11/02/24 Fly Tying Class

We will tie three Craft Store Foam Flies for Panfish and Bass.  I will begin with a short PowerPoint presentation that offers hints and guidelines when tying with craft store foam.

I will show you the foam, the hooks and other materials I use for foam flies.  They are:

·       Foam:  Two-millimeter foam sheets available at Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Amazon.  Colors are your choice but good ones are green, yellow, black and tan.

·       Hooks:I use multiple hooks.  They include sproat hooks in sizes 6 through 2.  The Mustad 3366 is a good choice. Nymph hooks in sizes 6 and 8 will work. Streamer hooks such as the Mustad R74-9672 in size 6 are acceptable. Another good and inexpensive hook is Eagle Claw’s Aberdeen hook in sizes 6 and 8. I use streamer and Aberdeen hooks for foam grasshoppers.

·       Rubber Legs: I prefer those with small diameters such as silly legs.  But any rubber legs will suffice.

·       Ice Dubbing or Micro (small diameter) crystal chenille or Estaz.

·       Thread:  I try to match the color of the foam or chenille I am using but that is not critical. Most important I use a thread that is strong enough to hold the foam in place on the hook without being so fine that it slices through it or breaks while cinching the foam to the hook.  Generally, I use a 6/0 Denier thread.

·       EP Fiber, kip tail, craft fur, or elk hair.  Each of these materials make acceptable hopper wings.

·       Black Sharpie – Not necessary but good for accenting a finished fly.

·       Locktite Super Glue, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, UV glues or Head Cement. Not all are required.  But you will need some kind of adhesive. 

Note that I will bring the above items from my own stash of materials including enough foam and hooks for everyone.  You may use my items if you do not have your own.  But if you can supply any of the above materials from your inventory that will speed our session along.

We will be tying these three flies:

Please email your questions about this session directly to me: fsffmd@gmail.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Mark Bange