Bodkin / Patterns

Light Cahill

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 4 versions

Light Cahill fly

Catskill Dressing

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 12-16
  • Thread Primrose/cream 8/0

Materials

  • Wings Wood duck flank (upright and divided)
  • Tail Cream/light ginger hackle fibers (one shank length)
  • Body Cream fox or cream dubbing (dubbed slim)
  • Hackle Light ginger/cream hackle (3-4 turns)

How to tie it

  1. Mount hook, start cream thread, and set wood duck wings upright and divided at 70%.
  2. Tie in a cream/light ginger tail one shank length long.
  3. Dub a slim cream body to the wings.
  4. Wind light ginger hackle 2 turns behind and 2 in front of the wings.
  5. Whip finish.

Substitutions

  • Body instead of Cream dubbing: Cream Superfine — Standard match; Pale yellow dubbing — Slightly warmer
  • Wing instead of Wood duck flank: Dyed mallard (lemon) — Standard substitute for wood duck; Gadwall flank — Natural barring, widely available
  • Hackle instead of Light ginger: Cream hackle — Very close match; Light dun — Slightly cooler tone

Other versions

3 more in the app: Classic Recipe, Barbless, Cahill Light.

Tying videos

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