2026 October Fly Tying

 

Fly Tying

Early in September, our esteemed president, Kevin Thomason, sent a number of club members an email containing a link to a YouTube video for how to tie the Half-Baked Caddis fly. I checked it out and thought this looks like a fly I should have in my box. So, I sat down and tied up a bunch. You can find the video at the Ventures Fly Co YouTube page. The video also points to a PDF document containing the materials and some substitutions you can use. Ventures Fly Co also sells a tying kit if you don’t have all the needed materials.

Half Baked Caddis

From the fly tying kit page at Ventures Fly Co website: The Half-Baked Caddis is a sparse caddis emerger you can fish three ways—as a nymph, in the film, or on top—making it the fly to reach for when fish are eating pupae instead of adults. It is a simple fly to tie and uses materials and techniques that I have written about in the past. Here is the list of materials: Hook: size 16 or 18 dry fly hook Thread: brown, olive, brown-olive in 8/0 or 12/0 Tail: poly yarn, Antron, or Z-lon in brown or dark brown Ribbing: Mirror Tinsel or Pearl Tinsel Body: Superfine Dark Olive or Olive dubbing Wing: deer hair, natural I tied this in both size 16 and 18 hooks with brown and olive thread. I also used the mirror tinsel, but substituted pearl tinsel all of the size 18s and one of the size 16s. From watching the video, I learned a nice technique for starting the thread. The tier in the video started the thread at the 75% point on the hook, then wrapped toward the hook eye, and finally wrapped back over the previous wraps, locking the thread down. This technique is much easier than trying to immediately lock the thread down. Here are the steps to tie the Half-Baked Caddis: Tie in the thread and wrap back to the bend of the hook and then forward to the hook point. Cut some of the tail material, about an inch, and separate maybe 1/4th or 1/2 of the fibers for the tail (you don’t need a lot). Tie them in by wrapping back to the hook bend and then forward to the 75% point. Either trim the excess before wrapping forward or after reaching the 75% point. Now trim the tail to about 1/2 the length of the hook shank. Cut some tinsel and tie it in at the 75% point and wrap back to where the tail was tied in. Add a thin dubbing noodle to the thread and wrap it forward to the 75% point, building a taper toward the hook eye. Wrap the tinsel forward to the 75% and tie it off and trim the excess. Cut a small amount of deer hair (the video says about 10 hairs) and load it into your hair stacker and tap it to make the tips even. Measure the hair to cover just short of the end of the tail and tie it in. The hair butts will flair, as they should. Once secured, trim the butts down. Add a small amount of dubbing and taper it down toward the hook eye. Whip finish. A couple of points. One, you can add some head cement to your thread before whip finishing to make the head more durable. Two, when dealing with deer hair, there is some fluff that may be in the hair you cut off the hide. You’ll need to try and remove it, as it can interfere with the stacking, keeping the hairs from moving to align the tips.

I don’t know if this fly will produce this fall, but it will be ready for the caddis hatches in the spring of next year. Happy tying. Greg Walters

