As a fly tyer, I always wonder about how a particularly productive and ingeniously designed fly pattern was developed. Some folks think these patterns are born in a flash of inspiration at the vise, and some indeed are. More often, it takes work — acting on an idea, fishing it, tweaking it, fishing again, and more tweaking — to come up with a fly that consistently draws hits from fish. Then you still need consistent access to the materials that you used in order to keep tying them the same way.
Tim Fox’s Caddis Poopah is one of those patterns I’ve wondered about. As Mike Mercer, himself the designer of many flies that have become classics, has said, “Tim Fox’s Poopah pattern was an instant sensation when Tim introduced it to the fly-fishing public and the crew at The Fly Shop years ago, and it remains equally effective today.” I have known Tim Fox for as long as I can remember, so I decided to ask him how he went about developing his imitation of a caddis pupa.
Tim and the Poopah
When I say I have known Tim Fox for as long as I can remember, I’m not kidding, Tim and I both have identical twin brothers. Back in the early 1970s in Chico, there were many twin births, and folks started a twins club. There are pictures of Tim, his brother, Kyle, me, and my brother, Lincoln, together as infants and toddlers. But we’re sort of twins with each other, as well. Tim and I were coworkers at Powell’s Fly Shop in the late 1980s. We became instant friends again and we have shared tying and fishing ideas and theories ever since. Since then, Tim was the retail manager for The Fly Shop in Redding for 14 years, then went to Kiene’s Fly Shop for a couple of years. Finally, he retired from the retail business and became a fly-fishing guide. Given his long experience in fly fishing, it’s hardly a surprise that Tim came up with the innovative Caddis Poopah pattern.
Lance: When did you get the idea for the Poopah? And how did you come up with it?
Tim: In 1989, a guy came into the Powell Fly Shop from Canada with a Blood Midge tied with vernille. The color of the vernille was unique, and it was a match of all the caddis that I had hatching on my waders on the lower Sac for years. I took that idea and turned it into a caddis. He gave me some vernille, and when I was getting low after the early variations of the Poopah had been successful, I sent a sample to Doug Brutocao of Aqua Flies (then Doug’s Bugs) to match. He sent me a skein.
Lance: Which color was first, and why?
Tim: It was cinnamon, which is a perfect match for the caddis on the Lower Sac, then olive was close behind cinnamon.
Lance: How many versions did the cinnamon Poopah go through?
Tim: Many of them. The first version was on a shortershank hook such as a Daiichi 1150 or TMC 206BL, had a thread underbody, a peacock herl collar, and pheasant tail antennae. The second version was on the TMC 2302 — I liked the shape and length, but the wire gauge was a little weak. I switched the underbody to pearl tinsel to imitate a gas bubble, changed the collar to ostrich herl and the antennae to wood duck. The third version went through multiple phases. I changed the legs from partridge to hen back, then to grouse, although there’s not much difference between them, and they all work fine. For the fourth and most recent version, I have been changing hook models quite a bit and have settled on Daiichi 1760 — the same shape and length as the TMC 2302, but heavier gauge. However, I also like the TMC 3769 and Mustad S80 and now the Fulling Mill Grab Gape hook.
Lance: When did you start to expand the pattern to other species of caddis, such as the October Caddis?
Tim: In 1998, I started to fiddle with more colors and found black and chartreuse worked well, too. In 1999, I started fiddling with the bigger and smaller sizes to match all of the caddis variations common in Northern California.
Lance: Which color is your favorite?
Tim: Cinnamon, because as I noted, it matched the color of the caddis hatching on my waders when I was out fishing on the Sacramento River.
Lance: What are the best materials for the fly?
Tim: The materials changed over the years, but the basic standard materials I have found for catching the most fish are, for the body, vernille; for the rib, gold Brassie wire; for the underbody, large pearl tinsel; for the legs, mottled brown grouse fibers (partridge will work, too); for the antennae, natural wood duck; and for the collar, ostrich herl.
Lance: You’ve switched hooks quite a lot. What are you looking for in a hook for the Poopah?
