Emerald Caddis Pupa 12/21/2025 Photo Album

For the story of how I became enamored with the emerald caddis pupa, click on this link to my 01/01/2012 post. This post also contains a material table.

The emerald caddis pupa has been a reliable producer over many years, and I continue to utilize it on many fishing outings. I use it throughout the season, and it does not seem to be linked to an individual time frame for effectiveness. In fact, at times when my main workhorse flies are not producing, I default to the emerald caddis pupa, and it delivers results under difficult circumstances.

New Collar

I continue to believe that the magic of this fly is the emerald color. I examined many caddis larva, pupa and adults; and the emerald color seems to be fairly prevalent. The color serves as an attractor, and imparting fast action also seems to add to the allure. I like to swing this fly, jig it, and lift quickly at the end of the drift; and these moves seem to attract the attention of trout.

Three Flies Among Needed Materials

When I counted my inventory of this fly, I determined that two additional ties could bring my stock to target levels. I found three flies in my damaged container canister, and in each case the thread was unraveling at the head of the fly. I simply attached my thread behind the eye of the hook and secured it with several wraps, and then I dubbed a new gray collar and finished with a whip finish. Three refurbished flies were added to my storage box for the upcoming season.