The stone house…

of the October Caddis.

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.

Norman Maclean

I no longer flyfish but have never lost the love of wading a river and discovering where it keeps its secrets.

There is something magical and uncomplicated about spending time alongside a river whose waters have flowed there for hundreds of years. The 140 miles of the Saint Joe river in Idaho flows from the north range of the Bitterroot Mountains.

The National Wild and Scenic River System protects 66.3 miles of it with 26.6 miles being designated as wild. The beauty of the area is almost indescribable and being amidst it has a way of putting things into perspective.

At first glance the little cases of the October caddis go almost unnoticed but like most anything, if you look a little deeper its true beauty is revealed. Spun from silk and tiny rocks these cases serve as a protective home. As the larva nears maturity it will seal off its case and pupate.

When sunlight hits these carefully constructed cases it’s as if you’re viewing a small slice of the riverbed. It seems as though I’m not the only one to be fascinated by these either as more research discovered artists who have created environments for the caddis to construct their cases using tiny flakes of gold and precious gems.

To see the final result we will have to venture back in a month or so and weather providing that’s just what we’ll do.

Once again I find it’s (almost always) about the water.