Introduction:
I came across this pattern in the tying’s of New Zealand angler, Braeden de Lange. It immediately struck a chord with me, as it jogged a memory of my very first trip to Rhodes in the North Eastern Cape, to fish the Wild Trout Association Festival in 2011. I was under invitation by Peter Brigg, and while fishing with him on the Birnam-Bothwell beat(s) on the Bokspruit, recall that he was fishing a chenille-bodied Elk-hair Caddis pattern.
Why a (parachute) Caddis?
A (parachute) Caddis is a very versatile dry fly pattern which, like the Parachute Adams, mimics a wide range of the adult stage of aquatic insects, including Caddis Flies, Mayflies, and even Midges. It is an effective pattern, useful in a wide range of situations, whether you're targeting trout or other fish species that feed on surface aquatic insects.
The lumo-pink parachute post makes it easy to spot on the water, even in poor light or when the water conditions are not perfect, and has become a popular choice of colour for parachute posts.
Parachute patterns are known for being easy to fish, without sacrificing presentation.
Materials:
Step 1.
Dress the hook shank with touching wraps to make a solid base for the materials to seat on … most important! (too many tyers skimp on dressing the shank, and find that the material starts to slip when fishing the fly).
Step 2.
After singeing the end with a flame, attach a short piece of chenille for the Caddis body.
Step3.
Tie in a few strands to crystal flash for the underwing; the light/flash coming off gives the impression of movement.
Step 4a.
Tie in the polypropylene yarn overwing in the middle, half and half facing back and front…
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Step 4b.
…and lock it in by folding it over and tying it down with a few over-wraps … this will secure the wing materials and prevent it from slipping out. Trim the length of the chemille body.
Step 5a.
Tie in the antron post material … I prefer to tie on top of the hook shank (for less bulk) using a figure-8 wraps…
Step 5b.
…and fold up and make a firm base with thread wraps.
Step 6.
Tie in the parachute hackle (after stripping off the fibres from a few millimetres of the bottom of the feather stem) with the shiny side facing you.
Step 7a.
Tie in the straggle leg material…
Step 7b.
…and wrap forward, with a few turns behind and in front of the post to form the thorax and legs, and tie off behind the hook eye.
Step 8.
Wrap the hackle around the post, 4-5 turns, to form the parachute.
Tie off, and whip finish behind the hook eye.
TIP : upsize the parachute hackle so that the fly has a bigger “footprint” for the fish to see.
Step 9.
Trim the parachute post to the desired length … and Go Fish…
Tight Lines!
View of the fly from the top and bottom.
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Of course, I had to have a go at a “para-RAB” version, adding the squirrel tail fibres…
