MC CADDIS

MC CADDIS

MC Caddisย  is the short abbreviated name we use for Macrostemum Capense. A ย big bug on my home waters , and since agricultural & industrial pollution has wiped out the Golden Stones on most stretches , probably the biggest hatching bug we encounter. The larval form of this caddis is what the locals refer to as the โ€œgreen rock wormโ€ .

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MC can also stand for March Caddis , since this is the month during which these caddis hatch the most. The bugs trickle off almost unnoticeable during the day and I suppose there is a more intense effort at dusk. Fishing a pupa pattern when the bugs are on can be a delicious affair. ย The fact that the fish prefer the big #14-#12 pupa time-and- time again , despite the smaller offerings in your rig , is hugely satisfying and a clear indication that a hatch is on the go.

MC Caddis pupa immitations
MC Caddis pupa immitations
Pupa duped fish
Pupa duped fish

Like most caddis the adults live for some time in the streambank vegetation before finally returning for the mating flight and egg laying in the dark. ย Some end up on the surface on windy days and the rest end up spent after mating. Fish can totally lose it if these caddis with their big wingspans are on the surface. I fish a #10 foam winged pattern as my dry in a dry-and-dropper rig which draw daytime fish to the ย top with regularity. It is almost as if the fish are hungover from the โ€œhatchโ€ย  , similar to the behaviour ย of fish after big drake and salmon fly hatches. This pattern especially tick all the right boxes for fishing the “hatch” of spent bugs after the mating flight.

MC Caddis adult immitations
MC Caddis adult immitations

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The real addiction to this hatch stems from the glorious short time before darkness when the bugs return to the water and fish ,including BIG specimens , rise prolifically and with complete carelessness.

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I love the subtle porpoise of ย big fish ,hardly visible on the pewter surface, the wild splashy rise of the small fish when they attack the dry ย , the appearance of a big snout in a slow deliberate rise , the cool night air bringing out the fireflies , the sounds of fish on the surface in the darkness and the joy of realizing fishing a caddis โ€œhatchโ€ ย like this doesnโ€™t get much better โ€ฆโ€ฆ anywhere.

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