It's springtime in America

I looked through my logs and noticed that on this day in previous years, I was seeing Mother's Day caddis hatches on the Clark Fork.  We don't get monster hatches like the Yellowstone or Madison but we do get a solid showing if the conditions are right.  This has been a unique year and conditions have not been right yet and I don't know If they ever will be, so far as fishing is concerned.

Mother's Day caddis

March brown emerger

My old snapshot camera used to take great super-macro pictures like this old picture of a Mother's Day Caddis and March brown emerger.  I can't wait to get a macro lens for my real camera.

The Easy Mother's Day Caddis

HOOK: size 20-14 (18-16 is best)
THREAD: 8/0 color to match dubbing
DUBBING: Hand blend Super Fine dry fly dubbing in natural colors (tan, olive, yellow, brown)
WING: CDC oiler puffs
THORAX: Dub some CDC and develop a small thorax over where you tie in the wing

This fly is a great fly for teaching beginners how to tie dry flies.  This is a super effective fly and they are so easy to tie, you can do it while you are driving!


-RBM Chronicles does not promote distracted driving-

CDC Guide Fly - The Hanging Midge

CDC Hanging Midge

• Size 22-18 1XL Dry Fly Hook
• 8/0 Black Thread
• Black Antron Dubbing 
• Olive CDC Oiler Puffs

This fly works great for the larger midges found on the lower reaches of the Bitterroot and Clark Fork.  It is a million times more effective than some more complicated flies.  You can tie up a dozen of these before you even finish a beer.  They also work for emerging baetis.  Since those two hatches overlap and happen in both the spring and the fall, this fly is a real asset to have in your box!  My first fish on the dry of 2014 fell to this guy yesterday in a scum line near Lolo.  That is a solid month later than when this normally happens.  We usually are fishing midge dries by Valentines Day.