Tying (and fishing) a hybrid Woodchuck Caddis

[@FlyTyer1948]

Oh my. Thank you for the reminder. I haven’t used woodchuck in ages, but it is good stuff. If I can’t find it, I’ll order some. Tie this without a collar hackle, use red squirrel for the wing & red/orange superfine dubbing & you have a Wiggie Special for fishing emerging caddis if they won’t take the Woodchuck pattern. Just be sure to put silicone on the wing & not the body. It is extremely effective just before dark. Nice water. Nifty fishing!

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great tip to only put floatant on the wing and not the whole fly. It's funny you mention this as I was on the Savage a couple weeks ago at dusk... fishing a big, wide, fairly deep pool with a surface like glass. Lots of fish "rising" sort of. Eating something just under the surface so I assumed they were emerging nymphs. No splashes but concentric circles and the occasional porpoising and tail coming out of the water. I was trying wet flies (spiders) with a little floatant so they would sink slowly. And dry flies with no floatant and clipped front hackle so they would slowly sink. I fished it for at least an hour, until I couldn't see any more. Not a single fish. And I didn't spook them because they kept feeding the whole time I was fishing the pool. I just couldn't find a fly they would take!

[@SavageFlies]

And oh yeah, I think this patch of woodchuck was from J. Stockard. Great stuff and still fairly cheap. www.jsflyfishing.com/wapsi-woodchuck-fur

[@marksleeper3752]

Nice Matt great fly and vid kudos

[@jeffreystone7327]

Wow. All the components of this video just make for a perfect moment in life. Words cannot do these moments true justice. Great fly Matt. This is a true blessing in a fisherman’s life. To be consumed in the moment.

[@SavageFlies]

Wow, thanks for the great comment Jeff! I'm a little behind in getting to all the comments and email but I'll try to catch up this weekend. :-)

[@thomaswalls123]

Another excellent fly👍👍👍thank you Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Thomas! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@charleshutcheson2506]

On the water footage really enhances an already great channel! Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you for saying that! I've been trying to include it whenever I can. Next week maybe I can get some footage of a New England stream. Assuming I catch something up there. :-)

[@brucehaley3651]

Love it when you include the fishing. I have had to limit my small tying sizes to a #14 with an occasional #16. It stinks getting old. :)

[@SavageFlies]

I hear you there Bruce! Ten years ago I didn't need magnifying glasses. Then I gave in and bought some 1.5x cheaters, and now I think I'm at about a 2.5x. :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Another great dry fly with lots of variety options. Thank you!

[@paulbridgers3820]

Great fly thanks for sharing, that's a beautiful river looks really peaceful.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Paul and it really is! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@stevetrybalski3082]

Great looking fly and nice fish to boot! Will give this a try a little later today after a deep clean of my tying bench. Have a great day.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Steve! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@tompeterson559]

That's a nice, simple fly. And the river is beautiful.

[@SavageFlies]

Yes it is Tom, and this was one of the more plain, boring stretches. The pocket water and more boulder-strewn stretches are really beautiful!

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Nice fly, beautiful water!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Garrett! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@samh4232]

This might work well for my Gatlinburg trip this upcoming week, thanks Matt

[@Wyamike734]

Nice looking fly, straight forward easy tie. Thank you for the video.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mike! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@wayneandrews1278]

Great video my friend

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Wayne! Thanks for the note my friend. :-)

[@jamesphillips2216]

Sweet Fly!! Awesome river and one beautiful fish!! Thanks for sharing Matt!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it James! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@markbaehne9389]

Great fly easy to tie , good to se it put to use on a beautiful river after being tied like that . Thanks Matt ,

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Hello Matt. Indeed it's a ver easy fly to tie. Thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@juwright1949]

Excellent!

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Nice,simple tie. Love the Gunpowder. Used to fisk it when I lived in Maryland.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ed! It is a beautiful river. I don't often get any big ones here but it's still a fun one to fish. :-)

[@harryjoesather6539]

water was awesome matt ..thanks..see ya joe.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it big Joe!!

[@brhino1017]

Nice pattern Matt. Thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

Amazingly clear water that day. :-)

[@SavageFlies]

Yes it really was! I don't know if that made it harder to fish, but maybe I should claim that as I only caught three fish in about six yours. :-)

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

@@SavageFlies Oh I was just admiring it. :-)

[@ybarrajc]

Another nice one Matt, adding it to my list. Have a blessed day my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@burtonbrocious171]

Nice pattern matt enjoy your fishing videos too

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Burt! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@diecastrejuvenation7779]

Nice fly! Never used woodchuck, but guess I will now. Thank Matt!

