Dry FliesMags
Steve Davenport's pattern combines CDC and traditional dry fly materials creating exceptionally buoyant offering. Split wing design provides realistic mayfly or caddis silhouette while CDC dubbing thorax adds natural flotation. Sits low in surface film while maintaining visibility across multiple hatch situations.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Steve Davenport's Mags combines CDC and traditional dry fly materials to create an exceptionally buoyant pattern. The split wing design provides a realistic mayfly or caddis silhouette while the CDC dubbing thorax adds natural flotation. The pattern's effectiveness comes from its ability to sit low in the surface film while maintaining visibility. Its versatile profile works across multiple hatches, making it a valuable searching pattern.
Materials
Hook: Grip 14723BL #14
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black
Hackle: Hen, dyed black
Rib: Flash, opal
Body: Cock pheasant tail barbs
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Mayflies and caddis drift on the surface after emergence, wings held upright or tent-shaped while exoskeletons harden before flight. Classic profiles match diverse hatches.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish patrol feeding lanes in the upper 6 inches, rising to adults in seams and tail-outs.
How to Fish It: Cast upstream with drag-free drifts, allowing natural float through productive lies.
Best Water: Tail-outs, seams, riffle edges, and slicks where surface insects concentrate naturally.
Strike Type: Confident rises with head-and-shoulder movements as fish take drifting adults.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 4X-5X tippet. Can serve as lead fly in dry-dropper rig with natural CDC flotation supporting subsurface offerings.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during mayfly emergences April through June and caddis activity May through September when water temperatures range 50-62°F. Morning and evening feeding periods produce most reliable results.
Pro Tips: CDC dubbing thorax provides exceptional natural flotation with minimal floatant application. The split wing design creates realistic silhouette that works across multiple species during mixed hatch situations.
Entomology
Adult caddisflies flutter erratically across the water surface during evening hatches, frequently dipping their abdomens to deposit eggs. Fish key on these vulnerable moments when the insects are distracted by reproduction and cannot escape quickly.
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Common Name
- Caddisfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult