Elk Hair Caddis

This is an orange body elk hair caddis, a very common well working fly for fly fishing.

Vice

Size 10-18 dry fly hooks

Dobbin

Scissors

Hackle Pliers

Whip finish tool

Hair stacker

Thread of a similar color to the body

Dubbing wax

Head cement

Dubbing

Elk/deer hair

Hackle of a fitting color to the body

Hold the string flat to the hook with the end at the back of it. Wrap it around the front of the shank a few times then start wrapping it around progressively toward the back using the tag end string to feed it on. Coat the shank in a layer of string to act as a grip for everything else tied on. Snip the tag end off.

Coat a length of string with dubbing wax. Then take dubbing of the color you want the body to be and twist a small amount around the string so it doesn't come off, a little goes a long way here don't use a ton of dubbing. After the dubbing is around the string start to wrap it around the shank so it covers the whole thing and makes the fly's body.

Grab a piece of hackle and cut it shorter so it will wrap nicely around the fly but not have a bunch of extra. Tie the end of the hackle to the front of the body on the top, do this by wrapping it around the top a few times then around the back of the hackle a few times. Now grab your hackle pliers and grab the opposite end of the hackle with them. Begin to wrap the hackle around the body tying it down every wrap. When it's fully wrapped around tie the back end down. Now trim off all the excess and make an even amount sticking out around the whole body.

Take your elk hair and cut about half an inch off then put it in your hair stacker. Hit the bottom on the table a few times to settle the hairs together. Take the top half off and grab the hair. Gently pull sporadic hairs off so they're all even. Hold the hairs on the top of the fly and tie them down at the front by wrapping it around a few times on top then wrap a few times under the hair to help it stick up. After tying the hair on take your scissors and trim it up.

Have your string just before the eye of the hook then pull some more string out. Take your whip finish tool an put the hook around the string then have the string come around the notch on the other protruding piece. Next have your dobbin horizontal to the fly and turn your finish tool so the string makes an upside down four. Then bring it up above the fly so it makes a four and wrap it around behind the eye a few times. Proceed to pull the hook out and the string tight. Now cut the string and coat the head in head cement using a Q-tip. After letting the cement dry you now have an elk hair caddis.