SKELETON HOLE
The secret world of the Snag.....
Posts
THE BLACK BEAR CADDIS
NOTES: I developed this fly and tried it out a couple of years ago on my little Brook Trout Stream...An impending storm with thunder was coming but it was hard to leave because the fly made its debut with 6 small brookies in one riffle..They just hammered it..So I was very pleased and have used it ever since. I have also added hackle and call that one a Bearstick Caddis...It can also be made just like an Elk Hair Caddis because I find bear fur clipped close to the hide floats as well as calftail and CDC. In fact it is a great replacement for CDC...just recondition it with silica powder. It is also highly effective when fished with the Leisenring Lift and retrieved because the fibers of fur trap air and leave a trail of bubbles like a comet tail..Highly attractive to fish... I also make a B-Fly with bear fur as a replacement for CDC and this pattern has a thread body and a sparse wing of just a bit of bearfur with a wrapped thread head. This also works well too....
THE ORIGINAL BROOMSTICK, BEARSTICK AND TAN CADDIS - by JOHN WILSON
The Original Broomstick, Bearstick & Tan Caddis — by John Wilson These are my original patterns, developed on the Beaverkill River in Roscoe, NY. I designed them to be versatile — you can fish them dead-drift, skitter them across the surface, or dive them as submergers to mimic egg-laying insects. WATCH: How to tie them TYING THE BROOMSTICK AND BEARSTICK CADDIS - Original Patterns by John Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkzu6A3qRVw 1. The Tan Broomstick Caddis My main fly since 1980. Uses kinky calf-tail hair to trap air and create a lifelike bubble trail. The wing is virtually indestructible tan calftail hair and can be made in various colours to mimic hatching flies — olive, green, black, sulphur, rust or cinnamon. 2. The Bearstick Caddis (Dark) The darker brother. Uses the "puffy" roots of black bear hair for incredible buoyancy and a natural silhouette. Both calftail and bear fur trap air and leave an attractive comet-like trail of bubbles when submerged....
BEARSTICK CADDIS
The Bearstick Caddis: Taming the Darker Hatches By John Wilson For years, the original Broomstick Caddis has been my go-to for the tan and light-coloured hatches. But there are days—especially during those moody afternoons on the Grand River in Fergus or the technical waters of the Credit River —when the trout are keyed into something darker. That is where the Bearstick Caddis (or the Bearhair Broomstick) comes into its own. The Magic of the Root While the original Broomstick uses kinky calf-tail, the Bearstick relies on the roots of black bear hair cut close to the hide. This material is uniquely "puffy," mimicking the natural buoyancy of CDC but with far more durability. When tied with a horizontal wing and an olive body, it becomes a versatile Blue Winged Olive (BWO) imitation. I find these most effective in the smaller ranges— sizes 16, 18, and 20 . Tying Tip: The "Wild" Leg & Shuck One question I often get is how I achieve such a "buggy" lo...