Here is a pattern my uncle and I came up with. Its similar to madam X fly but it has a few changes. This works well as a hopper or when fish are looking for caddis popping off the water.

3x long hook sz 6-12 (this one is a 10)
Tan thread 8/0
Hot pink thread 6/0
Elk hair (can use deer hair)
Peacock herl
Dark sili legs


1. Tie in tan thread. Leave about a 1/3 of the hook open in the front.



2. Tie in a tail of elk hair. Should be about the length of the hook gap or longer.



3. Tie in peacock herl from the front to the back.



4. Wrap the herl back up to the front of the hook and tie off. Still leaving the front 1/3 of the hook showing.



5. Whip finish your tan thread right there. Now change to you hot pink thread and tie this in at the front of the hook.



6. Tie in a generous clump of elk hair.



7. Pull back the elk hair making a bullet head like fly. And tie this in right where the herl stops.



8. Once you have tied this in, cut two legs for the fly. I use dark sili legs. Tie them in on each side of the body.



9. Trim legs to fit. Finish your fly. Be careful not to wrap your legs up in your tread when finishing your fly.



And your done! Let me know what you think.

I think I like it and the fishys will too

i will have to try that

Al Campbell would have called that a "Too Simple Madam X." Great modification...simplify, simplify, simplify. It's cleaner, easier, and I'll bet just as effective.

I'll tell you another fly that is a good "triple threat" for caddis, stoneflies, and even hoppers: the Caddis Humpy. If you like elk hair dries, it's a great one that is very much like a simplified Stimulator tied on a standard dry fly hook. And it gets very similar results with a more traditional look.

Caddis Humpy

I love the fly. I made one almost exactly like it, but it didn't have the hot pink. Great fly!! (I will have to try the hot pink in the fly, I bet that helps it)

That looks real buggy, I bet the fish love it!

I'm going to tie a few of these, but with a material substitution. I've got some hot pink uni-stretch that will allow me to not change threads, but to just tie in the uni-stretch to get the color on underside of the head and my original thread color at the wrap/finish point. I'm not sure I like the peacock herl as the ideal material, either. I'm thinking perhaps some antron dubbing material in various colors could make some improvements depending on what you're trying to imitate.

This fly should float lower in the water than a Madam X due to the lack of dry fly hackle on the body. The wing position should also be lower along the back.

Finally, on the note of imitations with this fly, I'd think it is a better stonefly/hopper imitation that caddis imitation. The Madam X is listed in almost all indexes as a stonefly and hopper attractor pattern. And since Caddis have neither tails nor big legs flopping around on their sides, I'd have to agree that this is primarily a stonefly pattern that can also be used as a hopper in a pinch (by pinching off the tail).