Green Deep Sparkle Pupa

Tied by Randy Brock

Hook: Standard wet fly, 12, 14, 16, 18

Thread: brown 6/0 or 8/0

Overbody: medium green antron yarn (I used z-lon)

Underbody: olive fur dubbing, preferably “buggy”

Legs: grouse or pheasant fibers

Head: brown fur dubbing

Instructions:

Once hook is in vise, give it about 10 wraps of lead (optional). Tie in overbody near hook bend, “tease” the yarn a bit to loosen it, and split it in half so that a little later you can pull one half over the top and the other half over the bottom.

Dub the body from the back of the hook to behind the eye, leaving room for the head, of course.

Now, pull the top and bottom halves forward and tie down behind the eye.  Tie 2-4 fibers of pheasant or grouse on the near side and far side of the hook, just a little bit longer than the hook. Dub a short, fat head of brown fur, whip finish, cement the head (if that’s your thing).  Use your bodkin or needle to pick out the underbody and tease the overbody around the fly…the overbody will encase the pupa in the same way the bubble of air encases the actual caddis pupa when it’s rising to the surface.

This is a Gary Lafontaine recipe that I pulled from ‘Essential Trout Flies’ by Dave Hughes.  I’ve fished caddis pupa patterns with great luck in the spring when caddis are more prevalent, but I’m sure it’d work in the summer too…