The Ani-Caddis is a fly I tied and developed over the years as I needed something to get down quick like a perdigon, but retain a little more realism than a flashy style attractor jig. The Ani-Caddis was born from a match-the-hatch mindset rather than a competition attractor mindset while fishing in southwest Colorado, specifically the Animas (hence the name, Ani-Caddis). Great for an anchor fly on a Euro nymph setup, the Ani-Caddis can also be fished under an indicator, or below a high floating dry on a hopper/dropper rig and you can also switch up the thread color to match your local caddis colors in tan, brown, orange, and cream.
I have found olive or chartreuse to be just about perfect for every river here in Colorado where caddis is present such as the Piedra, Arkansas, South Platte, Colorado, Gunnison, and beyond! Simple and quick to tie, you can easily crank out a dozen of these and be ready to nymph up some trout on your favorite caddis water.
