The catgut caddis is one of my favorite flies, and the reason is simple. I've yet to find a better or more realistic material for a caddis body than catgut.
It's translucent, it segments naturally, and it's a natural material which is a bonus.
The fly itself uses only a handful of materials but the end result is one of the most realistic caddis larvae you can tie.
Catgut isn't a new material either. Tyers have been using it for well over a century, long before the synthetics took over.
It fell out of fashion but it never stopped working, and once you tie a few of these you'll understand why it's making a comeback.
The build is straightforward.
The body is built up in segments with a small amount of squirrel dubbing packed between each one, mimicking the natural segmentation of a caddis larva.
It's a small detail but it makes a big difference to how the finished fly looks.
A soft brown hackle swept back for legs finishes things off and gives it a little life in the water.
Material
- Hook: Wide gape grub hook
- Bead: Black tungsten
- Thread: 6/0, camel or brown
- Body: Catgut
- Segmentation: Squirrel dubbing
- Legs: Brown soft hackle