Pikes Peak Flyfishers October 2026 Newsletter

September 27, 2026 THE PIKES PEAK FLYFISHERS http://www.pikespeakflyfishers.com President's Hatch   Pikes Peak Fly Fishers – October 2026 October is calling—crisp mornings, golden aspens, and one more cast into a promising run! There is plenty of excitement in our club, too: participation in Landon Mayer’s Clean the Dream and The Peak Fly Shop Grand Re-Opening brought us over 30 new members and families. Welcome to Pikes Peak Fly Fishers! If you see someone you don’t know, introduce yourself, invite them to sit with you, and help them feel at home. A friendly conversation today may become a fishing friendship for years to come. Dates for Your Calendar Saturday, October 17, 2026 – Rainbow Falls Fishing Club Member Appreciation Day. See the trip update in the Trips and Activities section for details. Winter luncheons – Join us at Mollica’s at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 9, 2026; Wednesday, January 13, 2027; Wednesday, February 10, 2027; and Wednesday, March 10, 2027. Come share a meal, swap fishing stories, and keep those club friendships growing through the winter. Monday, February 1, 2027 – Annual Banquet at The Spaghetti Factory, 5:00 PM. More details will follow. Saturday, March 13, 2027 – We are planning our annual auction earlier in 2027. More details are coming, but please begin looking for donations of fishing equipment and trips. Your contributions help make this an event everyone can look forward to. October 5th Meeting – Exhibits & Club Yard Sale Join us for our October 5th meeting, which will feature several hands-on exhibits and displays. Members will have an opportunity to check out rod building, fly tying, and other aspects of fly fishing while visiting with fellow anglers and sharing ideas. We’ll also have a Yard Sale Table featuring fly-fishing gear, apparel, flies, and other outdoor itemslooking for a new home. If you have anything related to fly fishing or the outdoors that you no longer use and would like to contribute, bring it along to the meeting and add it to the table. Come ready to learn something new, find a bargain, and enjoy an evening with fellow Pikes Peak Fly Fishersmembers. Keeping an Eye on Colorado’s Waters Fishing conditions as of September 26: Spinney Mountain State Park is scheduled to close for winter on November 15, or sooner if ice arrives. Low water has closed the north ramp to trailered boats; hand-launched craft remain permitted. Check the park’s conditions before making the drive. Elevenmile Canyon: About 75 cfs below the dam, with clear, low water. Trout are holding in deeper pockets and pool tailouts. Small midges and afternoon blue-winged olives are good bets; approach quietly and use light tippet. Dream Stream: Recent reports put the release near 100 cfs, but it has been changing, so check the gauge before you go. Low, exposed water calls for long, careful casts to deeper cutbanks and seams. Tricos, midges and small mayfly patterns have been productive; early kokanee have appeared. Please observe CPW’s voluntary noon-to-midnight closure and avoid spawning redds. Arkansas River near Salida: Roughly 200–260 cfs in recent Salida-area readings (236 cfs at Hecla Junction and 258 cfs at Wellsville on September 25). Fall baetis are providing afternoon dry-fly chances, with dry-dropper fishing between hatches. Recent rain and habitat work above town may temporarily cloud the water. Arkansas River near Cañon City: A recent Cañon City gauge reading was about 177 cfs; verify the latest flow before traveling. The lower Bighorn Sheep Canyon had fishable clarity on September 25, though runoff could change it quickly. Look for fall baetis, caddis and red quills, or try a hopper-dropper along the banks. Flows and access can change quickly. Check Angler’s Covey, ArkAnglers, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the latest reports before a trip. Wild Horse Reservoir: Aurora Water has shifted its proposed project to the Wild Horse South site, citing a single dam rather than three and lower construction and operating risks. Environmental review and permitting remain important opportunities to follow the proposal and its effects on South Park. Project update Montgomery Reservoir: Colorado Springs Utilities proposes increasing the dam height from 91 to 158 feet and adding about 8,100 acre-feet of storage. The project remains in pre-permitting, with applications anticipated late in 2026. Anglers should follow the review of stream flows, habitat, and recreation access. Utilities project Q&A The Colorado River’s future: Reclamation issued a new decision framework and 2027–2028 operating guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead in August. With long-term basin agreement still unresolved, water conservation and the health of the river system deserve our continued attention. Reclamation’s river update Two Ballot Measures Worth Your Attention I encourage support for Amendment 83 because protecting the opportunity to hunt and fish helps preserve an outdoor tradition we can pass to the next generation. The measure would establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish