Tying (and fishing) a CDC Elk Hair Caddis (my go-to dry fly pattern)

One of the simplest dry flies you can tie, but also one of the most effective. I'll use this when there is no obvious hatch and I'm simply prospecting the likely holding spots. The fly works year-round.
Hook: #10-20 dry fly
Thread: Brown
Body: Natural or tan CDC
Wing: Elk hair (or deer hair)
If you would like to support my mission of giving back to the fly tying community, consider picking up some logo merchandise at:
savageflies.com
And if you shop at Amazon, please consider using the following Amazon storefront for any purchases. (The channel makes a small percentage of sales when purchased through these links.)
www.amazon.com/shop/savageflies
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by.

[@rollinlapoint4554]

You can't go wrong with this one. A true classic for sure.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Rollin! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@cernhutch]

Love your channel. You have GOT to do more on-the-water videos like this with the flies you tie. It adds a whole new perspective on the patterns! Thanks

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you for the kind words! I definitely want to do more tying/fishing videos, but they don't always work out. Just like the experimental nymphs I was using on Saturday. Had I caught anything with them I might have used them in a video. :-)

[@martyrothman3933]

Good morning Matt good morning everyone love the video but the end was best :-) everybody have a good week

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Marty! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jeffreystone7327]

New materials. New techniques. But we all do well with the old tried and true. Makes it easy to understand the old saying. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Beautiful stretch of water and fish. Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@alexbutler6147]

What a beautiful looking fish with the orange colors

[@jimholland1592]

Nice Matt☕️☕️ That is a beautiful place and three nice fish! And I really like that CDC Caddis. Your video work is really good too. That water looks good to navigate through. You and the family stay safe and hope to see y’all before long👍

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! You know I'll host you up here any time. :-) Of course I would feel terrible if I was to show you the Savage and we had a day like I did Saturday. Even Sunday morning wasn't great but at least small fish are more fun than no fish. :-)

[@jimholland1592]

@@SavageFlies At this point in life I would love something different than a catfish 🤣🤣🤣 No, the catfish are good they keep me in practice 🤪👍

[@user-jk9ui5cb2q]

Thanks for the video. Last week I caught about 35 trout in 2 hours on this fly. when I get home I will tie some more!

[@randymorris8740]

Nice fly, and it doesn't matter if it's a simple tie or not, we like them all...You did Walt's Worm for the show and that is the mother of all simple flies... LOL

[@SavageFlies]

Yes it is Randy! And funny, because I thought of Walt's Worm when I was deciding if I wanted to tie this one. I guess I have done plenty of KISS patterns on here after all. :-)

[@crowdaddy8355]

I know what I’m going to tie today. Love how easy it is and I can’t wait to fish it. Thanks Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Go for it Chad! I hope it's as good for you as it usually is for me. :-)

[@kenb4685]

Gidday Matt. The fly isnt too ugly. And very nice fish.

[@bigdaddy99929]

The ole KISS principle strikes again. 😆. Nice fly and gets those fish!! Thx Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@chanceshalosky1644]

Great, simple fly! Fun seeing you fish it, too!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Chance! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@jack_batterson]

I like it. Trout seem to eat like I do: messy and no napkins.

[@gillboygd]

This is the perfect fly for me! Super simple and I got tons of duck feathers left at my pond. I’ll try this out for sure!

[@Wyamike734]

Nice pattern, fast easy and effective tie. Thanks for the video, I will tie few up and try it out.

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@nicolelewis1828]

Love this fly, Matt! Good to see you on the water! :-) Thank you!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Nicole! And oddly enough, I think I'm going to get to fish three weekends in a row. This past weekend I tried my hand a snakehead fishing out of my kayak, and next weekend I'll be back out on the Savage. :-)

[@nicolelewis1828]

@@SavageFlies 🙏

[@davehall2160]

Gorgeous looking river Matt And a very cool looking fly Thanks for the video

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Dave! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. ☕️time. Before you tied in that elk hair that fly looked pretty wild. Kinda like Phyllis Dillers hairdo lol. Don’t have to be pretty to be effective. Hmm, could be a chapter in your book, Ugly and Effective. I’m going to try them on some of our still water fisheries and see how they work. Take care and have a great week. Time for a ☕️reload.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! I love it John. I could have the standard chapters of drys, wets and nymphs, and then have a chapter called "Ugly and Effective." :-) Do let me know how this one works for you.

