Types of Caddis

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As previously mentioned, caddisflies are categorized into 3 types according to the living habits of their larval stages:  Casebuilders, Free-living and Micro caddis. 

1. Casebuilders . . . caddis larva who build portable cases can be further examined by where they live  (which dictates the type of material they use for their cases)
   

   1. in rivers, streams, creeks ("lotic" i.e., swift currents) . . . these larva build cases of rock particles: sand, stones, pebbles, and tiny bits of shells and live inside them until they become pupa; these items create a specific gravity in their cases that help them hold their positions in moving currents securely attached to rocks, ledges, deadfall, vegetation, etc.  In this group, we review "Giant Red Sedge", "Little Sepia Sedge", "Medium Speckled Sedge" and "Great Western Caperer."
      

   2. in slow/still-water ("lentic"). . . larva use plant material: pieces of wood, leaves, twigs, bark, or other such fragments that provide a softer, less structured case that is relatively buoyant and permits easy movement in the water by the larva.  Within this group, we will look at "American Grannom" and "Medium Cinnamon Sedge."
      

2. Free-living  . . . this group of larva, that have no portable case, we break down as to how they live:
   

   1. within a fixed retreat . . . Principle insect of this type is "Dark Grey Caddis"
      

   2. free-living . . . a "worm" if you will.  We look into "Little Orange Caddis", "Medium Dark Olive Sedge" , "Small Spotted Sedge" and "Western Olive Sedge"
      

3. Micro Caddis . . . these very small caddis includes a diverse group of about 180 species in North America whose size is 1-6 mm.  They appear in both moving and stillwater habitats.  The larva are freeliving until the final instar, when they secure themselves to stones in flat, silken "huts".  Some appear as flattened milk bottles.  Pupa can resemble very small ants.  Adults are tiny, hairy forms, 6 mm or smaller, with narrow wings and short antenna.  We preview "Orange Microcaddis"

    Within each of these types, all 3 developmental stages are of varied importance to the fly fisher (their larva, pupa and adult stages.)  In the initial larval stage, the predominant casebuilding species are hard to imitate with flies and are not generally as meaningful in fly fishing as is the pupa stage.  The adults, who spend little time "dawdling" on the surface within the sight of fish, are also a specialized insect for the fly fisher to simulate.

Let's look at some of the individual members of each of these types . . .

Caddis overview / First stop, Casebuilding caddisflies