Caddis searching pattern - from failure to success

Mu Young Lee wrote:

On Mon, 2 Aug 2004, Peter Charles wrote:

As far as the swing goes with this pattern, the first third dead
drifted didn't produce a single hit. The middle third where tension
comes on then fly and it accelerates towards the middle of the creek
produced about 40% of the hits and the last third, where the fly was
slowing down, produced the bulk.


Well is it so critical to use a caddis pattern or will the old-fashioned
"variants" and "spiders" work just as well?


From what I understand, variants are dry flies tied with dry fly hackle
as are American spiders. The British use the name spider for soft
hackles which I think are good wet caddis imitations, although I like
the "Americanized" soft hackles and flymphs better than the traditional
British ties..

Willi