CRAZY FOR CADDIS

  During my recent extended trip far north from San Francisco hitting all my favorite rivers and streams during mid week when they belonged only to Mr. Wolf! I threw two flies more then any others. My Nuclear Nymph which was insanely hit and chewed by dumfounded trout trying desperately to discern, " What the Hell is that?". As is always the case Caddis Patterns are knock outs if colors and size are carefully worked out. This months fly pattern " Marco’s Gold Caddis " dedicated to my best pal next door whose Father is a serious fisherman is easy to tie and very effective if short lined without much fly line left on surface. During this extremely low Fall water period here in California, water clarity is the challenge! While working the Gold Caddis I found it was hit quickly if I simply let it float away without casting or disturbing stream ambience.

  First I would find a reasonable looking feeding lane or obvious current moving feeding material, while hiding behind a tree, rock or staying in heavy shadows the Gold Caddis was allowed to completely blend into whatever surface activity present. Through the years when fly fishing with many Caddis patterns in existence on streams and rivers, never has a morning been dull!

  Caddis Fly Presentation Suggestions

  After allowing many feet of fly line to either float free without casting down stream or carefully short lining where as much line as possible is quickly picked up as the fly moves past and continues down stream is mesmerizing to watch as fast rising trout slam this pattern! Those seasoned Caddis pilots ready to expand their knowledge base may begin practicing Dying Nymph Dances. That is simulating the jerky start and stop motions made by all dying insects. I usually begin the Death Boogie about midway through a drift because any trout watching or contemplating a possible rise to water buffet will kick into 6th gear when he spies the Last Dance!

  Another Caddis water ballet is my own signature tried and true Quick Sprint routine. This technique simulates a healthy hard to catch Caddis winged almost adult by pulling on the fly line quickly and making the fly skip across the current rapidly and then stop just as quick! The final stop can be just as irresistible as the quick skate if practiced. One aspect ought to be clear to all bug throwers, if your not tying your Caddis pattern with built in strength as in tight wraps, glue where possible, longevity will not be yours. When the action starts with well tied caddis resplendent in your local colors, be prepared for more then one hook up, work all obvious areas well; Under tree limbs, near and just under rocks large boulders, along stream edges. A quick word about any and all plastic, felt, string whatever strike indicator’s. If you need that much help feeling a striking, biting fish? Maybe long afternoons worshiping day time TV may be best for you Mr. Timid.

  Hope For You Twice A Year Fly fisher’s

  In as much as I have spent my life from age five on streams and rivers pursuing game fish and watching the habits of those fly fishers I run across who are obviously not seasoned, timid, unsure of exactly what to do and snagging fly line which they take enormous amounts of time to untangle failing ever to actually catch and release fish.... I have this advise for all of my poor often frustrated disappointed young fly fishing hopefuls! There is hope for you starting right now!

  Fly Fishing Reality Check

  If you learn to first survey precisely where you want to begin fly casting on rivers or streams? Then think slowly about where you might snag fly line in hanging trees; access to possible safe wading opportunities, observations of currents, deep holes, insects present absent, rising fish,? After turning over quietly several stream side rocks or fallen branches sifting through the oozing goo to look for insect material, larvae any evidence of resident insects? Deciding one fly or two fly set up, then slowly begin working only the edges nearest to you before casting out further. One would be well served to maintain no more then a few feet or less depending on your casting accuracy between casting attempts so you have covered all the water. Many game fish have habits of not budging from long established feeding avenues no matter how enticing your fly may be. Long and short of this sport my new hopeful friends who may be not actually catching fish with flies. I have had many, many trips in my life where I have caught nothing and seven year old girl’s drowning worms or soaking salmon eggs were yanking them in with their grandmother’s...... It is part of this esoteric insane sport we love, get used to it or take up Yoga with the Ball & Chain Cowboy. Remember the real pay off is your privilege of becoming a player in mother natures natural order for a few hours! It ain’t suppose to be easy Pilgrims or K- Mart & McDonald’s would start having huge fly fishing big money tournaments which of course ain’t going to happen.

  Life On The Fly

  Must be many ways to spend your life and time without getting soaking wet and seeing blind. Not sure how the addiction arrived as I was susceptible and easily Aligned.
Something about watching that tiny piece of feather and fur swallowed by swirling waters enchanting overly smart trout.
Always the same feelings in your wrist when the wild yank of freedom lost makes you smile!
Thank the Gods and never forget how lucky you are to have found Nirvana just for a little while.

