Foam beetle hackle legs

 

Foam beetles remain very popular because they can be truly representational and of course because they float so well.

Process

A
  1. Tie a hackle in at the front of the body.
  2. Use a softer hackle suited to wet fly tying and tie it in with the shiny side facing you so that the legs will lean backward. (Traditional dry flies depend on the hackle for "flotation" and are tied in with the dull side of the hackle toward the front so that the hackle fibres will all face forward).

B
  1. Wind the hackle just 2 or 3 times around the tie in position.
    Tie the hackle off and trim the butt end of the hackle.

C
  1. Whilst holding the hackle tips down and facing backward pull the closed cell foam over the back of the fly.

D
  1. Hold the closed cell foam in position onto the top of the hook shank at the tie down point with the fingers of your left hand.
  2. With your right hand take a couple of tight wraps of thread.
    Without releasing pressure on the thread place a couple of double hitches over the eye of the hook.



Last Updated: January 1, 2011
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Categories: Free fly tying