[@karljones6594]

Good afternoon Matt. We have all had those days. This is a great fish catching fly. I have a box full of them in various colors. Thanks for sharing this one. Have a great week and stay safe my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Karl! I've only done this one in the natural and a dyed olive deer hair. I'm thinking of making a black one for a "winter caddis" later this year.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Interesting. I’ve never tied or fished a CDC Elk Hair Caddis. I wonder if it would work on the rough white water of the Penobscot. I bet it would. Matt, I must respectfully disagree that it’s not suitable for posting or mounting in a shadow box. Any fly that consistently works well is a beautiful fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Bob. They are beautiful in their own kind of way. But can you imagine a shadow box of something like this or Polly Rosborough's fuzzy nymphs next to one of Don Bastion's wet flies? Of course, his were true works of art. :-)

[@howardmceachern6614]

Thanks, Matt, it sure is nice to see some old-time patterns tied a little differently. I enjoyed this as much as the #20 elk hair caddis you tied a year ago. Great job, keep up the great videos about the tying and your fishing. I particularly enjoy the history that you extend with each fly.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you for the kind words Howard! That #20 EHC was a fun one too. :-)

[@MyItalians]

Morning Matt. Liking the footage of your short trips. Glad to see that I'm not the only one using a net on every fish. Again, simple works. Have a blessed day

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Nich! And one other thing I do, if I'm not actually filming and don't plan to pick up the fish for the camera, I just give it a little slack and try let it off without ever even having to touch it.

[@bobheale2521]

Love your videos. "we'll be just fine", you're like the Bob Ross of fly tying ;)

[@lorawinfrey9112]

You made that look so easy to tie and I love the part where you're out fishing and showing us where you fishing

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Lora! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@williammattos5]

So true. The elk hair caddis usually works when all other fly fail.

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely! Probably why it's become my go-to dry fly too. :-)

[@joutdoorsmen23]

Cool video Matt, always enjoy watching them!!!!!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@justinmcquaide4862]

Cracking fly and video really like the fishing at the end it looks to be a beautiful river to fish !!

[@DB-iu8yl]

Great video Matt. Good to see you catching fish also.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it DB! I wish I could have hooked into some of the Savage's bigger fish, but I'll take these little fish over no fish any day. :-)

[@reserrvoirman]

Great tie thanks for the fishing trip too.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Stan! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Great, simple and effective pattern. Fished them for years. Love the on the water portion of the video. Keep up the great work.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Ed! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@ybarrajc]

Thank you for sharing, have a blessed day my friend.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@alanbabcock1438]

Wow! I'm going to have to tie up some of these as well as the Eggie special that led me to your site. Here in Colorado I think I will tie the caddis in 14 - 18 . Your camera work while fishing is amazing. Thank you and thanks to J. Stockard for the introduction. I think I will also try the simple Caddis I see in the side bar ( one leads to another😜).

[@tompeterson559]

Definitely follows the KISS principle! Simple flies are my favorites, not only are they generally very effective, but they also help perfect my tying. Thanks for posting this!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Tom! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

Beautiful stretch of river and a pretty kool fly to go with it!

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@danielyost9126]

You know matt look forward to late season to take out the Two weight like a kid with anew toy truck

[@SavageFlies]

Absolutely! My waters around here are small enough that I can fish a 2 or 3-wt year round. Except maybe in the winter when I chase the big guys with streamers. Then my 5-wt will get the most use. :-)

[@warrenchester8467]

A classic fly and a great OB. Thanks Matt. Hope to take you on some chalkstream if you’re ever in the UK.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Warren! Oh man, I would love to fish some of your famed chalkstreams. Maybe I'll get back over there someday. :-)

[@warrenchester8467]

@@SavageFlies just let me know. There will be a room and day or two on the rivers if you want them. A thank you for the pleasure your videos have given. You can buy the beers :-)

[@marshallbaldwin8960]

Awesom fly and video footage showing the quality of the pattern. Thank you Sir Matt for always inspiring me.

[@loganrock133]

I like seeing you fish the patterns you tie and talk about. I’m not saying change up the videos, though, because I really like your channel for all the trying and history.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Ricki! I appreciate the feedback my friend. :-)

[@roberthorn7368]

I found this pattern a couple of months ago and tied it. Haven't had a chance to fish it yet. Really liked the "buggy-ness" of it. Tied up right it could even look like a caddis that hasn't "shucked" his shuck.

[@SavageFlies]

Definitely right there Robert! In fact, some people do tie in some kind of synthetic "tail" for a trailing shuck.

[@laytonmarvin3790]

Fantastic pattern and awesome footage. Thanks Matt for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Layton! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@edwardchavez5627]

Good Morning Sir Matt, how simple and awesome is that.... the fly is not much to look at but by the footage of the Savage river it looks to be very productive. I will be sure to have plenty of these in the box. Thank you Sir Matt 😊.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Edward! The Savage sure is a lot of fun, even when I'm not hooking up with the big ones. :-)

[@bdickinson6751]

Another nice simple tie. The added bonus of you fishing with it was nice as well. Loved the big spots on the side of that 2nd brown. Praying for more rain and cooler temps here in PA. As always, take care and God bless. 👊🏼👍🇺🇸

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! And yes... I noticed that too. The spots on that second brown were bright and spread way out. It was almost like that fish has the genes to grow really big. At least it reminded me of a big fish in a small fish's body. :-)

[@burtonbrocious171]

Really great fly your videos are getting better and better matt thanks for sharing

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Burt! I still struggle at times and actually had some audio issues in this one. But I'm getting there. :-)

[@scottgraham3492]

That looks terrific to me!