Mr. Wolf

Marcos Gold Caddis
Hook: Dry Fly Barbless # 16-20
Body: 24 Karat Gold Jewelers foil wrapped tight.
Wing: Light Brown Elk Hair.
Head: Wild Prairie Hen light tan hackle.
Thread: Yellow Silk.

*This fly tied and dedicated to my very good friend and next door neighbor Marcos, age 3.

This Episode Dedicated To Phil Frank

  With much sadness, love and respect I report the passing of a good friend , Internationally syndicated cartoonist, Sausalito California Historian, San Francisco Chronicle Cartoonist, Political Satirist, friend of the high and the low, Illustrator of the fly fishing fiction serial, Adventures Of Fletcher Quill, creator of famed cartoon Farley and the newer cartoon, The Elderberries. Phil Frank was a first class San Francisco, Marin County, International man of letters and immense generosity of spirit..... I’m honored to have known and worked with him and will miss his easy going manner.

  Glimmer Twin and fellow madman night and day tripper General Fletcher Quill have been screaming around Golden haunted Golden Gate Park while listening to Ozzie Osborn’s latest bad ass lament to the Fast lane, "Can’t Get Enough" at plus ten, segueing into Kid Rock’s Cryptonite new single," So Hot " off his new Album, "Rock Jesus.".... Both men quietly thinking about his own personal version of old Timothy Leary’s ode to sexual understanding and eternal extasy published in 1997 , "Psychedelic Prayers" Part V The Heart Chakra.

"Can you lie quietly engulfed in the slippery union
Of male and female?

Timothy Leary

  "Keith, Dude we are sooooo elegantly wasted buddy...... Ozzie still got balls ,still got pipes , still got it all... Now last night back stage at the Concord Velvet Revolver rock fest I asked Slash if he thought Ozzie ought to cut some sides with the rejuvenated original bad to the bone boy Jerry lee Lewis. He was all over that idea Dude, what do you think?" (check out Jerry Lee Lewis , The killer latest album titled, "Last Man Standing").

  "Dude take me by that underground headquarters of Sammy Kinnison while I answer that straight up. OH yeah Mate your just like friggin Mick I gotta keep monitoring the old brain food or the supercharger extra brain twister blaster/booster/traveler...Herr we go friggin General Quill eat this little Orange Barrel, are we going to write a bad ass classic rock song right now in your F1, what say General? You want to put one down with me while Mick plays Daddy... I gotta get this next album out me head, gottta call me old Mate from day one Mister Jimmy."

  Oh we be trippin General , we be trippin..... yeah about me old Mate Ozzie going at it with The Last Man Standing? Absolutely!
I heard studio unblemished, no Pro Toolin fooolin virgin stuff . Jerry lee sounds better then he ever did my friend, was shocked, that old man can do the do."

  "Ok, we blow by Abbott Sammy’s underground debauchery before hitting the Mitchell Bros Porn Palace sounds fine to me Mate. Now pay strict attention as I lay this baby into a nice four wheel slide and loose it just for a micro second before we head straight for that big Oak tree right there. Now my friend enjoy a peek into our beloved dead bawdy standup pals twisted headquarters. Rub this salve into your eyes and we will both be able to see and speak to the little creatures who run the operation. (In moments the boys experience rapid coloration pupil dilatation in conjunction with the 2000 Mic. or so of pure brain food provided by Mr. Bear O.. After parking the F1, their host Abbott Sammy Kennnison appears in slightly hazy spirit form in full form.)"

  "Look at those wee tiny lads wearing pointed red hats and dancing like Mick on jungle juice. Quill lets write the Stones next smash hit here with these wee people, what say Mate?"

"Sammy my good man, do you have a place where we can weave a bit of magic?"

  "Right this was gentlemen, the Neon Magic Mushroom Garden is perfect for summoning the Muse! You two nasty boys slide into those chair shaped mushrooms which you can eat as you go as they are pure purple brain energy Lads.... Now the sound and overall atmosphere in this psychidelic muse room can be controlled by either of you by simply thinking about what tunes you want to hear and how loud or exactly what kind of female company would hit the mood just right? Now as Quill knows Glimmer Twin you two can imagine any lady you wish from any time in recorded history. She will appear and do whatever you like while acting as if she has known and loved you for ever...... Enjoy we will check on you every day or so. Food and drink are endless as well. Oh yes one more small thing guys. Be careful what you ask for here in regard to atmosphere, you can conjure anything and it will be dead on accurate, play this like a new 250 mile per lamborgini you just fired up. See ya later write a killer tune."