Tim: I look for a heavy wire hook. I sometimes catch huge fish capable of bending hooks. I want a hook with a slightly larger gap and a slight bend, not an aggressive bend. As I said, I’ve been playing with different hook models lately. Here are my top three: Daichi 1760, size 14, Mustad S80, size 14, and my new favorite, the Fulling Mill Grab Gape FM5025, size 12. Regardless of the hook being used, the hook and, as a result, the vernille body should have a slight bend.
Other than a great hook model, what also is important is getting the body length correct. The length of the body from the very edge of the eye to the very end of the burned vernille body should be five-eighths of an inch for Poopahs size 12 (short shank) and 14 (longer shank), and half an inch for smaller Poopahs, size 14 (short shank) and 16 (longer shank).
Lance: Bead or no bead?
Tim: I use both. It all depends on the type of pressure the body of water is receiving. If a bunch of other guides are using nonbeaded Poopahs, I’ll use the beaded version, and if they are using the beaded version, then I’ll use the nonbeaded. How do I tell which one is working better? Two out of the three nymphs on my rig will be Poopahs. One beaded, one nonbeaded. I like a 3/32-inch copper bead for the larger cinnamon Poopah when using the Daiichi 1760 size 14 and a gold or black 3/32-inch bead for the olive Poopah. For smaller Poopahs, I use the 5/64-inch beads on a size 16 Mustad S80.
Lance: Do you ever fish a Poopah old-school nymph style, without a bead, but with split shot to get it down?
Tim: Yes! I love high-sticking/tight-lining, and I use a ton of weight to get the fly or flies down. I still use this technique when I’m wading pocket water and riffles. Also, I like to high-stick, then swing the Poopah up and out — the grab at the end is fantastic! I still find the indicator method to be superior out of a drift boat or in long, slow runs, but I also use the high-stick method at the end of the day, even out of a drift boat, when the fish are looking up and smashing emerging caddis. But I use less weight, and it’s more about the swing and lift at the end.
Lance: When did you start to know that you had a great pattern?
Tim: It always worked well for me, but didn’t know I had something special until I tied up some for the guides at The Fly Shop in 1997. By 1998, we couldn’t keep them in stock, selling hundreds of dozens of Poopahs in a season.
Lance: Are your custom vernille colors available?
Tim: Yes, vernille is available commercially, but unfortunately, the folks that dye the cinnamon color hit the hue correctly only about 20 percent of the time. My vernille is Poopah Body, and is sold under the Jay Fair brand name. I dye it correctly. So far, I know The Fly Shop in Redding and Sierra Stream and Mountain in Chico stock it.
Lance: How do you like to fish the Poopah — dead-drift indicator, swinging, using a Loop Knot for extra movement, or what?
Tim: Originally, I would high-stick them. (Tight line — some folks now call it Euro nymphing.) I still do when the body of water and conditions warrant when I’m guiding wading anglers. But all day out of a drift boat, a dead drift under an indicator is deadly. Swinging in the late afternoon and evening is fantastic, too. I even suspend it 6 to 10 inches under a dry fly, and that can be super fun. In all these years, I’ve never used a Loop Knot with the Poopah, or any nymph, honestly, just because old habits die hard, but I’m sure it would work superbly.
Lance: When you fish it as part of a dry/dropper rig, what is the dry fly and how big is the Poopah?
Tim: I fish a yellow Kaufmann’s Stimulator, size 16, with a size 16 Poopah, color of your choice.
Lance: Do you allow the flies to swing at the end of the high-stick and dead drift presentations?
Tim: Always.
As you can see, Tim isn’t afraid to experiment with both how he ties the Caddis Poopah and how he fishes it, and since I experiment, too, I’ll tell you how I’ve ended up tying and fishing the fly. In both cases, it’s basically the same way that Tim does — I’ll just elaborate the details of how to do it.
