Mother's Day Caddis
The Mother's Day Caddis is an essential trout fly that imitates adult brachycentrus caddis (mother's day caddis). It supports Mother's Day Caddis fly pattern, dry fly for trout, and how to fish Mother's Day Caddis searches.
Imitates: Adult Brachycentrus caddis (Mother's Day Caddis)
Quick Reference
- Best Sizes
- #14-18
- Best Season
- Spring (late April-May)
- Best Conditions
- Yellowstone, Madison, Arkansas, and Colorado freestones at mass emergence
- Water Temp
- 48-60°F
- Recommended Tippet
- 4X-5X
How to Rig It
Single dry or dry-dropper with a small caddis pupa.
How to Present It
Cast across and twitch the fly occasionally — Mother's Day caddis skitter on the water and trout key on movement.
Why It Works
The Mother's Day Caddis hatch is one of the most prolific in the West. When billions of Brachycentrus pop in one weekend, trout gorge on the surface.
History
Named for its almost annual timing around Mother's Day weekend, this hatch defines spring fishing on Western freestones from the Yellowstone to the Arkansas.
Pro Tip
If the river muds out from spring runoff during the hatch, switch to a chartreuse or olive caddis pupa fished on a tight line — trout will still eat them subsurface even when they can't rise.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Mother's Day Caddis hatch?+
Late April through mid-May, often peaking the weekend of Mother's Day on Western freestones.
Where does the Mother's Day Caddis hatch?+
Best on the Yellowstone, Madison, Arkansas, Colorado, and Eagle rivers, plus other Western freestones with cobble bottoms.
Not sure if Mother's Day Caddis is right today?
Get a fly recommendation based on live water temp, flow, sky, and time of day for any river in the US.
Open Fly Advisor
Map
Fly Guide