[@SavageFlies]

It's pretty cool stuff Troy; definitely give it a try!

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. Like that fly. Another one that going on my list. Enjoyed the fishing video too. Nice looking river. Hope to be able to fish something like that one day soon. ☕️time. Take care Matt. Have a great week.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks John! It really is a beautiful place. I've got two other trout rivers closer, but when I have a full day to fish, I'll drive the two hours to get there. (Even though I rarely catch any big ones there, it's still fun!)

[@MrZeagans]

Thank you for sharing some riverside footage when you can. I fish as much for the water and surroundings as I do for the fish☺️

[@SavageFlies]

Yes indeed Moshe! It's like Tom Rosenbauer once said, "Trout don't live in ugly places." Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@davehall2160]

Love simple flies, definitely going to try this one out Thanks for the video Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dave! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffjackson5331]

Pretty neat Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jeff! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@johnnylightning1491]

Another nice simple fly Matt. Like you said the combinations are almost endless. Keep the good stuff coming buddy.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dave!

[@toddslichter7831]

Fish are fun to catch at any size. 😎 Great pattern Matt. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Todd!

[@frankmonroe8320]

Great looking stream for this time of year. Our water here in Massachusetts is very low and warm even with intermittent rain several weeks of high 90s brought the levels down drastically. Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Oh Frank, don't tell me that! I'm coming up to Boston next week and I'm hoping I can sneak out of work early one afternoon and find some trout water. :-)

[@mikeney5113]

Great looking flies matt. It really looks good.i am positive it will produce some good fish.thanks as always

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mike! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

Nice looking fly and a pretty easy tie. That’s a beautiful river and great fish. Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Chad! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@wayneandrews1278]

Cool fly I need go get Woodchuck hair

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Wayne! It's a fun material and actually pretty cheap: www.jsflyfishing.com/wapsi-woodchuck-fur

[@leemowers9395]

Beautiful brown trout. Nice fishing discussion on the fly origin and fishing position and fly presentation. great looking little dry fly, well tied. Thanks for sharing Matt, entertaining throughout. That pattern and size should work great in the Iowa driftlessly little creeks.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate the comment Lee! I do have to confess though... it probably looks like I pick a spot and catch a fish right after. But that's the magic of editing. I think I was fishing for an hour before I got that guy, and fished another hour after before I got the next one. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, great looking bug, woodchuck Caddis is attractive and using Superfine dubbing there is a great color selection. Time to get on it and ty a variety of colors of this pattern. Thank you Sir Matt. The Gunpowder River looks beautiful wish we had a river close by that has trout. I'll make do with what we have I guess, ha ha.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Edward! And yes, we all have to make do with what we have. I have to drive two hours to get to the Gunpowder but it's worth it to me. :-)

[@dietzredietz]

I love the "Banish Misfortune" in the background.

[@bdickinson6751]

Nice tie. I've always wondered why woodchuck isn't used more for tying flies. Being from PA, there's certainly no shortage of them to get hides from.

[@jeffjackson5331]

You got that right lol. I am in south western Pa.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! They are all over the place here in Maryland too. And you know, I think they're burrowing animals but my hound dog had one treed a couple weeks ago so apparently they can climb at least a little bit. :-)

[@allenaviation5746]

Nice fly Matt. My favorite style for caddis and I don't even know if I've ever used wood chuck. I probably use mink more than anything else.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Daryl. I've used mink on plenty of flies like this. I think it's mink tail actually which isn't quite as coarse, but it is a bit lighter weight.

[@chasselynch5733]

Right now here in north central Pa on the mountain freestone streams this pattern and down winged pattern is hot,mimicking months hoppers crickets.great video Matt

[@SavageFlies]

Cool to hear Chasse! I'm going up to New England next week so maybe I'll try a few of these up there. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

Nice looking bug AND trout you have there "quick draw"🔫a super fast reaction on the hook set, awesome game plan too 👍I like playing around with different guard hairs for wings. Woodchuck is awesome. I could see the wing tips sparkle from the light reflecting off the different bands of color as you as you spun the example in the vise. Save the underfur, makes cool dubbing. Grizzly was the first hackle I bought because of it's versatility. Great video Matt, thanks!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Joe! Of course having a "quick draw" sometimes blows it. Too fast of a hook set with only 20 feet of line out can often yank it out of the fish's mouth. I do that often enough! But this one I probably had 40+ feet of line out so all was good. Have you ever heard the old UK fly fishermen say, they try to say "God save the Queen" between when they see the take and set the hook? I've never been that patient but I do sometimes think about it. :-)

