Foamhead Skater

Originator: Wally Lutz, Fly: Wally Lutz, Photographs: Hans Weilenmann

Hook: #2 to 6 up eye salmon
Thread: Kevlar works best but the flat waxed nylon is good for the wings too. Careful too tight on the foam body and either thread will cut it.
Body: Craft foam
Wing: Any colour of elk or deer hair. The natural colours work just fine but something bright enhances distance and rough water viewing

Notes:

The Foamheads are my own design, for an old idea, skating a fly. They're flies Pierce Clegg uses for Steelhead on the Babine River. You'll appreciate that he makes his living guiding on the Babine for Steelhead and resident rainbows so he doesn't waste his money on flies that don't work.

I've added rubber legs to it and used it on the Athabasca rainbows in smaller hook sizes and they said "Yes."

It makes a fair strike indicator as it will float a large fly under itself. I have no doubt of its suitability for use as a Bass Bug.

Tying tips:

Craft foam cut to a trapezoidal shape with the corners on the wider end cut round. Gray is the standard but the foam comes in a rainbow of colours. For #2 hooks I cut 1 ½" X 1 1/4" rectangles and then cut them in half at an angle so that the narrower part is about 7/16" wide and flaring to 3/4" at the widest the whole being 1 ½" long. Shorten as needed for smaller sizes.

First fold foam in half length wise to find it's center now insert hook in the crease at the narrowest part of the foam about a hook gap deep into the end of the foam. Mount hook in vise spin the foam out of the way toward the rear. Now tie in your first wing, position it above the barb and then spin the foam forward from it's position on the bend.

Hold the thread up and with the other hand bring the foam up and around the under body to either side of the fly. Secure the foam with a couple of thread wraps and bring the thread forward onto the hook shank again. The foam is now pulled down out of the way it should cock into this position.

The mid wing is now tyed to the shank and the foam is again pulled up and wrapped into position on the underbody creating the second body segment.

Again thread is wrapped forward onto hook shank and foam is pulled downward and back out of the way. Tie in the third wing and bring foam up but this time use your bodkin to poke a hold into the foam just below the hook eye and at the point where the eye just starts to bend up.

Stretch the foam up and over the hook eye and tie off the fly just behind the head to create the third and fourth body segments. A couple of shallow nips with the scissors to widen out the flare of the head fan and it's ready to float a lug nut thru Hell's Gate on the Fraser river.


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© 2001 Hans Weilenmann
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