#18 Adult Biot Wing Caddis | Selective Trout Pattern
The following 10X video illustrates how a #18 Adult Caddis Biot wing looks in profile with a sparse hackle collar. Biots make for a superb winging material for the Adult Caddis.
The biot is a highly durable and flexible fiber from the leading edge of the turkey primary feathers. Biots are extremely durable and take a multitude of dyes very well for color variations. What I have found is that when dying your own biots you must work at slightly higher temperatures and longer dye batch times. If you use store bought biots the dye sometimes tends to be slightly lighter and less saturated because they dye the entire feather. If you dye biots yourself and separate them for left and right wing orientations you will get very consistent dye batches. This is because the dye can cover consistently the entire biot, if it is still attached to the feather the dye struggles to get in the tightly packed fibers. Regardless if you don't mind inconsistent color from wing to wing it's not an issue.
Adult Biot Wing Caddis~
Hook: TMC 531 (as shown) #16-28 or TMC 100
Thread: Veevus black 16/0
Body: Dubbing medium dun Superfine Dry
Rib: Clear, or holo mylar or silver wire rib
Wings: Medium dun biots
Underwing: Aero Dry Wing light dun
Legs: Micro knotted pheasant tail
Hackle: Medium dun (sparse hackle collar)
Antennae: CDL Indio or Pardo
Above photo: left and right separated biots from matching feathers. I dye in batches separated in large tea infuser balls, one ball for right biots one ball for left biots. You can also see in this photo, on the far right, the micro knotted pheasant tail legs using the same dye lot as the wing in a medium dun color.
Above photo: the curvature of the biot forms a perfect tent like structure when coupled with its other fiber. Beneath this configuration the underwing, either consisting of Antron, or Aero Dry Wing fibers makes for a very very floatable fly.
The business end of the adult caddis, the thorax, is tightly packed next to its head. The thorax and head literally take up about two hook eye distances from the top of the hook, some tight quarters to say the least. Getting the wing proportioned correctly is important but once you get the hang of it the rest is straightforward. I specifically use this pattern for selective trout in meandering clear water. This fly has proven itself in some very fickle spring creeks in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and the Great Smokey Mountains.
above: #28 Biot Wing Caddis
The Biot Wing Caddis can be tied as small as you wish. The natural taper on the biot
allows you to move down the fiber as it tapers smaller. After lining up your right and left biot
simply clip a thinner section more towards the tapered point of the biot.
In my next video I will show how I pair and cut the biots as well as some tips on sizing them relative to the hook size. Much thanks!
~Clint Bova
for orders email:cbova@columbus.rr.com