[@joeduca8582]

@@SavageFlies Still looks cool on film :o) The voice in my head says "wait 'till they turn it in their mouth", that's a holdover from fishing bait. Sometimes I'll see a flash of the fish's side or the fly line / indicator move sideways. By the time I figure out what's going on I could've said "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" 🤓👍

[@karljones6594]

Good morning Matt. Great looking fly you know it will catch fish. Will tie a few for the box. Heading to Salmon River this weekend to try and catch a few salmon and maybe a steelhead and even a big brown. Have a great weekend and stay safe my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Outstanding Karl! Good luck my friend... I want to hear all about it. And see pictures if you hook into any big ones. :-)

[@bayoutrapper]

Raccoon fur makes a great substitute for the ground hog. Tight lines, and God bless.

[@SavageFlies]

Great tip! I haven't tried this with raccoon but I do have plenty. I might have to give it a try!

[@davidhughes2622]

Hi from Kansas City 🎣🤠 Dave Hughes I just bought a couple of necks a dirty white and a grizzly to tie up some top-water fly's. I'm of a shortage on tail material. Don't have any groundhog but the shop did have a piece of bear and moose hair. I'm going to tye with them ??. Thanks for your time and knowledge, good health for you and your's 🎣🤠 Dave Hughes

[@SavageFlies]

I appreciate it Dave! Bear and moose are a lot of fun to tie with! Have fun my friend. :-)

[@jimholland1592]

Hey Matt☕️☕️ Nice bug, and that water is amazing beautiful place. And the fish was beautiful 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! Hope you're having a great week my friend. I'm going up to Boston next week for work. I'm hoping I can find some trout water for a couple hours in the evenings. :-)

[@bigdaddy99929]

Great fly Matt. I’ll try it in larger sizes here but the small ones will work in our many small lakes. 😊

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Clyde! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@kenb4685]

Gidday Matt. I just googled woodchuck which we dont have in Oz. I do have possum so will give this fly a go. Thanks.

[@SavageFlies]

Yep, opossum or mink tail work well. And BTW, we also call woodchucks, groundhogs. Like in the goofy American holiday on February 2nd called Groundhog Day. :-)

[@lorawinfrey9112]

Nice

[@pc5439]

Nice fly Matt, Looks like you were matching the color of your fly, to the color of the Gun Powder riverbed, works all the time when the fish aren't taking the tried and true colors of a particular fly,

[@SavageFlies]

That's a great tip Phil. I didn't do that on purpose, but olive was the only color I had in an 18 and I wanted to go small. :-)

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Beautiful water and nice catch. Love the simple patterns, thanks for sharing.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Layton! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@proflyfisher]

Another great fly to try out, and yes easy to tie. Thanks Matt! 👍 tight lines. 👍

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jim! And thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@MayheM_72]

If I could pick off one of those pesky woodchuck in my yard, I'd be set to tie loads of this fly! I do have other furs, including squirrel tails, so I'll give it a try. Man, how I wish we had trout streams in my area! All the trout in around here are stocked rainbows in ponds. I have to travel a few hours for those kind of beautiful waters, which I almost never get to do. Only trout I ever caught were on spinning gear, either with bait or inline spinners.

[@SavageFlies]

You just need to make a day of it, or a long weekend and drive to some water like this! I've got a couple trout streams closer to me but if I have a whole day to fish, I'll drive the two hours to the Gunpowder. Even if I'm only catching these 9-inch wild browns, the scenery and river make it worth the trip. :-)

[@tomharvey7436]

Nice fly Matt excuse my ignorance but what is a woodchuck

[@SavageFlies]

It's a groundhog. Some places call them woodchuck. It's the same rodent.

[@tomharvey7436]

Thanks Matt we don’t have them here hence my ignorance

[@markchristensen3371]

Here in Utah they're also known as marmots.

[@stevecharles7294]

How well does a wood chuck float?

[@SavageFlies]

Not quite as well as deer or elk hair as those are hollow. But a little better then squirrel or mink. The front hackle is really what keeps this one on the surface film.

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Sorry, FISH it.