Parachute Caddis
The Parachute Caddis is an innovative design that replaces the traditional elk hair tent wing with a parachute configuration — the fly sits slightly lower in the film, making it more convincing to selective fish than a high-riding Elk Hair Caddis. The bright parachute post is easy to see on broken water. Fish it on streams with heavy caddis activity when fish are selectively rising and ignoring the standard elk hair patterns.
- Type
- dry fly (Caddis)
- Hook sizes
- #12–16
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Dry fly hook #12–16
- thread: Tan or olive 8/0
- body: Tan or olive Superfine or Antron dubbing
- post: White or orange poly yarn
- wing: Elk or deer hair, tent style alongside post
- hackle: Brown rooster, parachute style
Tying steps
- Mount a size 12–16 hook; start tan thread at the bend.
- Dub a slim tan or olive body to the 3/4 mark.
- Tie in a white or fluorescent poly yarn post at the 3/4 mark; make 5–6 base wraps.
- Attach a brown or elk hair tent-wing alongside the post for the wing profile.
- Tie in a brown hackle at the post base; wind 4–5 parachute turns.
- Build a small head; whip finish and cement.
- Apply head cement to the thread wraps below the parachute post and at the hook eye.
- Inspect the parachute hackle from above — it should radiate evenly around the post like spokes on a wheel.
- Apply dry fly floatant to the wing and hackle only; avoid getting floatant on the poly post.