Tuesday, December 30, 2014

TB3F6AW – Ernie the Elk Hair Caddis


GC34GME, Peacock Protectors #3 - Unknown Alien Activity
Highlands Ranch, CO
GPS: 39.563833, -104.959733

My mission is to carry the Project Healing Waters message to flyfishermen in all 50 states.

Ernie the Elk Hair Caddis

This is the third life for Ernie the Elk Hair Caddis. This time it is a laminated business card with the tracking code displayed prominently on the face of the card and a message on the back. In the first life, this travel bug was a piece of paper inside a film canister, blue body, red top, attached to an actual TB. I launched Ernie the first time in Rexford Beach, MT in August 2010. It disappeared with no log entries. I pulled back the travel bug number and relaunched Ernie in GC34GME -- Peacock Protectors #3 - Unknown Alien Activity in Highlands Ranch, CO on 30 Dec 2014. I guess there is some slim chance that the original might show up.

The Elk Hair Caddis is a dry fly that was invented by the legendary Montana guide and fly tier, Al Troth. Charlie Craven of Charlie's Fly Box in Denver, CO comments:
"I fish the Elk Hair Caddis a few different ways. Dead drifting under bank side vegetation can have great results, and I have found that skittering the fly a bit brings out the predators. It seems as though trout can't resist a bug that is trying to get away and this skittering really rings the dinner bell. One reason caddis are such a staple menu item during the summer months is that trout see so many of them. Caddis fly off to the bushes along the stream bank after hatching and live there for some time. At this point they become, essentially, a terrestrial insect. Breezes blow these bugs into the water and the trout are on the look out for them. There doesn' t have to be an actual hatch in progress to clean up with a caddis. This pattern also has a wide "foot print" on the water. It creates a larger dimple in the surface film that seems to make it more apparent to the fish, so even when they're not looking, the caddis really stands out. For flat water, I often omit the hackle and wire rib on this fly so it will ride lower on the water and create a more realistic silhouette."

Elk Hair Caddis


Ernie is one of twelve characters created by artist Kirk Werner for three books designed to introduce children to fly fishing.

Book Series by Kirk Werner


I have created a Trackable for each character. If you would like to see them all, here are the trackable item numbers: TB3E3X5, TB3E3Y2, TB3E3X7, TB3F6AD, TB3F69B, TB3F6AW, TB3F69V, TB3F69Z, TB3F6AV, TB3F6A3, TB3F6A5, TB3F6A0.


MEET MY FRIENDS

TB3F69V – Andy the Adams

TB3F6AD – Billy the Blue-Wing Olive

TB3F6AW – Ernie the Elk Hair Caddis

TB3F6AV – Gilbert the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear

TB3E3X5 – Mr. Muddler the Muddler Minnow

TB3E3X7 – Olive the Woolly Bugger

TB3F69B – Pete the Prince Nymph

TB3F69Z – Polly the Partridge & Orange

TB3F6A3 – Randal the Royal Coachman

TB3F6A5 – Sally the Yellow Sally

TB3F6A0 – Stan the Stimulator

TB3E3Y2 – Zachary the Purple Zonker

Pictures of all of us – just pictures

LINKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT

Geocaching (and other GPS games)

Project Healing Waters

Miami Valley Fly Fishers

Kirk Werner

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