Here’s the real scoop on Mr. Greg Garcia’s Mother’s Day Caddis pattern. While Greg would like everyone to believe that he was struck with this glass bead idea while out fishing and that he then went home and came up with this amazing pattern, the truth is slightly different. It has come to my attention, that the real impetus behind the MDC started with a pretty little beaded bracelet that Greg had become fond of. When he broke the bracelet, he was heartbroken and ran away from home, much to the chagrin of his lovely wife. After spending a few nights in the park, Greg figured his pretty little bracelet could live on in his flies if he could just come up with a new idea using the beads as part of a fly, and now we have the Garcia’s Mother’s Day Caddis. This story has been brought to you by the fact that Greg thought it would be funny to advertise that I would be singing Christmas Carols at CFB’s Two Year Anniversary party. Never mess with the boss. Honestly, the MDC is a stroke of genius and is becoming a hugely popular pattern. The addition of the small glass seed bead at the bend of the hook imitates the egg sac of the natural insect when the females come back to lay their eggs in the evening. Greg reports great success with this fly at all stages of the hatch, which holds true to my overall caddis theory that anytime is a good time for caddis. This is a pretty simple fly and is a quick tie, so dig out your materials and get ready to tie some up!
Materials Needed:
Hook: TMC 100SP-BL #14-18
Bead: Green Glass Seed Bead 15/0 size
Thread: 14/0 olive to secure the bead, then 14/0 Black for the rest of the fly
Abdomen: Black Superfine Dubbing
Underwing: Pearl Krystal Flash, Red Krystal Flash and Pearl Mirage Strands
Overwing: Bleached Elk Hair
Hackle: Grizzly Dyed Brown Rooster Saddle or Neck Hackle
Step 1
Slide the glass bead onto the hook and place the hook in the vise. Slide the bead back down the bend of the hook and then start the 14/0 tying thread on the shank at the midpoint on the hook.
Step 2
Wrap the tying thread back to the bend of the hook, then slide the bead right up to the thread.
Step 3
Bring the thread back over the bead to the rear side and make a couple wraps of thread around the hook shank.
Step 4
Jump the thread back to the front side of the bead and make a couple more tight wraps around the hook immediately at the front edge of the bead. Wrap the thread forward to the midpoint on the hook and whip finish and clip it.
Step 5
Start the black 14/0 thread at the midpoint (or so) on the hook.
Step 6
Dub an abdomen from the bead up to about the sixty percent point on the shank. The body should be the diameter of the bead at the back and taper up to slightly fatter at the front.
Step 7
Wrap a thread base from the front edge of the dubbing up to the hook eye and back again.
Step 8
Alright, this part gets a little tricky as far as this underwing goes, so try to stay with me here. Cut three strands of pearl Krystal Flash, one strand of red Krystal Flash and one strand of pearl Mirage Tinsel and lay them all together in a clump. The strands ought to be a couple inches long. We are going to tie these in at the center of their length right at the front edge of the abdomen. If this underwing seems a little kooky to you, take it up with Mr. Garcia.
Step 9
Fold the front ends of all that flash back over the abdomen and cinch them down at the front end of the body. This trick keeps the flash from pulling out later.
Step 10
Now, cut all that flash even with the back of the bend of the hook.
Step 11
Cut, clean and stack a smallish clump of bleached elk hair. Measure this clump against the hook so the tips reach just past the bend of the hook…maybe a shank and a quarter or so.
Step 12
Tie the elk hair in right at the front edge of the abdomen by making two loose turns around the hair and then tighten the thread by pulling it toward you. I said toward you! Do not let go of the hair until you have snugged the thread wraps down tightly. Doing it this way will keep the hair from spinning around the hook as you close the loops of thread around the base of the hair.
Step 13
Now, lift the butt ends of the hair, a few strands at a time, and wrap the thread forward through them in small increments.
Step 14
Wrapping the thread forward through the butt ends as we just did will anchor each hair down individually and make for a much more secure tie in. It also helps to form a tapered base in the next step.
Step 15
Cut the butt ends from the elk hair at an angle sloping up to the wing as shown here.
Step 16
Cover the stub ends of the elk hair with a smooth thread base.
Step 17
Select, size and prepare two grizzly dyed brown neck or saddle feathers. Strip the butt ends a bit to expose the stems for a length of about half the shank. Tie the feathers in at the base of the wing with the outside of the feathers facing out and with a small bit of bare stem showing behind the tie in point.
Step 18
Leave the tying thread hanging at the base of the wing, and then begin wrapping the hackles forward so they push the thread forward as you wrap. The tension of the hanging bobbin will keep the hackles from sliding down the tapered base toward the hook eye.
Step 19
Wrap the hackles all the way up to the index point and tie them off with a couple firm wraps of thread.
Step 20
Clip the tips of the hackles and build a smooth thread head over the stubs. Whip finish the thread and clip. Add a shot of head cement to the thread wraps if you’re that kind of guy.
