I discovered the Screaming Banshee in a magazine while killing time at Barnes and Noble. This was ten+ years ago, and I was running an errand while working a shitty job, stretching the time as best I could. I was immediately smitten with the fly and tempted to rip out the pages since I didn’t have my wallet on me, but I didn’t want to risk it on the clock, so I went back after my shift ended to buy the mag. 

It looked unlike any other Caddis pattern I saw up until that point, but it was designed by Charlie Craven, so I knew it would fish and then some. The forward wing was alien to me, but combining it with the downward hook eye allowed it to skitter effortlessly. Being made almost completely out of hair made it super buoyant, yet it still sat low with its rear breaking the surface film. Perhaps the coolest part of all was that the fly actually got better every time a fish chomped it– the elk shellback began to pop, freed hairs jutting out erratically, only added to its buginess.

I tied this batch with light blonde hair to make them more visible, and I hit the tie-in point of the wings with some head cement for extra durability. The flashbacks are as explosive as a bottle of rum rolled into a prison yard, so I recommend reserving them for blanket hatches; those moments when you wonder how could a fish single out my fly? Trust me, they’ll see this one.