A northern New Mexico native, “Hopper Juan” Juan Ramirez has been tying flies for two decades, and many of his patterns have become staples in Colorado and the Southwest. He shared some of his favorite patterns in a blog post here a few years ago. Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions was lucky enough to learn this excellent caddis-pupa imitation from Juan last year.
In this great video, Tim demonstrates how to tie the Shiney Hiney Caddis Pupa, which is remarkably simple, given how complicated the finished product looks. The end result is a buggy, translucent pattern that looks a lot like an actual emerging caddisfly.
Shiney Hiney Caddis Pupa
Hook: Scud/emerger hook hook (here, a Lightning Strike SE3), size 16.
Gas bubble: Silver-gray core Killer Caddis glass bead, midge size.
Thread: Dark brown, 6/0 or 70-denier.
Body: Green Stretch Round Rib, small.
Adhesive #1: Thin UV-cure resin.
Collar: Rusty dun CDC.
Thorax/head: Brown rabbit-fur dubbing.
Tools: Plunger-style hackle pliers, fine-tipped bodkin , whip-finish tool .