Dry FliesDrowned Turkey
Hans Weilenmann folds a black wild turkey slip flat over an olive rabbit body, adding a sparse olive Llama Mix veiling and a collar of black turkey fluey barbs twisted into a rope. The folded, flattened wing and dark, twisted collar give the fly a waterlogged look instead of the upright profile of a healthy adult.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Black Benecchi thread carries the dyed-olive rabbit body while a black wild turkey slip is folded flat rather than tented upright, and a rope of twisted turkey fluey barbs forms the collar under a sparse veiling of olive Llama Mix. That flattened wing and heavier collar sit the fly lower and more waterlogged than a standard dry caddis. It represents adult caddis that get caught in rain or wind, take on water, and sink partway into the film while struggling to right themselves. It fishes moving water and stillwater in spring through fall, best worked dead drift when recent weather has knocked naturals down.
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Materials
- Hook:
- Kamasan B175 #14
- Thread:
- Benecchi 12/0, black
- Body:
- Rabbit, dyed olive
- Wing:
- Wild turkey slip, black, folded
- Veiling:
- Llama Mix, olive - very sparse
- Collar:
- Turkey fluey barbs, dyed black, twisted into a rope
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Spent mayflies land flush in the film after mating flights, wings spread flat and bodies exhausted. These dead-drift targets concentrate in foam lines and slicks during spinner falls.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish sip spent spinners from the surface film in calm water, especially in foam lines.
How to Fish It: Dead drift with the wings flush in the film, imitating the low profile of spent insects.
Best Water: Slicks, foam lines, tail-outs, and flat water during evening and morning spinner falls.
Strike Type: Confident sips as fish key on the easy-target profile of spent, motionless spinners.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 9-12 foot leader tapering to 5X tippet for delicate presentations. Apply floatant to the body and hackle.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during peak feeding periods at dawn and dusk. Water temperatures between 45-65°F typically produce best results.
Pro Tips: Apply minimal or no floatant to achieve the proper flush-floating profile of spent adults. The pattern should sit in the film rather than on top of it, creating the authentic silhouette of exhausted insects.
Entomology
Caddisflies caught in sudden rain or wind become waterlogged and sink partially below the surface film, their wings absorbing water while they struggle feebly to right themselves. Trout target these drowning adults that hang subsurface, recognizing the distinct profile of insects too compromised to escape or dive effectively.
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Common Name
- Caddisfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult
