One of my favorite Green caddis larva patterns

Tying the Green Caddis Larva

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This post was last updated on December 3rd, 2022 at 07:42 pm


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Green Caddis Larva Patterns

One of my favorite Green caddis larva patternsOne of the most widely distributed aquatic insects is the caddis. The green caddis larva fly is usually very easy to tie and is an absolute essential in every trout anglers fly box. In this post I’ll show you how I tie one of my personal favorite caddis larvae patterns (above). I will also show you a couple different variations to create several green caddis flies that truly look alive. The fly at the top of this page can be tied in any color configuration to mimic any shade and size of whatever caddis you’re looking to create.

Materials List

For this caddis, I used seal-x dubbing, but the Hareline Icedub is also a very nice dubbing that I use often for this type of fly. The hook used is a swimming nymph hook which gives a little extra curve to the fly making it look more natural than it would with a straight shank.

Swimming nymph hook 1770 by Daiichi works well for these caddis larvae
Swimming nymph hook 1770 by Daiichi works well for these caddis larvae
Attaching the green wire to use as ribbing on your fly
Attach the chartreuse (or whatever wire color you choose) first the the rear of the fly. Be sure to tie it about 1/4 to 1/2 way around the bend of the hook.

Attaching the latex back to the hook and begin dubbing your caddis larva

The next step is to attach your thinskin or scudback material to the hook on top of the wire.

once you’ve installed that, you can begin liberally applying dubbing to your thread. It is OK to tie it semi loosely, because it will end up giving the fly a nice buggy look.

Adding dubbing to the caddisfy larva fly.
Continue adding the dubbing generously toward the front of the hook
The final stages of tying the green caddis
Be sure to leave a small gap so you have room the add the black dubbing for the front portion of the bug.
Pull the latex scud back material across the top portion of the fly and give it a few wraps to hold it in place
Pull the latex scud back material across the top portion of the fly and give it a few wraps to hold it in place.
Start wrapping the wire ribbing all the way to the front of the fly and secure it in place.
Start wrapping the wire ribbing all the way to the front of the fly and secure it in place.
Adding the final dubbing to the green caddis larva
As you can see, I’ve begun adding the black dubbing to the thread. You can also use peacock herl or any variety of brown or black dubbing. I have found this ice wing material to really produce a “leggy” look that truly brings this fly to life.
The finished green caddis larva fly
I really love the natural appearance of this fly pattern. I have tied this one a little more “loosely” than the image above to mix things up a bit.

Some other Caddis Options to Consider

A flashback green caddis larvae variation
Another variation of the green caddis. I have used saltwater flashabou here across the back to give it a little sheen. This is a very lifelike imitation.

Green caddis larvae fly pattern. This is tied with "larval lace" and peacock herl. Vedry easy to tie, yet very effective for trout.
The Green Caddis larvae is a great fly pattern. These are an extremely widespread nymph and fish really love them. This particular fly is a size 18. It is tied using Larval lace with a peacock herl head. It is very simple to tie yet very effective. Its a good idea to have some of these in your fly box. They resemble a wide array of aquatic insects and look very natural.