Back on Wednesday we posted one of Tim Flagler’s outstanding tying vids featuring Larry Solomon’s hairwing caddis design.
Lo and behold Larry himself emailed yesterday and shared the following, masterfully giving credit to the video as well as to Sid Neff who was also a wizard at the vise when it comes to Caddis flies.
Yet another example of fly fishing bridging time and place to make new friends and bring old ones together again.
Well, it was nice to receive recognition, after all these years…. However, the tie is not quite as I did it, and in the book,”The Caddis and the Angler”, originally published in 1977…. Rather than just tying the wing with tight turns, which flares the deer hair, I make several loose turns, which holds the hair down, for the image of a resting caddis…. I then apply a drop of cement to the loose turns for support, wind back to the front and tie in the hackle, which also has a couple of loose turns over the thread, then back to the eye and tied off.
The flared wing tie was started by my good friend Sid Neff, as the “Neff” Caddis, but does not have a hackle…. Therefore, the fly shown in the video, is a combination of Solomon & Neff Caddis…. (We’re just a couple of old, grumpy anglers…. Ha!)
I’m sure that it will fish quite well.
Yes, I do clip the hackle from the bottom if I am fishing relatively flat water, to give the full silhouette. I leave the hackle full for fishing faster water for more floatability….
Geeezz….. Hard to believe that it’s been over 40 years since Sid and I designed and fished these patterns.…
My how time flies, as also do my friends the Caddis.
Larry Solomon
