Plan C Caddis Hanner Fly Tan

Overview

The Plan C Caddis is a caddis pattern from Umpqua signature tyer Randy Hanner. It is a soft hackle with a hot spot tag, made to fool fish that have refused your first and second choices.

Caddis pupae swim to the surface to hatch, and trout chase them hard. A soft hackle collar breathes and pulses in the current like the legs and emerging wings of a pupa, and the hot spot tag gives fish something to focus on. Fish it under the surface during caddis hatches, either dead drifted or swung.

How to Fish It

• Swing it: cast across and slightly downstream and let the current swing it to the bank. Takes often come as the fly rises at the end of the swing.
• Dropper: trail it 18 inches behind a caddis dry when fish are taking emergers below the surface.
• Nymph rig: fish it as the upper fly above a weighted nymph during the hours before a hatch.
• Timing: fish it through spring and summer caddis hatches, often in the afternoon and evening.

Choosing Color and Size

Tan matches the most common caddis colors on many trout streams. Size 14 covers most spring and summer caddis hatches.