In the early 1980’s Craig Matthews and John Juracek introduced the X Caddis. The pattern proved to be both easy to tie and very effective at fooling trout. They have since made some changes that create a fly that the fish go for in a big way. Craig credits Doug and Dan Daufel with developing the improvements. When tying the under wing, it should not extent past the end of the abdomen. The over wing extends to the end of the hook. The tail represents a trailing shuck and should be ½ to 1 times the body length. Green and tan are the most popular body colors but you can use any color to match your local hatches.

Hook : Dry Fly; #14 – #18
Tail : Amber zelon
Rib : Pearl Krystal Flash ( 1 strand )
Body : Zelon dubbing
Under wing : Clear ( white ) zelon
Over wing : Caribou
Head : Zelon dubbing

This fly was originally called the Improved X Caddis and is still listed that way in some catalogs.

Al Bowers

Fly tied by John Lazar