Tying The Arkansas Shizzle 15May19

I swear I'll get out on the freestone sections of the Ark and it is time for caddis and dries. So here I show how to tie my variant of the foam elk hair caddis which I call the Arkansas Shizzle.

Recipe...

• Hook: Down Eye Dry #16-#18 TMC 101
• Thread: Black UTC Ultra Thread
• Head: Slant trimmed natural yearling elk hair
• Body: Razor cut 1/16" black foam
• Thorax: Black dry fly hackle (I use midge hackle)
• Underwing: Olive, rootbeer or pearl KF flash
• Wing: Natural yearling elk hair

Razor cut foam to square tube and bind on thread

Bind on foam at rear and tie down foam
tightly moving thread forward

Wrap foam on evenly compressing it some
then bind off and trim excess

Tie in KF flash underwing and trim to just
less than body length

Select appropriate size dry fly hackle;
trim 1/8" of barbules off and bind to hook

Wrap on hackle 3-4 turns and bind in then
trim excess and pesky stray barbules

Select appropriate size clump of elk hair;
after cutting, pull out fuzzy underfur from clump

Place elk hair clump in stacker tips down

Smack stacker on table 6 times to align hair lengths;
remove stacker collar to allow grabbing clump

Grab clump in right hand and measure tips of wing
to be equal to hook length then transfer to
left hand directly over hook; make two loose wraps
on clump then pull tight

Loose ends should splay out with tie down

Trim all butt ends of elk hair at a slant over
eye of hook; whip finish and secure thread
with some cyanoacrylate... viola