Black Foam Cricket Tutorial
Crickets have long been favored among anglers as a lively and productive bait for fishing. Trout, bass, bluegill and other game fish species can be lured and caught with crickets. However, some anglers can prefer to use imitations of crickets, especially those who prefer fly fishing. Foam is a popular choice for constructing cricket imitations as it is durable, light weight and provides flotation for the cricket when on the water. Tying a foam cricket can be accomplished with only a few steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Fly tying vise
- Dry fly hook
- Small diameter black foam tubing
- Fly tying thread
- Formed cricket legs (pheasant tail)
- Scissors
- Head cement
Instructions
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1
Place a long shank dry fly hook in the jaws of a fly tying vise. Position the hook so that it is held securely in place with the vise jaws locked on the bend. The shank should be positioned on top with the point on the bottom.
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2
Wrap black fly tying thread around the shank of the hook. Begin just below the eye of the hook and work the wrapping down the shank to just before the bend.
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3
Place a 2- to 3-inch length of small diameter black foam on the shank of the hook. Position the foam on top of the shank so that one end is located just above the bend shank with the remainder of the length extending down past the hook bend.
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4
Wrap five to six turns of thread around the end of the foam and the shank to secure it in place. Fold the foam forward to the middle of the shank. Secure the foam with five to six turns of thread. Place two tied cricket legs made of pheasant tail on each side of the hook shank. Tie the legs in place with thread at the midpoint of the shank where the foam is also tied.
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5
Pull the foam forward toward the eye of the hook. Wrap five to six turns of thread around the foam and shank just below the hook eye. Trim the foam with scissors just forward of the wraps at the base of the hook eye.
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6
Wrap the foam at the base of the hook eye five to six more times and tie off securely. Coat the tied off thread with head cement and allow to dry before using.
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