Slow Water Sedge
Moufflon time again! I just love this material as it looks so buggy and has a nice natural colour. Also it is easy to use although completely "unstackable" due to its heavy underwool (which on the other hand helps flotation of the fly greatly of course). This is a more delicate and transparent caddis fly for slower moving water and selective fish. Difficult to see at times but floats well enough for a few fish (with the help of an Amadou you will be able to clean and dry it a few times).
Tying instructions:
- Wind on a nice tapered and thin dubbing body from the end of the hook shank up to about half of the length of it.
- Select two or three similar CDC feathers and align them. Moisten the feathers with saliva and pull the fibers in one direction. This will help to concentrate the fibers together for an easier ty in. Ty in the feathers very tightly with a few windings only (you might want to add a tiny drop of superglue to the windings at this point). Leave them standing about 0,5 to 1cm behind the hook bend. Fold back the front of the CDC feathers and tie them back tightly with thread.
- Build a thread taper towards the hook point and go back to where you tied in the CDC. Now form a dubbing loop and put in a not too big amount of Moufflon hair (only experience will tell you how much; start with what you think is too little and you might be spot on).
- Spin and wind on the Moufflon “chenille” string, pulling the hairs back on each turn. Ty off a good way from the hook eye as otherwise the CDC will definitely crowd the eye.
- Now the trickiest part: Take the CDC in your right hand and pull them tightly towards the eye. Take the thread bobbin in your left hand and make two or three tight turns with your left hand over the CDC feathers. Tie off the CDC with a few turns near the hook eye. Put good tension on either thread and CDC.
- Clip of CDC and build a nice head.
This is a departure from my normal standard procedure of a simple 5-minute fly, the tricky part being not to crowd the hook eye and tying the fly with the sight post. To make the fly easer just leave the sight post out.
Although it might be less visible the fly will catch a lot of fish anyway. I promise!