  "Quill, unreal..... Look here we can start right now by getting back to the same energy that drove the 18 year old engines we once had San Francisco madman. What were your top five absolute must have priorities? How about we turn this room into a heaving Pirate ship off the lee ward Coast of Tortuga, run aground with broken mast and taken on water while the crew abandons and we hoist a few jugs and begin an old Irish wake for this fine ship that has up to now safely moved our grimy souls up and down the wretched sea."

  "All righty then, how about another handful of this comfy chair before I get started Mate. Now then blimey where are those native drummers and the chest of gold booty we aim to spend when we hit the coast of Hawaii. Maybe first we get a serious west Indian Sitar endless Zepplinesque thing rumblin behind my blues harp while you do a slow burning Robert Johnson meets your old band partner Mick Taylor meets 25 year old Keith Richards?"

  "What is that your mumbling Generalismotripper? Say that one phrase again, " Stealin Time", hey rookie tune smith you just hit a ball out the park. Now lets run with those two words Stealin Time."

  "Stealin Time on somebodys dime I got more minutes then mind, more hours then time, I’m blind.
Lost days and weeks drip down the Mitchell Bros mural painted walls and stalls, my Balls roll endlessly growing larger bolder in the San Francisco Fog."

  "Generalismo Shiesmo, you must be kiddin me Mate, did you just rifff that shit are you tryin to take out your Limy Pal? Mick and me don ‘t roll this quick, I’ll work out the first melody and the bridge. We get soulful back up singers and do this one like Joe Cocker meets the kid that wrote and performed, "Happy". Love that tune " Never Kept a quarter past Sunset, always burned a hole in my pants, never went to school, never had a second chance." Lets get the down Chicago South side harp thing rolling here, then you drop in and start the lyric and harp back and forth like this, see Quilly?" (The playbacks are rockin lean, mean and edgy with much harpy Little Walter meets Howlin wolf, meets Robert Johnson, meets Kenny Wayne Shepard meets John Lee Hookeresque.)

  "Stealin time from the empty mine on blood soaked knees we crawl into another empty hole.
How many souls loose time and how many find, how many fools carry timed out souls they can’t control. How many souls got more soul then can be controlled?"

  "Quill, must be the friggin Brain food , you are spiitin out some treasure booty Matey. Stealin time fits right in with all of us pushing late 60s and starting to fall apart. Time waits for no one so you gotta steal and learn to heal to deal."

  "Learn to heal to deal sounds like another killer riff Dude, wheelin down blind alleys learnin to heal, beggin to feel, Dam don’t call Snoop Dog he might bust in and pull a OJ, " If I did It?" What a fool the juiceman is. Old Snoop gets busted tryin to move weapons into airplanes, those Rappers are off the hook, make the Stones look like Momma Theresa Baby."

  "Dude you about ready to hit the Porn Palace? I’m so wasted on your California sunshine!"

  "But first maybe just a taste, a little booster me Whacked Coast Matey."

  "Love to drive the F1 with a head full of Mothers Milk, Abbott Sammy this Muse Room is nasty Pal! Where did you grow these chairs, we ate both arm rests, so they grow back?"

  "Had the ghost Elvis drop by for a consultation on our decor. He wanted to go total jungle like at Graceland, so we decided Alice In Wonderland fits better underground. Pro Tool did the Psychic Sound system which I love. Dudes, call me when you both get home and will hook you up with a PSS system for your cribs. One other Thing Generalismo just got word Mitchell Bros has a surprise for the Prodigal Madman!"

  "A virtual nest of Scarlet woman awaits the man with
Complete understanding and patience in the art of Eros…"

Aleister Crowley, OHO 1875-1947

  Mitchell Bros Eros Feast or, " Excuse me officer I have a special license Sir!"

Read about Fletcher Quill in earlier chapters:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11
12 13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
21 22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29
30 31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38
39 40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47
48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56
57  58  59  60  61  61

Written by Dan Fallon © 2007
Illustrations by Phil Frank © 2003
Photos by Dan Fallon © 2007

For Dan Fallon's articles; visit the table of contents