August 20, 2013
By Charlie Craven
Fly Tying The Foam Beetle step-by-step.
Foam Beetle Recipe HOOK : TMC 100Sp-BL #10-20THREAD : Back 6/0SHELLBACK : Black Fly FoamLEGS : Moose HairBODY : Peacock HerlINDICATOR : Orange Fly Foam
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 1 of 12 Start the thread behind the eye and make a thread base all the way back to and partially down the bend of the hook. Return the thread to the seventy-five percent point.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 2 of 12 Cut a strip of foam that is about as wide as the hook gap. Cut the end to a tapered point.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 3 of 12 Tie the tapered point to the hook at the 75% point and wrap back over the foam to just past thebend of the hook.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 4 of 12 Tie in several strands of peacock herl at the bend.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 5 of 12 Bring the thread back to the front and tie in six moose hairs with their butt ends facing forward.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 6 of 12 Clip off the tips of the moose hair that are facing back.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 7 of 12 Wrap the peacock forward up to and past the moose hair all the way to just behind the eye. Tie off and clip.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 8 of 12 Pull three moose hairs to each side of the hook with your fingers.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 9 of 12 Fold the foam forward over the peacock, separating the moose hairs to each side of the fly. Ie the foam down behind the eye with a couple tight turns of thread.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 10 of 12 Clip the excess foam leaving a short stub for the head.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 11 of 12 Tie in a narrow strip of orange foam on the joint between the body and the head. Clip the front flush with the black foam and the back a bit longer so you can see it.
Tying The Foam Beetle Step 12 of 12 Pull the moose hair legs down and trim them just a bit longer than the hook gap.
Charlie Craven co-owns Charlie’s Fly Box in Arvada, Colorado. He is the author of four books, most recently Tying Streamers: Essential Flies and Techniques for the Top Patterns (Stackpole Books, 2020).
