Peeping Caddis (Edwards, larva at the front)

Nymph imitating caddis, for grayling and trout. Intermediate. Oliver Edwards and Graydon Bell.

A lead-weighted hare's mask case over the rear two thirds of a long-shank hook, with a white larva lying forward to a dark head at the eye and its legs underneath.

Materials

Steps

  1. Add weight: lead-free wire (bell uses flat lead) Wrap the lead-free wire (bell uses flat lead) in touching turns from 10% of the way along the shank to 65% of the way along the shank. Flattened, under the case.
  2. Attach thread Attach the thread at 70% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
  3. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  4. Dub: hare's mask dubbing brush Twist a thin noodle of hare's mask dubbing brush onto the thread and wrap it forward to 66% of the way along the shank. Thick and rough over the rear two thirds.
  5. Tie in: golden pheasant centre tail fibres (legs) Tie in the golden pheasant centre tail fibres (legs) under the shank as a beard, reaching 0.6× the gape back. Under the shank, sloping back.
  6. Tie in: white or glow yarn (larva) Tie in the white or glow yarn (larva) so it sticks out 0.85× the gape behind as one piece. Colour the end brown. The top of the head tinted dark with a marker.
  7. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to just behind the eye in touching turns.
  8. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread. A small black head at the eye.

History

Oliver Edwards' realistic cased caddis, here as Graydon Bell ties it: the grub comes out of the front of the case, where a real larva's head and legs are, and the hare's mask case is built over a flat lead underbody. Fulling Mill's OE Peeping Caddis gets its weight from a split shot instead.

Fishing it

Fished slowly along the bottom of rivers, for trout, and for grayling in winter.

Sources