How to Fish an 18-Fly Caddis Selection Over a Weekend

Eighteen caddis flies can cover a weekend if you ration them by stage and change flies for a reason. Start below the surface with a larva, move to the pupa when fish are feeding higher, and save the adult dries for when you can see trout taking adults. Hold back a few of each stage so day two doesn’t start with an empty box.

Quick answer from Floating Feather: Fish the stage that matches what trout are eating, not the order the flies sit in the box. Use about half of each stage on day one, keep notes on what worked, and start day two from those notes. Fill known gaps, like smaller caddis, with a few singles before you go.

What’s in an 18-fly caddis selection

The Caddis Life Cycle Pack holds six larvae, six pupae and six adult dries. That’s six exact combinations, not eighteen different patterns:

If the pack is sold out, the Caddis Life Cycle refill guide lets you add the same flies as singles.

Plan the weekend by stage, not by fly

Caddis give trout three different things to eat: larvae along the bottom, pupae rising to the surface, and adults on top. The question on the water is which one the fish are taking right now. Use what you can see to pick the stage:

A splash alone doesn’t tell you which stage is being eaten. Trout chasing pupae just under the surface can throw water too. Watch a few rises and a few drifting insects before you commit.

Budget your eighteen flies

The fastest way to run out of flies is losing them to the bottom. Subsurface flies get snagged; dries mostly get soaked or chewed. A simple split for day one:

• Larvae: fish one color and keep the other three in reserve. If you’re snagging every few drifts, take weight off or shorten the indicator distance before you tie on another fly.
• Pupae: use up to three and keep three for day two.
• Adults: fish one of each color at most and keep the second as a backup.

Look after your dries. After a fish, rinse the slime off, blot the fly dry, and add floatant once it’s dry. If you have two of the same fly, rotate them so one can dry while the other fishes. Check the hook point and retie any tippet that has a wind knot or looks curly before you judge the next fly.

Day one: find the level

Start with the larva

Use a floating line, a 9-foot 5X leader and about 24 inches of 5X tippet to a single Caddis Larva #14. Add an adjustable indicator and only enough weight to reach the layer you want. Work one reachable seam with several controlled drifts. Adjust depth before you change color. If you’re touching bottom now and then, you’re close; if you’re snagging constantly, take off weight.

Move up to the pupa

When fish start flashing or bulging higher in the water, swap to the Caddis Pupa #14. Take off weight and bring the indicator closer to the fly. Our rising-but-refusing guide gives a measured reference with the indicator 30 inches above the pupa. That distance is measured along the leader. It doesn’t mean the fly is 30 inches deep, so watch how your fly actually sinks.

Go to the adult when you see it being eaten

Remove the indicator and weight and tie on one Elk Hair Caddis, Brown #16, on the same 5X tippet. Start with a natural drift, landing the fly upstream of the fish with a little slack. If adults are skittering across the surface and fish are chasing them, try a short, controlled skate. The Elk Hair Caddis guide covers both presentations.

Keep the pupa on its own rig. A #16 dry isn’t built to hold up a pupa and weight underneath it, so the two stages work best as separate setups.

Watch the evening

On many rivers, caddis activity picks up late in the day. Don’t spend all your dries before the light starts to fade. If the afternoon was slow, the last hour or two is often when adults show.

Day two: start from your notes

Before you leave the water on day one, write down four things: which stage worked, where (the type of water), at what depth or presentation, and what time. Start day two there, but check it again. Conditions change overnight, and yesterday’s answer is a starting point, not a guarantee.

Count what’s left. If you’re out of one stage, you’ll know which singles to add for the next trip. That count is also the most honest answer to whether eighteen flies was enough for the way you fish.

Where eighteen flies fall short

This selection is focused on purpose, and it has limits:

• One pupa size. The pupa is #14 only. Local reports sometimes call for much smaller caddis. Trout Bum 2’s September 12, 2026 Middle Provo report, for example, recommended subsurface caddis in #18–22.
• Three dry combinations. The adults are Brown #16, Black #16 and Olive #18. Tan adults and #14 dries aren’t included.
• Caddis only. It won’t cover a midge or mayfly situation. When the feeding points elsewhere, switch selections rather than forcing a caddis.

Singles that fill those gaps: Caddis Larva in tan or Olive #18, Elk Hair Caddis in tan #14 or Brown #14, the low-riding CDC & Elk Caddis in #14–18, and the X Caddis #16 when fish are taking emergers in the surface film.

Frequently asked questions

Are 18 flies enough for a weekend of caddis fishing?

For a focused caddis trip, often yes, if you ration each stage and fish carefully near the bottom. How many you lose depends on snags, fish landed and conditions. Add a few singles for sizes the selection doesn’t cover.

Which caddis fly should I start with?

With no rises and nothing on the water, start with a Caddis Larva #14 under an indicator. When you can see trout taking adults on the surface, switch to an Elk Hair Caddis, Brown #16.

Can I hang the caddis pupa under an Elk Hair Caddis?

This selection’s reference rigs keep them separate. A #16 dry isn’t built to support a pupa and weight, so fish the pupa under an indicator and the adult on its own.

Keep learning

• Elk Hair Caddis: Color, Size, and Presentation
• Trout Are Rising but Refusing My Fly
• Trout Stopped Taking Your Caddis? What to Change First
• What Should I Fish When Nothing Is Hatching?

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