using traditional methods, while preserving state regulation necessary for scientific wildlife conservation, public safety, and future hunting and fishing opportunities. It would not authorize trespassing or remove protections for excluded species. That right should go hand in hand with our responsibility to care for fish, habitat, and one another. Official Amendment 83 information Proposition 137 would redirect existing sporting-goods sales tax revenue toward conservation, wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, and outdoor recreation without raising the tax rate. Those investments could benefit the landscapes and waters we enjoy, although redirecting revenue also has implications for the state’s general budget. Jason Blevins explains the proposal and the funding debate in The Colorado Sun’s August 31 article. Read The Colorado Sun article El Niño and Our Next Fishing Season The “super El Niño” headlines have a basis: NOAA’s September 10 outlook gives a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event this fall and winter. A stronger southern storm track can improve moisture prospects, but Colorado sits where outcomes vary considerably by location and storm track. Winter snow and spring rain or snow could help replenish our watersheds; neither a banner snowpack nor a wet spring is guaranteed. We will watch actual snowpack and spring moisture closely—those are the deposits that support next summer’s stream flows. NOAA’s current outlookColorado ENSO background More Than the Fish We Catch Fly fishing asks us to slow down, pay attention, and make room for hope. A day’s best reward may be a quiet stretch of water or a new friend who shares it. As Izaak Walton wrote, “God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.” Let’s carry that spirit into the season: welcome someone new, care for the water, and leave each outing with more than a fish count. The Complete Angler Tight Lines, Kevin Thomason President Programs    October 5 – Exhibitions, Garage Sale and New Member Introduction: Euronymphing, Fly Tying, Rod Building. November 2 – Our own Ed Buck will present The Western Native Trout Challenge: Prospecting for Mountain Jewels Across the American West. Discover the ultimate angling adventure. Join us in retracing a 2700-mile, multi-state backcountry journey in pursuit of the Western Native Trout. December 14 – Pete Mott, Trout Trickers January 4, 2027 – Jon Easdon, Colorado Trout Hunters. Jon will present Fishing Stillwaters. February 1 -- Annual Banquet – Greg Felt, Arkanglers – Greg is General Manager and CEO of the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District and will talk about the structure, hydrology, and other aspects of this important fishery.   Charlie Huff Program Director   Trips   Upcoming Club Trips & Events As we head into the final months of the year, Pikes Peak Fly Fishers has opportunities to enjoy time on the water and fellowship with fellow members. Here is what is planned for October through December. October Saturday, October 17, 2026 – Rainbow Falls Fishing Club Member Appreciation Day Join us Saturday, October 17, for Rainbow Falls Fishing Club Member Appreciation Day. Lunch will be provided as part of the event. Space is available for 12 current Pikes Peak Fly Fishers members, with a limit of two members per family. To sign up, email Kevin Thomason at kevintrouthunter@gmail.com. The first 12 eligible members to sign up will be selected for the October 17 club trip. If more than 12 members sign up, we will arrange individual trips for additional members as time allows before Rainbow Falls closes at the end of November. If you prefer an individual trip instead of the large club outing, please indicate that in your email so we can begin coordinating your trip. November No Club Fishing Trip Scheduled There will be no organized club fishing trip in November. With colder weather arriving, the holidays approaching, and fishing conditions becoming less predictable, we will take a break from the regular trip schedule for the month. This could change if the kokanee and browns are running tin the Dream stream this year. Stream flows and weather will be followed closely.  Members are, of course, encouraged to continue getting together and taking advantage of good late-fall fishing conditions whenever Mother Nature cooperates. December Wednesday, December 10 – PPF Winter Luncheon We will close our 2026 club activities with the Pikes Peak Fly Fishers Winter Luncheon. Our monthly club luncheons will be the second Wednesday of the month in January thru March.  Time: 11:00 AM Location: Mollica’s – Garden of the Gods This will be a relaxed opportunity to get together away from the river, enjoy a good lunch, visit with fellow members, swap a few fishing stories, and look back on another year of Pikes Peak Fly Fishers trips and activities. Come join us for some good food, good conversation, and plenty of fly-fishing fellowship as we wrap up the year and start looking forward to another great year on the water in 2027. Winter luncheons continue in 2027 at Mollica’s, all at 11:00 AM: Wednesday, January 13, 2027 Wednesday, February 10, 2027 Wednesday, March 10, 2027 Impromptu club trips may be scheduled based on winter weather and stream fishing reports.   