The Quigley Crime Scene Caddis is a posthumous pattern from Bob Quigley, a prolific fly tyer who passed away a few years ago. Quigley is widely credited with developing the hackle stacker technique — an approach to creating a parachute-style hackle profile that has influenced a generation of dry fly design. His most recognized pattern, the Quigley Cripple, established him as a significant voice in technical flat-water fishing, and the Crime Scene Caddis represents his continued influence on the patterns coming out of the Umpqua tying program.
Construction follows the hackle stacker method that Quigley pioneered. The abdomen is built from Hareline Squirrel Hair Dubbing, ribbed with small gold wire to add segmentation and durability. A clump of stacked natural CDC feathers forms the wing, tied in just past the bend for a short, low profile. A small strip of white 2mm foam is tied in against the base of the wing to serve as a hi-vis indicator. A loop of Superfloss anchors the hackle post — the tyer’s finger holds the loop open while a dun rooster saddle hackle is wound around the foam, then drawn forward and folded over the thorax and tied off at the hook eye, creating a spread of hackle fibers that sits entirely on top of the fly. The thorax is dubbed with Fulling Mill Tactical MicroFlash Dub in Bronze Peacock, worked up around the base of the folded hackle. Midge Flash in Rootbeer Pearl is tied in at the front edge of the abdomen, doubled back, and left trailing at roughly two shank lengths — giving the impression of extended legs or emerging shuck material. The result is a fly that sits flat on the water with no hackle on the underside, creating flush surface contact while the spread of hackle fibers above provides floatation and silhouette.
The Crime Scene Caddis is designed for flat, technical water where presentation and profile matter. The hackle stacker construction keeps the fly extremely low in the film, making it well suited to slow currents and selective fish. The foam indicator improves visibility without adding significant bulk. Charlie omits the crystal flash antennas found on Umpqua factory samples, noting they impede hook-up rates; tyers who want them can tie in black crystal flash at the head. It is the kind of pattern worth keeping in the box for technical dry fly situations.
Tying materials
Hook: Tiemco 100SPBL, size 14
Thread: Magpie Materials Fly Tying Thread, 72 Denier, Olive
Rib: Small Gold Wire
Abdomen: Hareline Squirrel Hair Dubbing, Brown Olive
Flash: Midge Flash, Rootbeer Pearl
Wing: Natural CDC
Indicator: White 2mm Foam
Hackle Stacker Post: Superfloss
Hackle: Dun Rooster Saddle