Tying the Poopah
Like Tim, I’ve played around with different hooks for the Poopah. A couple of months ago, some friends and I did a drift down the lower Sacramento from the Bonneyview boat ramp to Anderson River Park, pulling the drift boat over, wading, and swinging flies with trout Speys. I modified the pattern so it is easier to swing, tying a size 12 cinnamon Poopah on a Firehole 718 hook, a curved, Stimulator-style hook with a longer shank and a straight eye. On my first cast with the tweaked pattern, it was KaBlam! Fish on! The rest of the day was splendid, as well. But whether you high-stick the Poopah, swing it, or fish it as the dropper on a dry/dropper rig, the original as Tim now ties it is hard to beat when the caddis are hatching.
Here are the recipes for the basic Poopahs that Tim ties — the cinnamon and olive Poopahs. They are pretty much the same, but with some differences. Tim stresses that you shouldn’t overdress the Poopah. Use enough material to make the fly full, but still on the sparse side.
Fox’s Poopah, Cinnamon
Hook: Daiichi 1760, size 12 to 16, Mustad S80, size 12 to 16, or Fulling Mill Grab Gape, size 12
Bead (optional): Copper tungsten, 7/64” for size 12, 3/32” for size 14, and 5/64” for size 16
Thread: Rusty brown Veevus 14/0
Rib: Gold size BR Ultra Wire
Underbody: Large pearl tinsel
Abdomen: Cinnamon vernille, standard size for hook sizes 12 and 14 and fine for size 16
Legs: Mottled brown grouse or similar
Antennae: Natural wood duck fibers
Thorax: Brown ostrich herl
Fox’s Poopah, Olive
Hook: Daiichi 1760, size 12 to 16, Mustad S80, size 12 to 16, or Fulling Mill Grab Gape, size 12 to 16
Bead (optional): Gold tungsten, 7/64” for size 12, 3/32” for size 14, and 5/64” for size 16
Thread: Black Veevus 14/0
Rib: Gold size BR Ultra Wire
Underbody: Large pearl tinsel
Abdomen: Olive vernille, standard size for sizes 12 and 14 and fine for size 16
Legs: Mottled brown grouse or similar
Antennae: Natural wood duck fibers or similar
Thorax: Black ostrich herl
Burn one end of the vernille first, making sure that the burned end is rounded and tapered. Prepare several bodies in this manner and set them aside. Mount a hook in the vise, wrap on the thread, and tie in the wire on top of the hook shank just behind the eye, then down the shank to a point even with the barb, keeping the wire on top of the hook. Do the same with the tinsel, making a smooth underbody. Bring the thread back up to the eye and then wrap the tinsel forward, covering the shank completely up to behind the eye, tie it off, and clip the excess.
Tie in the unburned end of the vernille just behind the eye and lay it back over the underbody so that the burned end is even with the end of the hook at the bend. Trim the excess behind the eye and bind down the unburned end with a wrap of wire, then continue to rib the body and at the same time secure the vernille to the top of the hook. Tie it off and clip the excess.
Tie in the grouse for legs underneath. You can substitute hen or partridge, as long as it’s mottled brown and you include the grayish filoplume. The fibers should at least be half the length of the body, if not more. Clip the excess and tie in two strands of wood duck over the back, extending back about the same length as the body, but it’s OK if the antennae are a lot longer than the body. Clip the excess. Tie in two ostrich herls, twist them together, and wrap them a few times for a collar, stroking back the herl fibers with each wrap. Tie off, trim, and whip finish several times for good measure, then add head cement for durability.
Fox’s Poopah XL October Caddis
Tim also ties an October Caddis Poopah. It’s a little different, because the October Caddis doesn’t emerge by rising to the surface. It crawls out onto the river bank to hatch, so an imitation has to be heavily weighted and fished right on the bottom, without being swung to the top of the water column.