Kevin Thomason President Fly Tying   Early in September, our esteemed president, Kevin Thomason, sent a number of club members an email containing a link to a YouTube video for how to tie the Half-Baked Caddis fly. I checked it out and thought this looks like a fly I should have in my box. So, I sat down and tied up a bunch. You can find the video at the Ventures Fly Co YouTube page. The video also points to a PDF document containing the materials and some substitutions you can use. Ventures Fly Co also sells a tying kit if you don’t have all the needed materials. Half Baked Caddis From the fly tying kit page at Ventures Fly Co website: The Half-Baked Caddis is a sparse caddis emerger you can fish three ways—as a nymph, in the film, or on top—making it the fly to reach for when fish are eating pupae instead of adults. It is a simple fly to tie and uses materials and techniques that I have written about in the past. Here is the list of materials: Hook: size 16 or 18 dry fly hook Thread: brown, olive, brown-olive in 8/0 or 12/0 Tail: poly yarn, Antron, or Z-lon in brown or dark brown Ribbing: Mirror Tinsel or Pearl Tinsel Body: Superfine Dark Olive or Olive dubbing Wing: deer hair, natural I tied this in both size 16 and 18 hooks with brown and olive thread. I also used the mirror tinsel, but substituted pearl tinsel all of the size 18s and one of the size 16s. From watching the video, I learned a nice technique for starting the thread. The tier in the video started the thread at the 75% point on the hook, then wrapped toward the hook eye, and finally wrapped back over the previous wraps, locking the thread down. This technique is much easier than trying to immediately lock the thread down. Here are the steps to tie the Half-Baked Caddis: Tie in the thread and wrap back to the bend of the hook and then forward to the hook point. Cut some of the tail material, about an inch, and separate maybe 1/4th or 1/2 of the fibers for the tail (you don’t need a lot). Tie them in by wrapping back to the hook bend and then forward to the 75% point. Either trim the excess before wrapping forward or after reaching the 75% point. Now trim the tail to about 1/2 the length of the hook shank. Cut some tinsel and tie it in at the 75% point and wrap back to where the tail was tied in. Add a thin dubbing noodle to the thread and wrap it forward to the 75% point, building a taper toward the hook eye. Wrap the tinsel forward to the 75% and tie it off and trim the excess. Cut a small amount of deer hair (the video says about 10 hairs) and load it into your hair stacker and tap it to make the tips even. Measure the hair to cover just short of the end of the tail and tie it in. The hair butts will flair, as they should. Once secured, trim the butts down. Add a small amount of dubbing and taper it down toward the hook eye. Whip finish. A couple of points. One, you can add some head cement to your thread before whip finishing to make the head more durable. Two, when dealing with deer hair, there is some fluff that may be in the hair you cut off the hide. You’ll need to try and remove it, as it can interfere with the stacking, keeping the hairs from moving to align the tips. I don’t know if this fly will produce this fall, but it will be ready for the caddis hatches in the spring of next year. Happy tying. Greg Walters Member Pictures Steve Sleight with a nice Yellowstone Cutthroat caught on the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park Tom Burdette and his Yellowstone Cutthroat taken from Henry Lake Newell Nesheim and Steve Sleight framed by a beautiful rainbow at the Green River Ed Buck fishing for Roach from a narrow boat on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Wales Autumn colors at Jefferson Lake Stellar Jay at Jefferson Lake 2026 Board of Directors President  - Kevin Thomason - kevintrouthunter@gmail.com - 910-617-4714 Vice President - Dave Hoover -trouthunterdave@gmail.com  -719-330-2907 Secretary - Ed Buck - edward.f.buck@gmail.com Treasurer - Dennis Erenberger -  derenberger63@gmail.com Programs - Charlie Huff - chuff59@earthlink.net Membership Director - Paul Gorley - pgourley53@yahoo.com  Trip Director -  Kevin Thomason - kevintrouthunter@gmail.com - 910-617-4714 Web Master - Greg Walters - pwdrhound@pcisys.net Newsletter Editor - Dave Hoover - trouthunterdave@gmail.com Fly Tying - Greg Walters - pwdrhound@pcisys.net Gear - Tom Mitchell - raftmanmitch@yahoo.com Fly Casting - Open Member at Large - Lou Lathon - loulathon@comcast.net  Member at Large - Jim Davis - jpd_davis2007@yahoo.com Support our Sponsors!! Special Shout Out to our most excellent sponsor   The Peak Fly Shop 4416 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (719) 260-1415 https://thepeakflyshop.com/ Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2026 Pikes Peak Flyfishers, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Pikes Peak Flyfishers PO Box 26600 Colorado Springs, CO 80936-6600 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.