How to Tie Foam Fly Rod Lures
Foam-bodied fly patterns are inexpensive to make and easy to tie. These flies can be used effectively when fishing for various species. Popular species such as panfish, bass and trout can all by taken using a foam-bodied fly. The following directions will help you tie a foam-bodied grasshopper fly pattern.
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Things You'll Need
- Hook
- Vise
- Thread
- Closed Cell Foam
- Yarn
- Ribbing Wire
- Deer Hair
- Scissors
- Rubber Leg Material
Instructions
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1
Place a hook in the fly tying vise. The jaws of the vise should only cover part of the bend of the hook. Most of the hook bend and the hook point should be exposed.
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2
Tie the forward end of the yarn-body material and the ribbing wire to the hook at the point when the hook bend meets the hook shaft. Affix a 1/4 inch strip of closed cell foam to the same point and continue wrapping the foam with thread until reaching a point 3/4 of the way up the hook shaft.
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3
Wrap the yarn body material repeatedly around the hook shaft to create a yarn body that extends 3/4 of the way up the hook. At that point tie off the yarn with a few wraps of thread and cut off any excess yarn.
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4
Pull the foam forward so that the bend in the foam extends slightly beyond the bend of the hook. Tie off the foam 3/4 of the way up the hook shaft, but do not cut off the excess foam.
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5
Wrap the ribbing wire around the yarn body and the foam to create a segmented effect. Tie off the ribbing wire and cut of any excess wire.
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6
Tie a small bunch of deer hair to the hook 3/4 of the way up the hook shaft and position the deer hair at a backward slant to create the appearance of a wing.
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7
From the 3/4 point on the hook shaft, wrap the thread over the excess foam up to the eye of the hook and return the thread position back to the 3/4 point. Pull the excess foam backward from the eye of the hook and tie the excess foam down at the 3/4 point. Trim away any excess foam that extends beyond the 3/4 point.
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8
Tie a piece of rubber leg material on each side of the fly at the 3/4 point on the hook shaft. Wrap the thread around the middle portion of the leg material to make the material flair outward in a manner that resembles insect legs.
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9
Tie off the fly pattern at the 3/4 point on the hook shaft after attaching the legs. Cut off any excess thread and trim the rubber legs to the appropriate length.
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Tips & Warnings
Attach a foam-bodied fly to your line as a strike indicator when fishing nymphs. The foam fly is easy to see and gives you another hook in the water. Many fish will strike the foam-bodied fly rather than the nymph. Try using a paper cutter to cut the closed cell foam rather than scissors.
Durability is always an issue with fly patterns and this pattern is no exception. Put some varnish or head cement on the final thread wrappings in order to increase the fly's durability.
