Dennis Potter, an avid fly fisherman and
self-proclaimed "hardcore fly tyer," has no qualms using new and
innovative materials in his effective and popular fly patterns. In
fact, he says this of synthetics: "It doesn't get wet, it holds its
shape, and it comes in 60 colors." Need he say more?
Potter's
Pearl Trude Black Caddis is an excellent example of using modern
materials to dress an old school fly. It's also an excellent imitation
of a Black Caddis in the cripple life stage. This fly combines the
lightness of a synthetic fiber wing with the sheen of a pearl tinsel
body. Don't worry though, natural hackle fibers give it a classic
leggy-ness trout can't resist.
Specifications:
- An excellent modern take on a classic fly pattern from hardcore fly tyer, Dennis Potter
- Black Caddis imitation in the cripple life stage
- Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Check under rocks and streamside debris for dark caddis pupae and match size and color before offering a fly
- Fish on a dead drift or swing low in the water column
- Always observe at what depth in the water column the trout are feeding and match nymphing depth accordingly
- Hatches can occur throughout the day across North America
- The most prolific hatches occur in eastern North America during May, while the western watersheds see two stages of activity from April to May and July to August
- SIZE 18
When and Where to Fish Potter's Pearl Trude – Black Caddis
This
caddis cripple can be fished as either an impressionistic fly pattern
when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when matching the
hatch. There are literally thousands of highly localized species of
caddis native to lakes, streams, and rivers across the globe. With so
much variation it's often a best practice when fishing a caddis hatch
to match color and size of the local species as closely as possible
rather than worry about imitating a single specific species. This fly
is highly effective in medium to high energy water; riffles, runs,
tailouts, and current seams are prime real estate for this fly. Darkly
colored caddis and sedges can be active throughout the year, but are
especially prolific in the early spring in eastern North America and in
the west from April to May and again in July to August.
How to Fish Potter's Pearl Trude - Black Caddis
Fish
this fly low in the water column on a dead drift. Before you make a
cast, check underneath rocks and streamside debris for wriggling pupae,
and match your offering to the size and color of these pending
emergers. Use common nymphing and swinging strategies and make sure to
observe the depth at which the trout are feeding within the water
column and match your dead drift presentation to that depth. Typically,
early in a hatch, trout will feed on emergent caddis just above the
riverbed. As the hatch wears on, however, these trout will often key in
solely on the emergers or crippled emergers at or just below the
water's surface. Swimming the fly at the end of the drift can also help
to induce a strike from a feeding fish.
Black Caddis
Caddisflies are relatively large aquatic
insects that provide hungry trout with an excellent source of
nutritional protein. There are literally thousands of species of caddis
across the globe so it's often helpful to generalize caddis by their
color and size; an angler would have to have a thousand fly boxes to
match every local species of caddis.
Not surprisingly, there
are many species of darkly colored or black caddis available to trout.
Most anglers will refer to a black caddis as an "American Grannom,"
which most of the time is probably not wrong, but is often not right.
Again, the important elements of caddis imitation are size and color,
not species-specific foolery.
Caddis, unlike mayflies and
stoneflies, undergo complete metamorphosis, experiencing larva, pupa,
and adult stages within a typical life cycle, rather than just a single
nymph stage. During the larval stage, caddis look like tiny, segmented
worms. These wormy creatures are classified as either cased caddis
larvae or free-living caddis larvae.
Ideally, caddis emerge
from their pupal shuck as quickly as possible as they are extremely
vulnerable when hanging in the surface film. Once the winged adult
caddis has fully emerged, it continues to act with a keen sense of
urgency, wasting no time to flitter from the water's surface and to the
safety of nearby trees and stream-side vegetation.
Adult
caddis live significantly longer winged lives than mayflies and will
spend up to two or three full weeks away from the water. When they're
finally ready to mate, males will gather near their home water to form
a swarm. Females will join the swarm to have their eggs fertilized.
Once the mating process has been successfully completed, females will
deposit their eggs on the water's surface, propagating the species.
Black Caddis Cripple Life Stage
Caddis
are most vulnerable during their pupa and emergent stages, pupae,
emerger, making emergent and cripple stages quite important to
successful trout angling on a fly. Black caddis, like most caddis types
or species, emerge quite rapidly, spending as little time in this most
vulnerable stage as possible. Therefore, it's extremely important to
recognize when trout are focusing their selective feeding on these
cripples - catching a hatch at just the right time can render a slow
day a fantastic day in a hurry.
About the Tyer: Dennis Potter
Some
tie flies for relaxation and meditation. Others tie flies with friends
and fishing buddies as a social outlet. Some love the art and history
of the craft, and others love catching fish on their own creations of
feathers and fur. There are a few fly tyers out there, who, well, are
just hardcore. Dennis Potter of Grand Rapids, Michigan is one of these
tying fanatics. A professional production designer and tyer for years,
he estimates that he's tied well over 102,000 flies since he went pro,
and there's no sign he'll let up any time soon. In addition to
designing a host of popular fly patterns for Umpqua Feather Merchants,
Potter has produced a series of educational DVDs and books. He's more
frequently taking his skills on the road to trade shows and fly
conclaves across the United States. Potter's flies are effective and
well tested. He says this on the design process: "I won't submit a fly
unless I've fished the snot out of it for a couple of seasons. The last
thing I need is to submit a cute little fly that doesn't work worth a
damn."
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather Merchants
is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific supplier of hand
tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and materials, and
they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of the art
headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm shift in
the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to its
specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua is
poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As
you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality
hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local
fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first
class fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the
fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The
idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back
in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known
for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each
year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize
how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis established the
first of what would eventually be five separate fly-tying “factories,”
first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally in Thailand. The primary
focus at each of these factories was on producing the very best fishing
flies possible, constructed of the very best materials available. From
the beginning, the quantity of flies produced was secondary to the
quality and excellence of each fly pattern. These high standards were
assured by the personal involvement of the fly designers themselves,
and by the ever-increasing skill, imagination and creativity of the
Umpqua production fly tiers. Today, you will find no flies more
skillfully tied than those available from Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of royalty payments, to reward
professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry
Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely good patterns.
The Result:
Today, Umpqua produces umpteen thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic
midge imitations to the huge patterns favored by marlin and sailfish.
And the "Umpquality" – you’ll see for yourself.”