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Scott! I appreciate the kind words my friend. :-)

[@bobhammond8067]

Sweet fly and fishing!!

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Bob! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@marksheridan9063]

Great looking Fly. Keep sending out these great tying videos. God bless and have a great week.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Mark! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@dalespencer803]

Nice share of info and the video.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dale and thanks for watching my friend!

[@leemowers9395]

Thanks Matt for a great pattern for a simple caddis, and a fun time on the Savage River. Great video’s

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Lee! Appreciate it my friend. :-)

[@articgrayling1300]

Thanks Matt, honestly glad you hammered this out for us. I'm tying just the normal ehc right now (also watched those vids of yours) so this will be a nice off shoot.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thanks for the note! As for this one and the standard EHC, I probably tie more of this one, maybe by a 2:1 ratio. But I certainly do still fish the regular one with the palmered hackle body. If I'm trying to match an olive or dun colored caddis, it's easier to do it with the standard one just by changing the color of the dubbed body.

[@mikeney5113]

This one one of the best patterns out there period.well done Matt.should be in everyone's box for sure.thanks for sharing.tight l Iines!

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@toddslichter7831]

Great pattern...most any caddis is pretty good...some are just better...CDC/elk hair are amongst the best. Nice stretch of water. Thanks for sharing Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Todd! Thanks for watching my friend. :-)

[@johnnylightning1491]

Wow, talk about easy! I should tie some of these up for my box. Keep the good stuff coming Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Definitely Dave! They don't get much easier than this one. :-)

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Hello Matt! Beautiful fly. Lately I have been tying more and more with CDC, it's a one way ticket. All the best.

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! I actually don't use it for much other than this EHC. I should probably work it into a few more of my dry flies. I wonder how it would work as a body on a a standard hackled dry fly. Hmmm...

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

@@SavageFlies sounds like a good idea!

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

@@SavageFlies look for a fly called "oreja de liebre" it's an spanish dry fly pattern.

[@cyguy8577]

Great tie!!!!!! Can’t wait to try it on the Savage in the early Spring … I got skunked on that stretch end of March last year … time to change that. 😂

[@SavageFlies]

Don't feel bad! My last two outings there (early December and right before Christmas) were both skunks. And... I'm going back in two weeks, and wouldn't be surprised if I have the same result! This river has always stumped me in cold weather. :-)

[@nanadolphin]

Great video Matt! These videos really make me happy. Audio is wound a little scratchy, idk if it’s my headphones but I haven’t had the issue with any other videos today.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Thomas! It wasn’t just you with that scratchy audio. There were a few sections where something was wrong with my microphone. Normally I might have re-recorded those snips but it was after midnight and I was running out of time. But I appreciate the feedback!

[@jeffjackson5331]

Neat fly

[@SavageFlies]

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

[@jeffjackson5331]

@@SavageFlies my pleasure bud!

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

Very nice adaptation. Caught nothing?. You make us all fee better. Our season starts next month in Victoria. but in my state, not rill early October. On the last day of last season I fished for four and a half hours, but not even a nudge. But the time before that, nine fish. That's, the way it goes.but it's such fun being out and about isn't it? And using our own flies. :-) Better second go. Don't you hate it when the fish are taking and you really have to go-I find it so hard. :-)

[@wahipple]

I am tying a few after work today

[@SavageFlies]

Go for it Jim!

[@scottnock5241]

Very nice Matt!!! Love that you too use a 2WT, that’s my favorite stick although I prefer the Orvis superfine 9’.. Anyway that is my go too dry as well but I tie it with a dubbed body and sometimes a tail to mimic a shuck. I put 3 clumps of CDC on for buoyancy and bugginess.. Did pick up a couple things today from you as always, thanks!!

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Scott! I'd say a 3-wt is probably my most used rod weight, but man, I've been using this Sage Dart 2-wt more this year and that thing is an absolute joy to cast. Particularly with small dry flies on small water. :-)

[@jamesvatter5729]

Maybe I tie them too sparse, but this has been a really productive slow water pattern for me.

[@SavageFlies]

Actually I do the same thing Jim! I don't necessarily vary them on purpose, but if I was fishing slower water, I would pick one out of my box that was a little sparser.

[@cheflexx778]

Great fly Matt. Guess I'll be tying up some of these up for my trip to the Savage. Shoot me a text when you get a chance. Thanks for the video!

[@SavageFlies]

You've got to have a few of these in your box for these waters Alex!

