Egan's GTi Caddis
Lance Egan - June, 2017
The GTi Caddis is more imitative than most of my patterns. It represents a hydropsychidae larvae, commonly called "net builder" Caddis. Though a bit cheesy, GTi stands for Go-To imitation. This pattern truly is my go-to when wanting a weighted fly that closely imitates a favored large food form of Trout. One thing you'll notice when comparing real Hydropsyche to my imitation is that the back on the GTi does not necessarily match any of the color combinations of the real insect. This isn't by chance. I've spent a fair bit of time tying and trying Caddis larva imitations and I've come to learn a bit about what fish prefer in the process. For reasons unknown to me, Trout consistently prefer this fly when tied with a shellback color that contrasts the underbody. I've tried many imitations that more closely represent the actual colors of Caddis larvae, but the fish do not take them as well. There is something magical about the contrasting colors. Try it, you'll like it... One other thing about this and other weighted flies. Keep them thin. It's easy to make the body of weighted nymphs obese due to the layer of lead wire covering much of the hook. Use dubbing materials that allow you to create a very thin dubbing noodle. Less is more with dubbing. Wrap it sparingly, but be sure to cover the lead and thread underbody. Hareline Haretron is perfect for making thin, tightly wrapped nymph bodies. Tie up a few GTi's with contrasting colors (see recipe below) and fish them in your favorite Trout water.
- Hook: Hanak H 300 BL Original Czech Nymph Hook - 12
- Bead: Fulling Mill Tungsten - 3.2mm - Gold
- Thread: 8/0 UNI-Thread Waxed Midge - Olive
- Under-Body: Lead Wire Spool - .015
- Tail: Strung Peacock Herl
- Rib 1: 3X Tippet Material
- Rib 2: Krystal Flash - Olive
- Abdomen: Hare-Tron Dubbing - Olive
- Thorax: Arizona Synthetic Dubbing - Peacock
- Wing Case: Scud Back - Summer Duck - 1/8"
- Tools Used: Tiemco TMC Ceramic Bobbin (Std), Tiemco Tungsten Carbide Razor Scissor,
