Nice Fly

My relationship with the emerald caddis pupa began many years ago during several fishing trips to Pennsylvania, and you can read the background story at beadhead emerald caddis pupa – 01/01/2012. It continues to be a productive fly in my arsenal, and I always plan to have adequate quantities available.

Unlike the bright green caddis pupa which seems to peak in effectiveness around grannom hatch time periods, the emerald version is productive all season long. In fact, I’ve had success with this fly during late afternoon time periods when the water seems dead after a significant hatch. I attribute this to the emerald color. I’ve seen caddis adults bearing emerald tips on their abdomen, so I believe that the color is a significant triggering characteristic.

Six Completed Emerald Caddis Pupa

For 2015 I plan to have 30 emerald pupa in my beginning inventory, and this required me to produce an additional six. I experimented with two different dubbing materials for the collar behind the gold bead. One choice was hares mask fur, and I am quite pleased with the unruly buggy look of this modification. I’m hoping this appearance will convey the illusion of movement and emergence even more than the gray rabbit fur that I have traditionally applied. I have completed six new flies, and I’m ready to explore rivers and streams with emerald caddis pupa.

Great Scraggly Caddis Look