Photo: Joe Rist

Photo: Joe Rist

Photo: Joe Rist

Photo: Joe Rist

Light Cahill & "Orange" Cahill

The photos and these recipes were submitted by Joe Rist. The light cahill is an important fly in this region and usually begins to appear around mid June and will occur well into August.  If you are fishing a tailwater you are more likely to find light cahills in the lower section since they apparently do not favor the colder water. 

The orange cahill is another cahill which occurs on the Delaware and the Beaverkill, and will be present in the colder water sections of a tailwater. It also appears in June but lasts until mid September, and is a good fly for blind casting when searching for fish.

CDC Light Cahill Dun

  • hook:            dry fly size 14
  • thread:         primrose (pale yellow) or cahill (light) tan 8/0 
  • wing:            natural dun CDC        
  • tail:               cream or light dun microfibetts
  • body:            light cahill dyed stripped goose biot When tying the biot show the ridge to imitate segmentation

"Orange" Cahill Dun

  • hook:            dry fly size 14
  • thread:         yellow 8/0
  • tail:               barred natural mallard flank
  • wing:            web material mottled (or mottle with a bown marking pen) cut to shape or use a wing burner
  • body:            yellowish orange to cream dubbing, or amber turkey biot
  • hackle:         light ginger or ginger