Bodkin / Patterns

RIO's Foam Run Caddis

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 2XL dry-fly / hopper hook, 8-10
  • Thread orange 6/0 (140 denier)

Materials

  • Pre-formed foam cylinder (body) Orange foam strip (1, about 1.5x shank)
  • Poly yarn (under wing) Grey poly yarn (1 small clump)
  • Poly yarn (over wing) White poly yarn (1 small clump)
  • Rooster hackle (collar) Brown hackle (1 feather)
  • Permanent marker (body markings) Brown permanent marker (as needed)

How to tie it

  1. Lay a thread base from the eye back to the bend.
  2. Take an orange foam cylinder about 1.5x the shank and taper the rear end to a point. Bind it along the shank with tight thread bands at two or three points, leaving the tapered tail past the bend and a short nub at the front; the tight bands segment the body.
  3. Color the underside of the foam with a brown marker to add body markings and tone the belly down from the fish's view.
  4. At the front third, tie in a clump of grey poly yarn as the under wing, then a clump of white poly over it. The grey under wing matches the natural and tones the wing down, while the white over wing keeps it visible; set both flat, tent-style, reaching just past the bend.
  5. Tie in the brown hackle and take 3-4 turns as a front collar, then tie off.
  6. Trim the hackle fibers flat off the bottom so the wide foam body will not roll the fly onto its side.
  7. Build a small thread head, whip finish, and cement.

Tying videos

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