Sally Stone, Scott Sanchez, Dan Bailey's

Noble Chernobyl, Adam Trina, Montana Fly Company

Foam-top Hex Spinner, Dave Lucca, Umpqua

Chernobyl Ant, Allan Woolley

Fire Beetle, Bill Black, Spirit River

CDC Black Ant, Bill Black, Spirit River

Wasp, James Bowen

Foam Frog, Scott Sanchez, Dan Bailey's

Foam is a great material for many dry flies since it doesn't depend on floatants to maintain buoyancy and is one of the easiest materials to use for tying wide-profile artificials. Many effective foam flies are easy to tie, and the material is inexpensive and readily available.

Foam Types
Foam is manufactured to different densities, colors, shapes, and resiliency. Within a given product line, density and color can vary greatly. If you find a foam that you can't live without, buy some extra--the next batch might be different.

Closed-cell foam is the most interesting to tiers. However, water-absorbing open-cell foam can be used as an underbody on nymphs. Closed-cell foam is extremely buoyant because its sealed air chambers don't absorb water. According to Flycraft's Randy Swanberg, Plastazote foam is made by blowing gasses into molten polyethylene (the same substance found in most plastic bags), and EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) foams are created by adding small amounts of vinyl to polyethylene. In general, softer, less dense foams usually have more floatation, while firmer, denser foams are more durable.

Sheet foam. Soft Evasote foam, a type of ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), is the most common fly-tying foam. Polycelon, and Fly Foam are other common names. These are good choices when a soft, compressible material is desired. Sheets are sold from 1/8" to 1" thick.

Recently, firmer and tougher 2mm craft foam, a high-density type of EVA, has become the standard sheet foam and is available in a wide range of colors. Craft foam is easier to use on smaller flies, and it can also be laminated or stacked to make multiple-color bodies on larger flies. Its firmness makes it a good choice for tying extended bodies. Common brand names are Craft Foam, 2MM Foam, Fly Buoy from Scintilla, Cross Link from Rainy's Flies and Supplies, and Thin Fly Foam from Wapsi.

Cylindrical foam. Foam cylinders in many sizes make it easier to duplicate the rounded shape of insect bodies; however, it can be used to tie offshore flies as well. Edgewater and Dale Clemens Custom Tackle sell firm EVA foams that are probably the most durable tying foams. Clemens's cylinders are sold in diameters from 1/32" to 1". Edgewater has trout-size cylinders called Dry Fly Components.

Rainy's Float Foam tubing is the most common round foam, and its molded shape with a smooth exterior finish differs from others. It is sold in four colors and three sizes. In precut EVA cylinders, they sell bumblebee cylinders, damsel bodies, fluorescent parachute posts, and indicator ant bodies. Rainy's has excellent videos on tying with foam, and their foam packages contain great fly-tying recipes.

Flycraft sells blocks of Plastazote and Evasote with prepunched bodies. The finer cylinders are great for smaller trout flies and have the largest range of colors found in small diameter foam. Flycraft's foam is one of the more durable soft foams. SuperAnts, easyHopper, nymphWings, and softPops are similar products, which are sold in different sizes. Inchworm and Blue Damsel Bodies come in one size. The color spectrum of Flycraft's foam will tie other insects as well. There are detailed tying instructions in the packages.

Ethafoam. Gary LaFontaine used this closed-cell packing foam on many of his patterns, including the effective Halo Emergers and Airhead. James Bowen irons the foam flat for the wings on his super-realistic Green Drakes, and Richard Bunses' dun patterns use this material for the body.

Larger pieces of ethafoam are used as foam caulking rods for window insulation and packing materials for TVs or other electrical equipment. Ken Ligas of Scintilla Dubbing sells 1/4" rods of black and gray ethafoam called Round Buoy. Ethafoams are less durable than other foam types--but are more translucent and buoyant.

Tying Tips
Thread. Overall, flat thread works best on soft foam flies. Rounded threads have more tendency to cut foam and flare it. When lashing the foam to the hook, use moderate pressure and a number of wraps to secure it, rather than a few forceful wraps. If you compress the foam with your thumbnail and index finger, it will adhere to the hook more easily and put less stress on the thread. When tying on large pieces of foam, use a heavier thread. Fine-diameter threads are not strong enough to constrict the bulk.

