Ralph Cutter's Emergent/Cripple Caddis, imitating a caddis struggling in the film during emergence. A trailing Z-Lon shuck represents the discarded pupal husk, a dubbed body sits in the film, and a deer-hair wing trimmed to a stub keeps it riding low yet visible.
1. Start the Tan Thread and wrap to the bend.
2. Tie in a short Z-Lon trailing shuck, about half a shank length.
3. Dub a slim, tapered Tan Dubbing body to two-thirds.
4. Measure a small clump of stacked deer hair so the tips extend roughly to the end of the hook. Tie the hair in about two eye-lengths behind the hook eye.
5. Tie in a dry fly hackle by its butt just behind the hook eye and wrap parachute-style around the wing base. Secure the hackle and trim the excess.
6. Dub the thorax using green dubbing
7. Whip finish under the stub, head cement.
hook
thread
trailing shuck
body
wing
finish
thorax
