December Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis
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December Freshwater Fly of the Month: Hemmingway Caddis The Hemingway Caddis is a variation of the Henryville, developed by Mike Lawson, with a Peacock Thorax and a Blue Dun Hackle for both the collar hackle and the palmered rib. It was named for Jack Hemingway, son of Ernest Hemingway, who preferred this variation when he fished the Henry's Fork in Idaho as he thought the Henryville Special was a little too brown in coloration. The Hemingway Caddis is often used within Sierran streams, particularly Spring Creeks and slow-moving waters. Lawson usually ties the Quill Wings with two segments having the convex sides facing each other with some overlap. This is a quill flatwing style. Often, you will also see this pattern tied with one segment in a "Tent" style similar to the Kings River Caddis. Either way, the quill wings provide a very good caddis sillouette. The colors of the hackle and body can be matched to the caddis found on the water. The Hemingway Caddis has a extremely realistic narrow wing profile, is heavily hackled for good skittering and its charcoal color tone matches many real caddis. This is an excellent pattern to pull out when you have a late evening caddis hatch coming off. The darker color really shows up well in flat light and the profile is a dead-on match. This is a very realistic looking dry caddis. It will float well in both still water and fast bubbling streams. It truly is a pattern Hemingway himself would be proud to fish with. |