Barry Ord Clarke
Elk Hair Caddis - Step by Step

After many years of guiding fishermen in Norway this pattern has proven over and over again to be the most effective caddis pattern for wild browns.

The original EHC was designed by the well known American fly fisherman and tyer Al Troth. His philosohy on fly tying is, A good pattern should constantly catch fish, be easy and quick to tie, durable, and tied with materials that can be obtained just about anywhere.

In the mountains of Telemark we have a rather short season from the 1st June until the 15th September. But during this 15 weeks I spend approximately 80 days giuding and along with the midge the caddis fly is our most important trout food. I have tied and tested over thiry of the so called best, American and European patterns. The result is overwhelmingly in favour of the EHC, rising and hooking more fish than any other pattern. I am still on the look-out for new caddis and attractor dry's but at the moment the EHC accounts for at least 90% of each seasons fish.
Early on in the season I find the fish prefer the EHC tied with a larger than average wing and a large head (which is accomplished by trimming of the surplus hair a little further form the eye of the hook) this makes the fly fish high and dry with the head acting almost like a popper, splashing and creating a large bow wave. In mid season when the water temperature rises, the more sparsely dressed wing fishes the best. And during the last 2 weeks of the season when the Autumn sets in and the caddis flies die I dress the EHC so that it will sink and fish it just a couple of cm below the surface, with long slow retrieved, and this can be a deadly method.

This is a pattern that no fisherman should be without.

 

	Hook: Mustad 94849 8-16 Thread: Tan Body: Hares ear dubbing Wing: Bleached elk hair Rib: Fine copper wire or a strand of Crystal hair Hackle: Red game or Furnace
	1. Run tying thread along the hook shank so as to finish level with the barb.
	2. Tie in the strand of crystal hair. The original pattern by Al Trouth recommends a fine wire rib, but there are so many good synthetics that are much lighter and giver more sparkle than wire, that I recommend you use one of these if available.
	3. Choose a good stiff furnace or red game cock hackle, and tie in at the tail of the hook.
	4. Now dub the body with a natural hares ear or a mixture of hares ear. For this I use a conventional dubbing loop. Make sure that you leave enough space behind the hook eye in order to tie in the wing.
	5. Now wind the hackle palmer style, along the body, followed by the rib, taking care not to wind it too dense.
	6. Carefully wind in the rib so as not too trap the palmered hackle.
	7. When buying bleaced elk look for hair that isn't too long or even too short for that matter, and preferably on tanned hide. Rocky mountain dubbing Co make the best I have found, so far.
	8. After trimming off the surplus hackle and rib choose a bunch of fine elk hair and use a hair stacker to even the tips. Measure the elk wing along the top of the hook shank, so that it extends a little further than the bend, the wing will shorten a little when it flares.
	9. Now make a couple of loose turns of tying thread about 2 mm back from the eye just so that you can adjust the wing to its desired position and then tighten the turns until the elk hair wing flares. Now you can make 2 or 3 more turns of tying thread to secure th ewing and whip finish. Now taking the unwanted elk har with your right hand trim off the elk hair head as show with one cut of your scissors. The thread if you wish can be dressed with a little head cement.

(c) photographs and text  Barry Ord Clarke