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You heard me right.......Caddis time is here! Today we had our first blowout hatch in Canon City. The city was covered from head to toe in aquatic moths and we even had a couple thousand at our new flyshop up the road (3 miles from the river).......
We have seen some sporadic caddis activity up to Texas Creek for around 2 weeks. However, it is not the "right" caddis (The Black Caddis of which we know to come off in blanket hatches), rather it has been the activity of a larger less prolific free swimming caddis.
This initial Canon City hatch of Black Caddis comes every year and is very centralized in nature, although usually it is 10 days later than this. When caddis close their cases, this indicates hatch incubation, and anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks until we see adult Caddis. We first saw closed caddis cases around March 10 in Canon City, thus the first hatch is right on schedule. We had seen cases close up river at Spike Buck around a week later (March 17), so we should expect some adult caddis activity from Parkdale to Spike Buck around the middle to the end of next week.
Although this big hatch today does throw me a little offguard, it doesn't suprise me with the weather we have experienced in the past 3 weeks.....
This weekends weather forecasts call for low 70's and lots of sun. So, you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be some crazy caddis action on the Canon City Riverwalk to close out the week!
Understand, that movement of the caddis hatch is directly associated with the incubation period. Aquatic entemlogists have determined that water temperature, direct sunlight and mineral content determine when the caddis close thier cases and start to cook, but that those conditions in no way affect the caddis maturing into adults after that time. After cases are closed, a certain amount of time is all they need. Upon inspection, this year the caddis in Canon City needed an incubation period of around 3 weeks; however, that does not mean it will be the same upriver.
As such, the hatch should march up river in matter of a month as it usually does, interrupted by snowmelt.
*For updated caddis hatch movement and fishing report information, please visit our Arkansas Reports Page.
Don't forget the BWO's. Blue Wing Olive fishing will continue to be extremely productive throughout the initial stages of the Caddis Hatch, so don't put away your mayfly boxes quite yet........
Book a Guided Walk Wade or Float Trip with one of our experienced guides NOW
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Graphic Caddis
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The Graphic Caddis is another pattern from John Barr. John developed this pattern to mimic the emerging caddis pupae, as it swims from the river bottom to the surface. There has been a lot of talk about the air bubble carried by caddis pupae these days, and John has added that attractive feature to the fly with a tag of holographic flashabou at the back of this fly. Subtle, yet definite sparkle is one of the keys to this fly. I really like this fly because John has managed to make a really ugly bug into a beautiful fly. As is John's trademark, the fly is simple to tie and uses few materials while being greatly effective. I like to use the Graphic Caddis as an attractor, fished with weight (or behind a Copper John) along the bottom, during the summer months. I think fish see so many caddis pupae during the season that it becomes a food staple, even when there is not a blizzard hatch in progress and they keep on the look out for these tasty morsels. I also like this fly dropped off a dry caddis pattern (6-18 inches back) during a hatch. Make this pattern a major part of your caddis selection for this years hatch, you won't be sorry!
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HOOK: TMC 2499 SPBL #14-16
THREAD: 8/0 White for Abdomen; 8/0 Brown for Thorax
BEAD: Preference (suggested Dirty Olive Lucent Tungsten)
TAIL: N/A
THORAX: Silver Holographic Flashabou
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ABDOMEN: Micro Tubing Olive
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LEGS: Hungarian Partridge Fibers
ANTENNAE: Barred Lemon Wood Duck Fibers
HEAD: Natural Grey Ostrich Herl
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