Webpage with my fly pattern

[davkrat]

Peter Frailey added a page about my foam caddis pattern to his site. It's #77 Kratville Cridders. Peter has a pretty cool web site with lots of info on different patterns.

http://www.fishingwithflies.com/FliesWithaStory.html

there is another link with a few different angles:
http://www.fishingwithflies.com/HoppersKratvilleHopper.htm

Int eh pics where they seem to be floating he told me he hangs the fly from a thin piece of wire, like used to tie flies. After he takes the picture he photoshops out the wire and re orients the fly. Another cool way to take pictures of your flies!

[Flycanoe]

Congratulations. That is a great looking pattern. Thanks for sharing. :D

[Flycanoe]

One question. Do you find hoppers work better floating on top as a dry? When mine got wet, I would fish it as a wet fly and still caught fish.

[davkrat]

I agree that hoppers can work extremely well when fished sub-surface. This fly really works as an indicator, very much like the Dropper Hopper. I mainly use it as a Caddis dry in size 14-16. The foam really allows it to float. I basically replaced the Elk Hair caddis for my uses. These small caddis patterns work great with a midge or small mayfly nymph dropper and you can actually catch a fish on the indicator. For prospecting on small streams with lots of pocket water these have worked great for me. They will float all day long. I originally tied them as grasshoppers to catch bluegill but 95% of the time I tie this pattern now it is in the smaller caddis size.

[Flycanoe]

Looks like I'm going to fish the march brown hatch on the upper kings river in a few weeks. I'm thinking this fly will make a great march brown indicator in size 12. Then I can put a march brown nymph dropper under it.

I'm thinking of adding a tail, body in brown foam, no under wing, brown foam over wing and then spinning the deer hair and folding it to stand up more vertical, and then cutting the hairs on the underside so its rests upright on the water.

Any thoughts on this idea?

I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Ed Wahl]

Thanks a lot for the recipe, I've already stocked up on hoppers for 'gills and sunnies this spring. I really like the caddis version. Seems we fish similar waters, I've been needing a dry caddis imitation that can still float after 30 or so hook-hookups. Constantly treating or changing out an E.H. C. gets old after a while. Your style of fly is open to virtually unlimited variations. Once again, thanks for the heads up, Ed

[Steve Potter]

Nice pattern, looks real fishy, I think tonight I will work on building a couple of these jewels for my trout box-Steve

[Adam Grace]

Congratulations! Nice foam flies.

[davkrat]

Thanks everyone. It's worked great for me the last few years. Please let me know how they work for you guys.