Candy Shop Callibaetis

Watching trout eat Callibaetis on the water's surface is like watching a kid at the candy shop. This is how the name “Candy Shop Callibaetis” was born. Callibaetis are as still as a statue when they are spinners on the surface during the hatch. The fish know that they are a non-escaping meal and this makes them a sure thing. The next stage of life is when the wings are spent to the side and the spinners are dead, covering the water's surface and creating a feeding frenzy on most still waters and rivers.

I designed the Candy Shop Callibaetis to match both stages of life. It is tied with tan scud backing wings laid out to the side and glued in a clump of macramé yarn for the post to look like upright wings. The legs are made of grizzly and brown dry fly hackle wrapped behind, around, and in front of the wings. The long segmented body is in typically tan or grey making the callibaetis biot color a perfect fit with two pieces of micro fibbets to match the split tail the naturals have.

The final touches are cutting the hackle flush with the bottom of the hook shank to keep the dry low in the film. The wings are marked with grey or brown Coptic markers to display the hourglass look the beautiful adults have. Just writing this gets me excited for the next Callibaetis surface-feeding frenzy with the “Candy Shop” at the ready.