Hook: Daiichi 1760, size 10
Bead: Black tungsten, 1/8”
Weight: 12 wraps of .020” lead-free wire
Thread: Black Veevus 12/0
Rib: Black medium Ultra Wire
Underbody: Large pearl tinsel
Abdomen: Large orange Wapsi vernille
Legs: Mottled brown grouse and brown UV Polar Chenille fibers
Antennae: Natural bronze mallard flank fibers
Thorax: Brown and black ostrich herl
Burn the vernille, making sure that the burned end is well rounded and tapered. Slide the tungsten bead on the hook, mount the hook in the vise, and wrap the lead-free wire on the hook, jamming the wrapped weight into the drilled bead to keep it from sliding. Don’t trim it yet. Start the thread and tie the wire down along the top of the hook to a point even with the barb. Now trim the front bit of wire. Bring the thread forward, tie in the tinsel behind the bead and wrap it the same way you did the wire, then let it hang. Now use thread to taper the body from the end of the lead to the back of the hook. Bring the thread back up to behind bead and wrap the tinsel forward, covering the underbody completely up to the bead. Tie off and trim the excess.
Tie in the unburned end of the vernille behind the bead and lay it back over the underbody so that the burned end is even with the end of the hook at the bend. Trim the excess behind the eye, bind down the unburned end, then use the wire to rib the body and at the same time secure the vernille on the top of the hook. Tie in the UV Polar Chenille fibers before tying in the grouse for legs underneath. The Polar Chenille fibers should be at least half the length of the body, if not the same length as the body.
Tie in two bronze mallard fibers over the back or along the sides, extending about a shank length and a half, and trim the excess. Tie in and wrap the ostrich herl just behind the bead. Stroke the fibers with each wrap. Tie off, trim, whip finish several times behind the bead for good measure, and add head cement for durability.
Fishing the Poopah
As Tim says, the standard high-stick or Euro approach is best suited for wading fly fishers. The idea is to get the flies down into the water column and then swing them up from deep to shallow, just like the real caddis behave when emerging. To help detect a strike during the dead drift, and irrespective of the type of indicator or sighter you use, keep your line and leader relatively taut in a direct connection to your fly or flies. Remember, Tim will fish a beaded with a non-beaded Poopah to determine which fly the trout prefer. He will also fish an unweighted Poopah, using split shot above the fly to bring the rig to the bottom of the stream.
When I am just swinging a Poopah, the rig I use is simply a commercial 12-foot fluorocarbon leader tapered to 4X. The fluorocarbon sinks a little better than nylon monofilament and allows the fly to get deeper in the water column before swinging to the surface. Trout usually grab the fly right at the end of the swing, just before the Poopah reaches the surface. The grabs are fantastically strong.
When I guide folks using this technique, I always start with a lesson on wading and casting. You want to position yourself well away from the area you would like to fish — usually, 60 feet upstream and about 15 feet back from the targeted area. Then cast only 45 feet, including the leader. After the cast has been fished out, I’ll move a few steps downstream and repeat. The idea is to slowly move downstream and work the fly into the targeted area, “brushing” it until you have worked it thoroughly with the fly.
The dry/dropper rig I use is straightforward, as well. I begin with a 12-foot nylon monofilament leader tapered to 4X. Just as Tim does, I tie a size 16 yellow Stimulator to the terminal end of the leader. Then I tie a 6-to-10-inch piece of 4X nylon monofilament tippet to the hook of the Stimulator and attach a size 16 Poopah to it. To make sure that the Stimulator floats well, I always pretreat it with fly floatant. I usually fish the dry/dropper rig directly downstream, and at the end of the drift, I allow the flies to come tight so the Poopah can rise toward the surface.
Don’t Leave Home Without One
Back around the year 2000, I had a challenging guide trip on the lower Sacramento. I had been guiding some great clients in the Burney area, and they wanted to fish the lower Sac on the last day of their trip before they headed to the airport. I was pretty new to guiding on the lower Sac, but I gave it a shot. It was a day of great fishing — for everyone but us. All around us, other boats were hooking up, and I was changing flies rapidly, trying to solve the puzzle. My clients had fished the lower Sac with guides before, and they were getting pretty frustrated. Finally, my client in the back of the boat looked at me and said, “I want a tan Fox’s Poopah.” And that was the last time I’ve ever been on a trout stream without plenty of tan Fox Poopahs in my fly box.
