Fly Tying: Carpet Caddis

I posted below about gathering fly tying materials where you find them. I remarked upon finding a carpet remnant and that I harvested a few patches. So, I experimented with a single, twisted strand of Antron yarn. I tied in a copper wire ribbing at the bend of the hook. Then I laid the strand atop the shank of a size 16 hook and secured the carpet fiber at the thorax area. Then the ribbing was wrapped over the yarn from the rear to the front…about 4 turns. The carpet fiber stayed atop the shank, much like the Poopah patterns. A CDC feather was tied in by the tip and wrapped a couple of times around the shank and followed by a CDC wing of two bunched feathers. The wire ribbing is a tad too heavy…I should go thinner. Nothing innovative here…just used a carpet fiber from a remnant headed to the dump. Recycling of sorts.

Antron Carpet Fiber (SB)

Carpet Caddis (SwittersB)

Carpet Caddis (SwittersB)

Fly Tying: Keep Eyes Open for Materials

By all means support your local fly shop and online resources for fly tying materials. But, also explore a bit in craft stores, bead shops, fabric stores, yarn shops and like today when cleaning out a house of this and that. This morning I came across a carpet remnant that appears to be comprised of Antron fibers. I exercised restraint and cut out a few patches of the carpet, enough to provide a decade of material.

Cut up and blended or brushed out for a shroud or left twisted for an extended abdomen, the Antron is a synthetic material that has several uses in fly tying. It was headed for the dumpster, but enough was salvaged to satisfy years worth of recreational tying.