddis is a standby in almost every western angler’s fly box. It’s one of the most productive patterns in the world and it can fool fish eating adult caddis, along with moths, which are a staple in a trout’s late summer diet. This pattern floats well due to dry-fly hackle palmered the length of the fly, as well as a generous amount of elk hair as the wing. The fly is easy to see and fairly realistic when viewed from under the surface. If you don’t head to the water with at least a half-dozen of these bugs in your boxes you’ll miss out.