[@Oholisfliesandfishing]

Unlike many flies on your channel, this fly you didn't tie well. Head portion is way to big. And i honestly have doubts about how well wings will hold without rotating. Hans Wielrmann l, who invented the fly has amazing approach and really great video about it. Anyway, river you have is perfect. Just the way i love them. Best Vladimir

[@joeduca8582]

Awesome video Matt! Excellent simple yet buggy low floating fly and the proof in the pudding fishing segment on a beautiful river. Can I be Boo Boo to your Yogi? Looks like some bug activity was going on towards the end of the segment, was it caddis? Thanks Matt, you not only inspire us to tie flies, but also to get out and fish them. 🤓👍🐻👍

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! Thanks Joe. And that big white thing fluttering around in front of the camera was a plain old moth. It was huge though.... at least a size 12, maybe a 10. I might have tied one on if I was going to be there any longer. :-)

[@jimgollach6202]

Love those caddis flys Matt. One other thing you forgot to mention on fishing a caddis, a small strip, pull,or twitch will get you some strikes, happen for me many times. Caddis flys are fun to fish with. Enjoy the videos of your home river, are those trout wild? The colors tell me they are. Enjoyed watching, tight lines. 👍😀

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Jim! And oh yeah, this section of the Savage is Trophy Water, Fly Fish only. No stockers in here. And yes, you're absolutely right... a little twitch or even skating these a bit at the end of your drift can definitely get some fish's attention. :-)

[@stevecharles7294]

Great vid love seeing the fishing. The savage is on my list of places to go this fall. Do you have a good recommendation on a guide book for fishing it.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Steve! There is no book just on the Savage (maybe I'll have to write it someday...) but Charlie Gelso and Larry Coburn have a nice chapter on it in their Guide to Maryland Trout Fishing. amzn.to/3AJ4CDc Or just drop me an email when you know you're coming down and if I'm out at the farm that weekend I'll be happy to meet up with you. Of course I'm no professional guide but I can point you to where the fish live, even though I don't always catch the big ones myself. :-) My email is [e-mail].

[@anablakp3200]

Awesome tie Matt, very simple. Thanks for sharing. Simple fishers "throw" their flies out. Anglers "cast". Which are you?

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! I might be a little of both Anablak. When I'm fishing in close, I'm kind of just tossing or "throwing" my fly out there. But I can usually lay out a 50-60 foot "cast" when I need to. :-)

[@ruebdogg1]

Very nice Matt!! Solid fly!! Will tie some of these up for sure. What floatant do you use to dress your elk/cdc fly?

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I used to use Gink but I switched to Loon Aquel last year and like it a bit better. www.jsflyfishing.com/loon-outdoors-aquel-gel-floatant Note, I just put it on the elk hair and not on the CDC.

[@ruebdogg1]

@@SavageFlies thank you

[@melchurch3019]

Hey Matt, another good one. I was looking at that pattern last week and thinking I should tie a few. How do you carry your net when fishing? I use a magnet and leash attached to my vest but I'm not very happy with the leash.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Mel! I use a magnet and lanyard too. I think I use this one here: amzn.to/3wthE5k It's nothing fancy and works for me. I keep it clipped at the top D-ring on the back of my vest.

[@LoraWinfrey-et1oj]

Nice and easy but it works

[@richardbutts6512]

Thats a cool looking fly!! Question Dont them fish get any bigger? Be tie n a few o these Take care!

[@SavageFlies]

Ha! There are definitely some big ones in here Richard, but I usually leave those for the better fishermen. :-)

[@richardbutts6512]

@@SavageFlies lmbo Thats cool just wondering

[@patricklynch1338]

What is the razor blade holder you are using?

[@jscancella]

@savage flies what do you think about how Kelly Galoup ties his using deer hair instead of elk hair? He says it makes it much harder to sink

[@SavageFlies]

I'm not sure about the buoyancy of deer vs. elk, but I tile these in equal numbers deer and elk hair. I'll usually go to deer for the smaller sizes. But generally speaking, I don't think there's much appreciable difference. And BTW, we typically call them an Elk Hair Caddis whether it's deer or elk. :-)

[@jscancella]

@@SavageFlies I found the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ-vmGaArZdoaMU starting around the 11:39 mark he talks about the deer hair being so buoyant.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks! I'll check it out...

[@evilmothericebearkillerbir6016]

ya thats a fly you wake up with from pitching a bad drunk

[@kamilponikowski9176]

I guess the name of this pattern is just cdc&elk as its not really a caddis imitation but rather a general buggy suggestive of many things type of attractor pattern

[@kamilponikowski9176]

plus this fly was created by Hans WEilenmann, you could give him a shout out too

[@SavageFlies]

Yes, some call it a CDC and Elk. But I’ve mostly seen it called a CDC Elk Hair Caddis. Thanks for the note.