the foam beetle

As mild as the summer has been lately, make no mistake, the dog days are here. In the mountains, aside from the occasional stoneflies, there aren't any major hatches right now. While dry flies like the neversink caddis, poor man's stimulator, parachute and wulff adams, among others will still catch trout, the best bet is terrestrials. My favorite of these is a big black foam beetle. They will float any heavy stonefly nymph you can come up with, and your truck too. Maybe not your truck, but they do float well.

I have tinkered with a few different materials and styles the last few years and have finally settled on one that outdoes the rest. I started out tying the original peacock herl bodied foam beetle but that was too wimpy. A few trout teeth and it was done. Then somebody introduced me pearl chenille and rubber legs. I liked the durability but I also had fewer strikes. It just wasn't natural looking with the little plastic rectangles sticking out everywhere. Earlier this year I decided to try tying a couple with a dubbing underbody. I dug through my supplies and came across some Ice dubbing I hadn't been using. Bingo! The stuff is a bit difficult to use being synthetic but its durable, has a nice buggy look and not too much flash.

Teimco 2312 size 10-i prefer size 12 but i'm out
Black thread 70 denier
Peacock loco foam
Chocolate brown ice dubbing
Medium round black rubber legs
White para post

To start, cut the foam into a strip 1/4" to 3/8" wide and cut the corners of one end into a taper. Cut the legs into 1 1/2 inch lengths.

Wrap down the hook and tie the last 1/16" of the taper above the bend. Wrap it loose at first, tightening as you go to prevent cutting into the foam

Next comes the hard part. The plastic dubbing doesn't stick to the thread as well as finer dubbing materials, and sometimes comes loose while wrapping. I don't have dubbing wax so the way I found to beat it is to use a little at a time, wrapping up and down the hook in a few layers. Be sure to leave a gap behind the hook eye to tie down the foam.

Fold the foam over and pull it snug. Wrap to hold it down the same as earlier, loose at first and gradually tightening as you wrap. Don't trim the remaining foam yet. Next tie in the rubber legs. One at a time i fold them in half around the thread, pinch the tips between my fingers, pull them tight and place them with a wrap of thread.

Cut off a strand of para post, fold it in half and tie it on top of the beetle. I make a few wraps around it to make a true parachute post. Lift the loose foam and whip finish on the eye of the hook. Trim the foam, legs, dubbing and parachute post to your liking. I often use a drop of superglue to help hold things in place.

I like the peacock foam but it is expensive as far as foam sheets go. It also blends with the water so it makes the para post a must, but any closed cell 2mm foam will do. Hope you enjoy!

poor mans stimulator

Like alot fly anglers I like to tie my own flies. I can't honestly say it is any cheaper than just buying them from the fly shop. I like to try my hand at harder patterns just to see if I can do it. Then I usually just end up either simplifying it or tying something else. Defies logic, I know.

So I am always looking for a productive fly that is a little different than the cookie cutter offerings found in shops and online. The best way to do that is to tie them yourself and experiment a little. Also, I have a preference for what are often called guide flies. They use few materials and are easy to tie. For example, I don't tie legs on any of my pheasant tails. Just a bead, wire and pheasant. Simple. While filling my fly box for camping a few weeks ago I tried tying a new pattern, or rather a dressed down version that could be considered a variation of a stimulator or elk hair caddis. It is similar to both yet not like either. Maybe I should be calling it "Punk's Poor Mans Stimulator"...

Recipe: Size 12 scud hook
Ultra thread 70 denier, cream
Small diameter monofilament (I recycle used 6x tippet)
Beaver dubbing, sulphur yellow
Bleached deer hair, cleaned and stacked
Grizzly hackle

 It can be tied in a variety of colors. I tied it on dry fly hooks and scud. The scuds land with authority and the take was often instant. I thought they outperformed the dry hooks, and it still floated well. So far I have had success using it in the mountains, and the clinch river during a sulphur hatch.

This fly has fast become one of my go-to flies for summer mountain fishing. Hope ya like it!