Bodkin / Patterns

Foam October Caddis Skater

Salmon/Steelhead · Trout · Steelhead · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 2X-long dry-fly hook, 6-10
  • Thread Orange or tan 6/0

Materials

  • Body Burnt orange (2mm foam strip, segmented)
  • Underbody Orange permanent marker (sparse dubbing)
  • Wing Natural deer or elk hair (tented clump)
  • Hackle Brown hackle (palmered, 5-6 turns for skating)
  • Indicator Orange permanent marker (foam tab on top)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook and lay a thread base to the bend.
  2. Bind a burnt-orange foam strip and segment the rear body with 3-4 thread wraps to the 60% mark.
  3. Tie in a brown hackle at the rear, then dub a thin orange thorax forward.
  4. Palmer the hackle forward in 5-6 open turns so the stiff fibers can grip and skate the surface, then tie off.
  5. Stack and tie a tented deer-hair wing over the back, tips reaching the bend.
  6. Fold the foam forward to form the head and add an orange sighter tab on top.
  7. Whip finish and trim the hair and foam to a blunt head.

Tying videos

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