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Foam Beetle Tied by Aaron Cheatham |
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Hook: Orvis 1523 size #14 Thread: Danville Black 6/0 Abdomen: Peacock herl 1 - 2 strands Shellback: Black craft foam Legs: Black deer hair Indicator: Orvis Para-Post |
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Tying Instructions: 1. Fix the hook in the vise and layer it with thread starting from a couple hook eye lengths back to the start of the bend of the hook. 2. Cut a strip of black foam about as wide as the hook gap and a little longer than the length of the hook. Taper the foam strip on one end to create a slender tie in point. Tie the foam in at the hook bend. 3. Tie in the peacock herl just after the foam at the hook bend. Wind the thread forward to just behind the midpoint of the hook shank. Then, wrap the peacock herl to the same point and tie it off but do not cut it yet. 4. Select 5 to 10 black deer hairs (sometimes they break so I tend to use more since I doubt trout stop to count and it kind of makes it look as if the beetle is struggling to move on the water). Tie the hairs in across the shank at the midpoint using figure eights so that they stick out perpendicular to the hook shank. Wind the thread forward to halfway between the midpoint and the hook eye. 5. With a single figure eight, wrap the peacock herl around the legs. Then continue wrapping the peacock herl to toward the thread and tie off. Trim the ends and secure them. Be careful to leave enough room in front of the hook eye for a thread head. No reason to crowd the hook eye on this fly. 6. Pull the foam body over the shank of the hook and tie it down with 3-4 turns at the � point where we tied down the peacock herl. I usually make the first turn loose but then tighten it with the subsequent two turns. 7. Take the para post or poly yarn and tie in a piece at the same point where we tied down the foam. Pull up on both ends of the yarn and trim it to the desired height. 8. Pull back the foam head at the front of the fly and wrap the thread just in front of it to stand it up a little (30 - 45 degrees). Whip finish the head at this point, clip the thread and cement. Although I tend to just whip finish twice here and it holds fine. |
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Notes: Courtesy of Dave Hughes' book, Trout Flies, but I think he got this from Skip Morris's book Tying Foam Flies. I have made a few modifications |
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Aaron Cheatham San Carlos, California, USA Email: [email protected] |
