Not to be confused with the October Caddis Euro Nymph we featured from Tim Flagler last week, this high-floating dry fly is a multi-purpose weapon for fall trout that can be absolutely deadly.
The October Caddis Skater, as Flagler points out above, can be fished on the drift like a normal dry fly, or it can be skated against the current, creating a v-shaped wake that will often spur a strike. This is the time of year for late-season caddis—they will often accompany blue-winged olives on western rivers, particularly on cloudy or even blustery days. This is an excellent searching pattern, too—I’ve used skaters to stir up top-water strikes if I get to the water before afternoon hatches begin in earnest, and it’s a lot more fun that dredging with streamers.
Enjoy.
— Chris Hunt