The Caddis Larva

Posted by rusty on March 2, 2010

     What can I say about the Caddis?  It’s one of the most reliable go to flies in a fly box.  The Caddis can be fished in several different ways, but the most effective way to fish them in Winter is the larva stage.  I had a pretty good day with one of these little green guys the other day, what a great pattern.

     Well I started my day of fishing about 10:00 am.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let the temps rise a little bit to get the trout active.  The water temperature was about 42 and the trout would probably be willing to give me a good time.  Now, given the time of year, I had to fish slow and not get to quick on the hook sets.  I decided to tie on a size 18 caddis larva with a few split shot and I was ready.  The trout were hitting softly and were just a little sluggish, but I was up for the challenge.  I was really fishing the water thoroughly with a few takes.  Finally one of the subtle takes rewarded me with a beautiful trout that gave a valiant fight.  I moved on, picking up a few more trout as I was heading up stream.  This was turning out to be a pretty good day, and I was enjoying it.

     Like I said, I was fishing a larva below the surface and picking up some fish, the other four fisherman I seen were all fishing dries.  Needless to say, I didn’t see any of them land a fish.  I did talk to one fellow and we had a conversation on how difficult the stream was fishing.  I shared some information about my rig and he was soon to change his set up.  I carried on and found some really nice water that I had all to myself, that’s one good thing about Winter fly fishing. 

     I started thinking about changing my set up to maybe a pheasant tail or hare’s ear, but thought why mess with what’s working.  A few more effortless cast and a nice drift and bang.  I raised the rod, the line got tight and the fight was on.  I could see this trout easily, it was thrashing about showing off his beautiful colors.  When I did get my hands on him I was really excited about the colors of this fish.  This brown trout had the colors of gold from head to tail and was about 14 inches.  Not the biggest fish, but one of the prettiest I’ve caught in a while.  After releasing the brown I fished a little longer and called it a day.

     It just goes to show you that winter fishing is a great way to get your fly fishing fix.  The fish have to eat, so why not fool them with a caddis larva.  I had a great day on the water and will hopefully have many more before springs among us.  Remember, in the winter, take your time with these fish.  They may not be as chipper as we like, but they will still bring you joy if you slow it down.  Subtle takes are just as rewarding when you bring the fish to the net, at least I think so!!!

     And as for now and always “Tight Lines”

     Rusty