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Kype+
08-18-2009, 03:27 PM
Late summer has some interesting bugs. The black caddis is one of them. It can be hidden by large showy bugs like the “white fly” and other late season flies.
I have placed pictures of my old black caddis patterns I first tied in 1974 in my photo album.
http://flyfishinginnh.com/vforum/album.php?albumid=36&pictureid=734 Pupa
http://flyfishinginnh.com/vforum/album.php?albumid=36&pictureid=735 Skater

These flies are easy to fish and fun and you never know what will come to them. I got a call from a Kevin Freeman a Nova Scotia Atlantic salmon guide and long time friend. He had an opportunity to fish at a private camp on the Renuse River in N.B. and wanted me to join him. Apparently the water was very low and the salmon difficult to catch. He knew I had an interesting selection of small trout flies and had a hunch I had the ticket in one of my fly boxes. I packed up and took a light 9ft #5 trout rod with me. The river was low and that is for sure! The first evening I landed a grilse with a #10 Black Bear Green Butt, but that was it. We did nothing more.
Next morning we were back at it and nothing. Later in the afternoon I turned to look up river as I heard splashing and here was Kevin moving quickly down the shallows saying something I couldn’t quite understand.

Kevin had been fishing the pool above me and according to him a salmon rose taking a fast moving black caddis at his feet. I know Kevin knows what he is talking about but I was not sure about this one. He insisted I show him my small flies. I opened box after box and in the cover of one Wheatley box were caddis emergers.
“That it!” Kevin said and before long I had him set up with my black caddis #18. Back to the pool he went and before I knew it he was yelling something to me that sounded like
”He took the fly!”
Apparently the fish did just that as Kevin no longer had a fly on his line. I tied another one on for him and it was the beginning of a very interesting salmon trip. In the day and a half we had left to fish the black caddis pupa rose about 10 salmon. We landed 5 and lost flies in three fish.
The first grilse I caught with the black caddis was remarkable. In the opposite shore there was a deep back water pocket with foam spinning slowly. I cast the black caddis across stream into the foam and gave the line a long quick draw with the line hand and the grilse was on. I have a picture looking down the mouth of that grilse, some where among my slides. Way down in that fish’s mouth is the black caddis pupa stuck in the roof of its mouth.
Save dead drift for other flies. Draw the black caddis pupa and dry flies allowing them to swim this way and that as the river dictates and hang on!

Bobby

FishingDaddy
08-18-2009, 09:00 PM
Awesome story Bobby. What a beautiful picture to meditate on, the fish of a thousand casts on adry fly. Gotta love it!!

natefish
08-18-2009, 10:26 PM
This is very interesting. I have been fishing the black caddis on the Andro and find them taking pupa swung, but mostly dries only dead drifted. I will have to experiment even more. Last year I went Atlantic salmon fishing for the first time. Although the guide insisted I fish only traditional summer salmon patterns, I was very interested in experimenting. I would love to go back and try a few LLS and trout flies that I have never not caught fish with. This also makes me wonder about the old theory that these fish don't eat. I know the LLS eat flies, what is to day that Atlantics don't. Couldn't it be possible that they just eat much less than normal fish, but still eat, on occasion? The biggest mistake I think people make with fish and fishing is that they assume some things work and some don't. Also people believe what has always been said, and don't do their own research, which Kype has rightly pointed out, is the best way to learn how to fish. I love catching fish in weird ways and making other anglers say, "really you got him on that???" I'm interested to learn more about the king of all fish, now I just need to get that passport renewed!

Kype+
08-18-2009, 11:01 PM
Nate

There is a time for everything. My last trip I caught a 32 inch cock fish on my #16 little green stonefly dry.
Do they eat? Put your mind to rest, they do not. Have fun Nate; I have. I started fishing Atlantic salmon 30 years ago and until recently fished for them 2 - 3 weeks a year nearly every year.

Bobby