Morning,

There's a moment in April that every river angler knows. You're standing in a pool that's been dead all evening, when all of a sudden the surface wakes up. Fish everywhere. Rings spreading across water that was glass five minutes ago. And if you look closely at the air around you, you'll see them: caddis flies, tumbling and skittering across the surface like they've forgotten how flying works.

That's your cue.

The sedge, or caddis if you prefer the American name that's somehow crept into most of our tackle boxes, is one of the great events of the early river season.

It doesn't get the press coverage of the mayfly, and it won't make it onto the front of a magazine any time soon. But for those of us fishing rivers in April, a good sedge hatch is worth more than all the dry fly theory in the world.

The trouble is, sedge are largely nocturnal. The best of the action happens in that last hour or two of light, or in the early morning before most sensible people are out of bed.

I often find that by the end of the day I am completely exhausted (both mentally and physically), so I don't often fish in the evenings, I prefer to sit quietly with a good fishing book and a glass of something Scottish (see above). Which means my sedge fishing almost always happens at the crack of dawn, standing in a cold river in the half-light, wondering why I didn't just stay in bed.

The two pre-production versions of the fly patterns contained in this email (one's a pretty special sedge) are ones I first 'road tested' with great success at the beginning of last year!

TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read

I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are sometimes sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me).

This email is all about two different fly patterns, the Rolls Royce Caddis & The EDGE Emerger, both of which are spectacularly successful in April. Both of the patterns are tied using the very best quality materials on the best quality barbless hooks available.

Grab Yours here:

In morning or evenings, one of the most popular dry fly imitations I use (outside of the Mayfly hatch) is the humble sedge/caddis pattern - these are nocturnal insects that return to the water to lay their eggs, just as I'm arriving on the river.

This email includes two different patterns which are perfect for this time of year, the first of which is ...

The Rolls Royce Caddis

There are many different variations of the sedge/caddis fly, but today we have one of the very best available - it's the Rolls Royce of Caddis patterns.

It was originally devised in the USA (where it's called the Cadillac Caddis), so we've anglicised it and renamed it to the Rolls Royce Caddis - it's the combination of a detached body and elk-hair wing which makes it deadly when fished on the faster more ripply water - it floats high on virtually all types of water and will fool fish throughout the UK, no matter which river (or stillwater) you are on!

This sedge / caddis imitation is perfectly proportioned and tied with a small detached body and elk-hair wings - it will not need any extra floatant to keep it riding high all day (or morning) long.

Caddis - Top Tips

Caddis (or Sedge) flies are best used in either the early or late part of the day, as this is when the flies are at their most active. These Caddis flies are deadly in the smaller sizes just at twilight!

When fishing with a Caddis fly, it's always worth giving it a little twitch every now and then if you are not getting attention from the fish. When you watch the naturals, their flight is very haphazard and they always land on the water with quite a commotion - they are not the daintiest of movers! Keep this in mind when covering rising fish.

Our Rolls Royce Caddis pattern has been tied by our Artisan tyers using the highest quality materials, it is tied on a strong barbless dry fly hook and available in two different sizes 14 & 16.

As we know this will be a very popular pattern, we have bundled it into a selection which includes six of each hook size - twelve flies in total: 

We've only got 40 of these Rolls Royce Caddis Selections available - I'm keeping a few dozen back for myself, to use (and lose) over the next 6 weeks or so!

Our Rolls Royce Caddis Selection contains 6 each of sizes 14 & 16. That's twelve flies in total, for only £20.00 delivered free of charge to anywhere in the UK.

Keep reading for more info on the sedge/caddis - you'll be glad you did ...

Please Remember: We've only 40 of these selections available, so if you want a set, you will need to be quick - These flies can also be bought individually here if you would like to top up your selection!

Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to - at only £20 for the selection, these will not hang around for long!

7½ Tips for Fishing a Sedge/Caddis in April

1. Don't always wait for the hatch - the larvae are already down there. April caddis fishing doesn't start on the surface. The larvae have been trundling around the riverbed in their little stick-and-gravel houses all winter. A Czech nymph or a simple hare's ear fished deep and slow will often outfish a dry fly for most of the day, right up until the evening rise begins.
2. Time your dry fly for the last two hours of light. Caddis hatches in April tend to be an evening affair. The flies emerge, the trout get excitable, and you have roughly ninety minutes of chaos before the light goes. Don't waste your best dry fly energy at noon. Save it.
3. Fish the skitter, not the drift. Unlike a mayfly or an olive, a caddis fly on the surface doesn't sit still and look dignified. It skitters, twitches, and drags itself across the film. A drag-free drift can actually work against you here. A gentle twitch or a deliberate skate across the current will often trigger takes that a perfect float won't.
4. Carry two sizes - and start smaller than you think. April fish have had all winter to get suspicious. In clear, cold, early-season water, a size 14 Elk Hair Caddis often outperforms a 10. When in doubt, go one size smaller than feels right.
5. Watch the colour of the natural before you open your box. April caddis in UK rivers vary more than most anglers expect. You'll find grey, olive-brown, and cinnamon hatches sometimes within a few miles of each other. Spend thirty seconds catching one and matching the colour. It's the kind of thing that feels fussy until the day it makes all the difference.
6. Grayling will often beat the trout to it. On rivers that hold grayling, don't assume a rise to caddis is all about trout. In April, grayling are often the more aggressive fish and will slash at a caddis pattern with considerably less fuss - they don't know they are 'out of season'.
7. Fish the surface film, not on top of it. A partially-sunken caddis, a wet fly or soft hackle fished just below the surface film, can be the most effective pattern of the evening, particularly during the hatch itself when emerging pupae are everywhere. Don't be too proud to go subsurface if the dry fly stops working.

and finally ...

7½. Check your hook gap. Caddis patterns tied on wide-gape hooks will hook and hold fish better than those tied on standard dry fly hooks. This is the kind of half-tip that sounds boring but will save you at least one good fish this season. Possibly two.

The second of our April patterns is ...

The EDGE Emerger

This version of a Shuttlecock emerging Olive is one of the best imitations I have tried on our local river - I think it's the added flash in the tail which sparks the fish's interest!

We asked our Artisan fly tying masters to tie us a fly pattern which embodies all that we have setup with our learning centre - and this was the result - a fairly simple pattern at first glance, the detail is outstanding, and it works!

Here it is:

This emerging Olive imitation is perfectly proportioned and tied with a small thorax, bare body, two flash tails and a CdC Shuttlecock wing - you will need a little floatant on the CdC tips to keep this fly floating just in the surface.

All tied on Ahrex FW525 barbless hooks, we are making these patterns available today in sizes 14, 16 & 18, and also as a selection:

We've only got 50 of these exclusive EDGE Emerger Selections available, so act fast to secure yours!

Our The EDGE Emerger Selection features a carefully curated assortment, three each of sizes 14, 16 & 18. In total, you'll receive nine expertly crafted flies, all for just £15.00, with free delivery to anywhere in the UK!

Please Remember: We've only 50 of these selections available, so if you want a set, you will need to be quick - These flies can also be bought individually here if you would like to top up your selection!

Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to - at only £15 for the selection, these will not hang around for long!

Tight lines.

P.S. It's the opening day of the season on our river tomorrow - tonight's going to be like Christmas Eve! I've promised myself that the first fish I catch this year will be on a dry fly - so my gears all ready, along with a box full of our Rolls Royce Caddis, ready for early tomorrow morning!