The Peeping Caddis Nymph

Some years ago I traveled to the Welsh River Dee, to learn how to upstream nymph with Gwilym Hughes. Over the course of the weekend I learned many fly patterns and methods to catch fish, some have stuck with me ever sense. I returned home with a nymph tied on a size 12 jig hook and was told that it would catch fish in the dark waters that I normally fish. Armed this one of many new flies I approached a pool in my local river with the water slightly colored and deep, I flicked the nymphs into the water and held my arm out straight as I had been told to do and stay in contact with my nymphs. The nymphs sank to the bottom and hardly traveled more than a foot along the bed when the fly line that was on the water acting as the indicator snapped forward and I struck into a lovely wild golden brown trout. For the rest of that day I took fish after fish on that fly it was called The Peeping Caddis.

This nymph has remained as one of my favorite and most productive nymphs I have ever tied, I have fished it in rivers across the World and it has never let me down some days producing more fish than others. I have often been told by great fly-fisher men that simplicity is often the best when it comes to fly-tying and fly-fishing and this nymph is surely simply. It can be tied on several sizes to fish different depths of water I tie it as big as a size 6 and the smallest being 14 preferable on Hends jig hooks for the smaller ones. You also can vary the colour of the tail and mix some different colours into the dubbing to match the bed of your river, including some different colour dubbing behind the beads. This nymph is also tied with a lead under body; with this and the tungsten head it will search those deep pools and pockets where some of the better fish tend to hang out.

The peeping caddis can be fished either as an anchor nymph in fast heavy waters or I get great success in flooded conditions, also on its own on the smaller sizes in good fast water, either conditions of the river this nymph is undoubtedly one of those trusted flies that in your box and will always return good sport fishing in all conditions.