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Above photo: A Spring Caddis Emerger on a #16 Hanak 300 BL
In early spring, water levels are typically higher, and water flows at a moderate to fast pace with the March and April rains. Having a dedicated spring fly box really helps in both cloudy and high-water conditions. Deer hair patterns specifically for caddis are a must-have, especially if you're bouncing around in boulder-strewn streams and faster runs in spring creeks. The Spring Caddis Emerger pattern, as seen in the photo above, uses Kapok, beaver belly, and snowshoe rabbit fur combined with coastal deer hair to form a very buoyant fly. Often emerger patterns can be a little tricky in faster water, especially in a spring torrent. So building a better mousetrap for those tricky fish, taking only emergers in the faster current, is a prerequisite during these wet and often windy months.
Typically, I exponentially pair down my dressings as the season progresses; this same fly will be fished with a CDC loop wing in place of the coastal deer hair in the summer and fall. The hook size will decrease significantly, but the fly's basic architecture will remain intact. “Tying Small” is something I religiously do when pivoting into slower-seasonal water. Taking your more robust patterns and morphing them into gossamer micropatterns, as described in Darrel Martin's book Micropatterns, is a wonderful way to economize your tried-and-true fly patterns. This pattern is relatively simple to tie and pays big dividends on the swift spring waters.
Spring Caddis Emerger
Hook: Hanak 300 BL
Thread: UTC Ultra 70 dark brown or black
Abdomen: Polish Quill (stripped peacock) dun, olive, or brown
Wing: Coastal deer hair
Wing Case: Pheasant tail fibers
Legs: Lemon duck flank fibers
Thorax: Kapok, beaver belly, and snowshoe rabbit's foot
Antennae: Lemon duck flank fibers x2
