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big_fish

tying foam flies

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any one have any patterns for foam I picked up some nice 2mm foam over at walmart in black,red,white,green and orange there were a few more blue and pink Ithink any ways there .33 cents I found one pattern on fly fish tv web site a stealth bomber looking thing any thing would be great. wink.gif

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Just a few quick ideas:

 

-Cut thin strips of foam and wrap them as a body on an elk hair caddis or stimulator.

 

-Cut a strip as wide as the hook gap and use it as a pulled over body for a beetle or humpy style fly, with a peacock, chenille, dubbed or wrapped foam underbody. Don't forget the rubberlegs!

 

-Two or three strips of different colors to make chernobyl ants or club sandwich hoppers.

 

-Two thin strips twisted together until they fold back on each other (furled) make a nice hopper pattern. Try tan & yellow, black & orange (salmonfly) olive and tan, whatever colors you want. Finish with an elk hair wing.

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Hi, big_fish,

Here you are my favourite foam fly beetle, wich is very good for chubs and trouts.

 

user posted image

 

Materials:

Hook: Mustad #6 - #12

Body: brown, red, yellow, black floss yarn

Wings: Brown, black or white cock feathers

Back: Foam strip for the size of the hook

 

And go on, like this:

 

user posted image user posted image user posted image

user posted image user posted image user posted image

user posted image user posted image user posted image

user posted image user posted image

 

You can check also these here:

Beetle:

 

user posted image

 

Wasp:

 

user posted image

Hornet:

 

user posted image

 

If you want to see other flies of mine chek here:

http://www.akulata.com/catalog/cat.html

 

I hope I helped you.

 

Best!

 

Radoslav Kiskinov - the Shark

 

 

 

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Hi Big Fish,

 

I have put a snowshoe rabbit pattern of mine with a detached etha foam body on the database thread for you to have a look as well as everyone.

 

I hope this what you were looking for. Davie

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Great flys Radoslav!

 

I discovered the effectiveness of foam in immitating naturals when I hit puberty laugh.gif . Perhaps foam can be used to augment many existing patterns... hey I recently saw a foam post on a parachute pattern.

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I saw that Stealth Bomber in action both at the end of my fly rod and on Jack Dennis fly rod. The fly was used in the filming of the show Callaway Brim and it works great. I fihsed later at Callaway and it works great. I also had the pleasure of watching Kent Emmonds tie the fly at the Southeastern Council Federation of Fly Fishers conclave. He was filmed there tieing the fly.

 

Kent will be at the 2005 FFF conclave in Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA June 2 - 4.

 

The contact for the show is me.

 

I regularly use the fly for smalliea and what ever will eat it.

 

Nice and durable and simple.

 

Another foam fly is the Gartenside Gurgler.

 

Also a friend and tier, Anthony Hipps has an article forthcomming in Fly Fisherman

using those foam sheets from walmart for a really neat popper he makes.

 

Anthony will also be at the Callaway Gardens Show.

 

Irish

 

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fish,

 

My new found favorite pattern is a size 10 black over orange chernobyl ant with brown legs... I started tying and fishing them this past summer and have taken fish with them on every trip I've made, to every body of water I've visited.

 

Mine are tied from walmart craft foam too... and they're really easy to whip up.

 

I've tried a number of other color patterns too, but nothing seems to fish as good as the black over orange.

 

G'luck,

 

Nate H.

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Foam is the easiest material to not only work with, but tie quickly and actually catch fish on, especially for panfisherman like myself. You can keep these pretty simple, this is a pattern I use:

 

Size 12 hook

Foam body cut to a bug shape and tied on with black thread

Hen Saddle hackle, black tied on in the middle of the bug with two to three wraps

Whip finish

 

This just looks like any kind of bug and makes the right amount of wake on the water, you can take all kinds of fish with these things. Good luck!

 

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i bought a pack of the 2mm foam from walmarts for 5 bucks. there were 40 shets in it and they are half the size of a full sheet. there are a bunch of different colors in them (black, white, 2 shades of brown (light and dark), 2 shades of green (light and dark), blue, purple, 2 shades of red, 2 shades of pink, orange and yellow.

 

you only get a couple of sheets of the least used colors (pink, orange, blue, purple) but quite a bit of white and black.

 

wish they had more browns in them (both dark and tan) but o well, i thought it was a good price for 40 sheets like that. especially for what you would pay in a fly shop for a single sheet of the same size

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Foam flies = thread torque!!

 

When tying foam, it is important to use thread torque when securing the foam to the hook shank. This technique does three things; 1) it helps keep the thread from breaking (some edges of the foam can cut thread). 2) Tie in points will not be as bulky and 3) keeps foam 'square to the shank', the foam will not roll off to one side.

 

To achieve thread torque: First wrap loose, second wrap tight, third wrap tighter, and fourth wrap tightest. Do not try and cinch down the foam on the first wrap. This only brake thread, roll foam, and will not hold foam in place as well, (kinda like stacking hair!).

 

Two things to remember: foam flies are not flies, they are dyno---myte! So if you must use one, might as well use gun powder...cause they are just as effective. Second, foam rides a bit lower (at least my flies do-so do not think that you can see a size 6 black beetle in the water cause it is big, might need to tie in a little orange strike indicator---

 

Good luck

 

 

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thanks to everyone for such great info I'll be at the vise as soon as possible I'll let you know the turn out and if I can figure out this dig. cam maybe I'll post some

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One of my favorites is a foam firefly.I used a size 10 dry hook.Black thread,black foam,peacock herl,and some light yellow antron yarn.First as usual lay down your thread base.Then cut your foam into a strip as wide as you want your body,I tend to make a slimmer fly because fireflies aren't wide like most other beetles.I cut a point at one end of the strip to tie in with [====>.Tie in the foam strip by the point,when you tie in keep the foam off the back of the hook,you will fold it over later.Now tie in one end of the yellow antron yarn,then wrap it forward to the middle of the hook.Now tie in three or four strands of peacock herl.Wrap forward to the eye.Bring your thread back to where the head and body should meet.Now fold the foam over to the eye of the hook.Wrap a few turns to segmant the body and head then bring your thread up to the eye.Wrap again around the foam at the eye and trim.Whip finish and I usually just put a little head cement,and it's done.The foam pretty much floats itself and this works very well around overhanging braches.I will try to get a picture of one to post soon. biggrin.gif

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If you are looking for something in paticular let me know and I'll try to help. My kids just got me a pattern book for foam flies for my birthday. Just drop me a pm or e-mail and I'll scan the pattern if I have it and send it to you.

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