# Recipie information



## mipete (Mar 26, 2002)

I am looking for a recipie and maybe someone will be able to help. Looking for a Popcorn light olive caddis. I tie elk hair caddis in olive but just not sure what the popcorn refers to?? Any web sites or recipies will be appreciated. Thanks


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## Pork Chop (Jan 21, 2003)

When I first started flyfishing on the Muskegon River, this was thirty years ago, I didn't know much about flyfishing for trout, and nothing about fishing the Muskegon River. I stopped into the original Thornapple Orvis shop and asked the owner, Dick Probst what was a good fly to use on the Muskegon. Without hesitation, he answered, use a Popcorn caddis. I picked a couple of popcorn caddis out of the bin, and bought them. As I think back, those may be the last flies I've ever bought.

The pattern was developed by Carl Richards, probably specifically for the Muskegon River, since in alot of respects that was his home river. It's tied to represent a hatching/still born little summer green sedge (caddis), which used to be a dominate hatch on the Muskegon River. But I digress.

To answer your question, it's tied with a fairly slim polypro body, with a sparse polypro tail which represents a trailing shuck. Here's where the popcorn comes in, it has a loop of white or light grey polypro tied in to represent unfurled wings.

Sorry, I probably told you more than you wanted to know. Your question brought back alot of memories to me of fishing the Muskegon for the past 30 years.


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## mipete (Mar 26, 2002)

Thanks for the info pork chop. I just want to get this straight, instead of tying in a hair wing i would just make a little loop of poly pro. is there any hackle tied in at that point? Thanks for the help


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## bucketmouthhauler (Sep 24, 2005)

No hackle, you want it to sit under the surface film like an emerger.


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## Pork Chop (Jan 21, 2003)

As Bucketmouth says, no hackle, it's a very sparse fly supported only by the polypro, it's designed to be fished damp. BTW, since there isn't a whole lot of surface area, tie it using a dry fly hook, about #16.


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## shotgunner (Jan 15, 2003)

Recipes:









Half-Hatch:









The Quad-Wing Caddis:


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## Pork Chop (Jan 21, 2003)

That's interesting, I think I had the 1974 version of the fly. Same basic idea, shuck was polypro rather than a hackle, the wing bud was tied in a tighter loop, again using polypro. It extended back about 1/3 of the shank length, it just doubled back and both ends were tied in at the head.

WHen you stop and think about it, this was a very inovative fly -
1) Representing a still born
2) Having a shuck 

Swisher and Richards contributed alot to the sport.


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## Pork Chop (Jan 21, 2003)

This conversation got me thinking about another caddis pattern I use to tie and fish quite a bit, tape wing caddis. Here's a pretty good description if you're interested -

http://www.eflytyer.com/patterns/tape_wing_caddis.html

I haven't tied any of these for quite a while, still have a few in the bottom of some of my boxes. These work particularly well in flat water situations when the fish gets a good, long clear view of your fly.


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## flyfishinchristian (Oct 5, 2006)

Forgive me if I am hi-jacking the thread, but I think it still relates to the original topic... 

What is polypro?

I am assuming it is polypropylene yarn, but wasn't sure.

Also, where can you buy this? Everything I saw at the local craft stores were acrylic yarns.

Last year during a seminar at the MFFC Expo, the tyer said he used yellow poly yarn to make Roberts Drake patterns, and that he basically bought out all the stock of the yarn he used from the company that was going out of business.

Any tips on buying the right stuff as well? Some of that yarn looks too odd to be using for flies.

Thanks



Pork Chop said:


> To answer your question, it's tied with a fairly slim polypro body, with a sparse polypro tail which represents a trailing shuck. Here's where the popcorn comes in, it has a loop of white or light grey polypro tied in to represent unfurled wings.


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## Pork Chop (Jan 21, 2003)

To be honest, I haven't bought or used polypro for a long time. I've deeloped a method of fishing very few impressionistic flies for 90% of my trout fishing, so I don't tie very many other trout patterns.

However if you do a search in google, you'll see it's still available, Cabelas amongst others carry it.


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## shotgunner (Jan 15, 2003)

> What is polypro?
> 
> I am assuming it is polypropylene yarn, but wasn't sure.
> 
> Also, where can you buy this? Everything I saw at the local craft stores were acrylic yarns.


Thats a good question. I tend to use whats on hand.. A spool of clear antron, some light Dun and clear Metz Z-Lon. Most shops should have some stocked.

Pork Chop, kool link to the 'Tape Wing' never saw that before. Good to know.


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## tommytubular (Jan 25, 2002)

Hanks Fly Fishing has several colors of polypro yarn..

relatively cheap too


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## flyfishinchristian (Oct 5, 2006)

tommytubular said:


> Hanks Fly Fishing has several colors of polypro yarn..
> 
> relatively cheap too



Thanks! I wanted an a good excuse to go up to Hanks...


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