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Beetles are of the order Coleoptera and there are over 28,000 species found in Australia.

One species that is a popular food source for trout is the tea tree beetle. This representation is tied in shades of black and brown colours that have stood the test of time. Many of the recipes you see use brown raffia as the wing case. I don't like raffia as a fly tying material and have substituted a hackle from the back of the ring neck pheasant. Its a similar colour to many of the recipes that have come before mine but its much more durable than the raffia.

Both floating and wet beetles (including drowned terrestrials beetles and aquatic beetles) should be fished in the current with as little line drag as possible or with a very short twitching action. A nondescript well tied beetle pattern if presented in the right way when fish have beetles on their menu, more often than not, will be accepted by fish.

See tea tree beetle - variant 2.

Materials

Process

A	For my wing casing I have moved away from the raffia that is popular with so many beetle patterns to a light brown feather from the back of a ring neck pheasant. As an alternative I would also be happy with a light brown feather slip from the under wing of a peacock. My main criteria for the wing casing is to avoid the use of raffia. From experience I have found that raffia is not durable enough particularly when it gets wet and of course that can't be avoided. Tie your wing casing material in at the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks

B	Here is the light brown feather from the back of a wing neck pheasant after trimming away the butt end.

C	Build up a an acorn body of seals fur an the rear 2/3 of the hook shank.

D	Pull the wing casing material forward and tie it off directly in front of the body.

E	Trim the excess wing casing material away. Tie in your hackle by its butt directly in front of the body with the dull side of the hackle facing forward.

F	Wind the hackle forward in touching turns stopping just short of the eye of the hook. Lock the hackle in position with a couple of firm turns of thread just back from the eye of the hook.

G	Trim the excess hackle away with a blade. Build up a neat head of thread. Whip finish and trim the thread. Varnish the head of the fly.

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