Fall Cinnamon Microcaddis | Part 1

Above photo: Biot wings provide an extremely durable silhouette and create a perfect tent shape, like the natural. Varner's Short Fine deer hair (Cinnamon) is used as an underwing. This combination makes for a nearly unsinkable #22.

During the fall in many parts of the US, the anticipated October Caddis begins to appear. At over an inch long, these behemoths steal the show. One such species, though, from the family Hydroptilidae, or as I call them, Cinnamon Microcaddis, quietly torments anglers. These microcaddis are important to carry at all times during the fall.

Above photo: Here is another angle that illustrates how the wing geometry creates a perfect little air space. The Abdomen is Cinnamon Kapok, adding even more buoyancy to this little pattern.

Fall microcaddis are not as flashy as their buffed-out counterparts. Instead, these tiny caddis still show up in cinnamon garb on many of our spring creeks in the Northeastern US, quietly pissing off anglers in the shallows. They are often cinnamon-brown with slight gray mottling.

Over the years, I have adjusted my colorways and my sight to meet these waterborne, gravel-seeking wonders mano y mano. If you turn your cheek at the end of the season, you have missed your chance at one of the last caddis hatches for a while. The black microcaddis will dance around until late fall and can often be found in late November. Again, this is all contingent on where you are located.

Biot Wings

Biot wings are on most of my caddis adult patterns. They are my top-producing pattern, and I dye all my biots in batches for left and right orientations on the wing. To do this, simply strip both feathers and bag the biots separately, making sure you do not mix up the fibers from both primary feathers. The fine rib faces up for left and right wings. Some biots I just dyed last week that are a ginger/cinnamon color seen in the video below.

Video sequence for tying in biot wings on a #22 emerger hook:

Cinnamon Microcaddis

Hook: TMC 531 #22 (#20 is equivalent to a #22 because of the 2x short shank)

Hook 2: Hanak 390 BL or short shank equivalent emerger hook

Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 18/0 ginger/brown

Abdomen: Semperfli Kapok Ginger

Rib: Hends Perdigones Pearl Body Dark Copper Shine (44)

Wing: Biots Ginger

Underwing: Varner's Short Fine Deer Hair (Cinnamon)

Hackle: Golden Straw 4x turns

Antennae: Lemon. Barred Wood Duck

Above photo: A #22 Cinnamon Microcaddis, do not 

drink too much coffee before tying these up!

In my next entry, Part 2, “Hackle Collars 2.0,” I will discuss a bit about over-wrapping traditional hackle collars to break uniformity and create more 

impressionistic, gestural silhouettes.

You can find most of your fly tying materials for tying caenis patterns at:

Feather Craft www.feather-craft.com

We are now up to 196k readers and supporters! Reading real content is fun; my entries are generated solely by me, not by AI, and I thank you worldwide now for 26 years of your support! Videos on social media such as YouTube and Instagram are often frenetic and completely devoid of many narrative components and the finer details of insects and hook essentials. Reading slows down cognitive decay; it reduces stress, increases empathy, and supports storytelling, the very roots of humanity. In other words, start reading again and stimulate your right brain. My mother was an English professor; she still drives this into her family's heads to this day. Tight lines and tight neurons.

Thanks for letting me share!

Clint Bova

www.cjbovarods.com