Bases. Foam flies have a reputation for durability, but the bodies tend to twist around the hook shank more than other materials. To prevent this, some type of base is important. Popper hooks can be used, but are limited in styles and sizes.

Tying thread wrapped over a cemented hook shank is the simplest base. Cyanoacrylate (CA) glues--super glue, Krazy Glue, Zap-A-Gap--nail polish, or solvent-based cements work the best. When using CA glues, squeeze some on a piece of plastic, then use a toothpick for application. This allows you to apply small amounts that dry quickly.

Tying foam over a dubbed underbody is another quick method. For a more durable fly, wrap the hook shank with heavy rod wrapping or sewing thread and then coat it with CA glue. The heavy thread should be wrapped in a spiral forward and then back. I learned this trick from popper guru Walt Holman.

Dave Whitlock achieves a durable base by tying heavy monofilament along the sides or top of the hook shank and then super gluing it. Preparing a number of hooks ahead of time will simplify all of these base preparations.

Preparation. To improve the fly appearance and speed up tying, laminate foam sheets together. In a well-ventilated area, coat the foam sheets with an aerosol contact cement and then press them together. After laminating, you can cut the two-tone sheets into strips or bodies. Use heavy-duty tying scissors, sewing shears, paper cutters, razors, or foam body cutters. Three 2mm sheets are about the maximum useful thickness for trout flies. CA glues can be used when connecting small sections of foam. Use a toothpick to spread the super glue on the foam lightly and then press the sheets together.

Double-stick carpet tape is another good adhesive. Although the bond is less durable than glues, it is quicker and neater. A small strip of tape wrapped around the base of foam wings will prevent them from flaring and being cut by the tying thread.

Precut foam bodies make your flies quicker to tie and more uniform in appearance. Wapsi sells premade sponge-rubber bug bodies, which can also be used on other foam flies. Small panfish poppers can be used as heads on large terrestrials. John Faust sells precut, two-tone Chernobyl bodies with either foam or Furry Foam bellies, and Doug Brewer sells single-color Chernobyl bodies. Flycraft sells presized foam rectangles, such as ultraBeetles.

Foam bodies can be cut with scissors, but many tiers use wing cutters, metal tubing, or punches to make bodies. Montana Fly Company sells a wide range of cutters. New craft pinking shears can be used to cut bodies, or the new craft punches work well on thin foam. The block-style craft punches will only fit the 2mm foam. On thicker foam bodies, you can slit the foam with a razor to accommodate the hook.

When tying extended bodies or heads with round foams, many tiers use heat or a flame to taper the end of the body to make it look more natural. In my opinion, trimming to shape with scissors is adequate for all but presentation flies and saves time. The diagonal cut used on Rainy's Hoppers and Stones gives a nice, quick profile, or you can shape the end of the foam with your scissors.

Another simple method is to twist, pinch, and break the foam cylinder. Stretching foam cylinders can also taper them. Another technique I've seen in a Bill Logan bee pattern involves making a V-shaped cut in the end of a foam tube and then super gluing the ends to make a tapered butt. This technique can also be used to insert tails for mayflies and stoneflies. Preparing your material in batches before tying is quicker and more efficient and prevents a fly from being ruined after it is tied.

Parachute posts. To prevent big foam flies from landing on their sides or back, I like to use a parachute hackle around a wedge-shaped foam indicator. After tying in the indicator, tie in a hackle on the side of the indicator and wrap it around the indicator parachute style. To tie off the hackle, wrap your thread through the indicator as you did when you first secured it. This makes the hackle durable, since it has been secured on every half turn.

A more traditional foam parachute post can be made with a foam cylinder. Cut the foam cylinder at an angle before tying it to the hook. This will prevent bulk at the tie-in point. After it is attached, use your thread to lift the wing and post it as if it was a hair wing.

Coloring. Use permanent markers to shade and add highlights, such as body segmentation, to the fly. Most foam will hold marker well. However, if you color Ethafoam, coat it with Flexament.

Foam can also be painted. Rainy sells flexible popper paint, and vinyl jig paints are also good. Chris Windram's E-Z Shape Sparkle Body or acrylic T-shirt paint make good strike indicator spots on flies. Standard enamel spray paint is an option for special effects. Spray through a piece of window screen held against the foam to make veined wings. Foams with a rough surface are easiest to color and hold the finish longer. Tape, plastic films, flash, yarn, and fabric can be used to cover foam.