WHat’s your favorite foam pattern?

[Matt Lewis]

I am very new to tying. I started maybe 2 months agp. I haven’t branched out much from foam, except for cranking out some clousers. I have tied stealth bombers, hoppers, and one bugs. I have so much foam that I am trying to come up with some way to utilize it without tying the same few patterns over and over. I realize I could “google it,” and I have, but thought you guys might know some.

Here is what I have been tying:
Sam’s One Bug (invented by a friend’s dad) – great for bass and panfish

Redeye bass like it…

Shellcracker like it…

I have hooked some 4lb smallmouth on this pattern, but never had the pleasure of bringing them to hand.

Now I have started tying hoppers….

Haven’t fished them yet.

On the docket is: neversink caddis, damselflies, todd’s wiggle minnow, gurglers and beetles

Have I overlooked anything, or anything you guys can recommend?

[M. Wood]

You’ve got a very good start and are doing well.

[Curtis Fry]

Here are some I like to tie. I’m a big fan of damsels because both trout and warmwater fish dig them.

Crickets are also something that can work with both:

And foam STP frogs are fun too…

[Matt Lewis]

Here are some I like to tie. I’m a big fan of damsels because both trout and warmwater fish dig them.

I like this. I just cut some damsel bodies out last night. I really wasn’t sure how to tie them yet. I used the river road creation body cutters. Maybe just some tying thread with peacock hurl around it then tie the foam in? Not sure whther to add legs or not. Maybe some micro legs?

[Phil Brna]

Check out Lee Haskins patterns. Probably not what you are looking for but his gurgler is amazing for topwater tarpon, cuda, jacks and northern pike.

[mike f.]

Matt,

[Matt Lewis]

I have found that  the less I put on top of the fly(wings, indicator foam, ect…) the better it floats upright… Just some food for thought…

Thanks Mike. The above is contrary to what I’ve been reading everywhere else. Not saying you’re wrong, just the first time I’ve heard it. Most people say the more on top keeps it upright better.

[mike f.]

An example
This dang thing was pretty but landed belly up more than it did belly down…. A Good friend and long time tyer suggested I cut the top foam down as much as I could, and make the wing sparce…. It worked. He expanded it to add that a heavy hook would help, and that the foam retains less water than the dear/elk hair or in this case the webweaver(i think that what the call it) therefore the heavy wing can flip the fly… I don’t think every pattern is this way but for the ones I was tying it helped..

[Rob Snowhite]

I call it the ‘scorpion’
Its my go to slider pattern.

And it works.

[Jason DeBacker]

Rob, that second picture is great!

[Ronnie Moore]

Foam is my favorite material but I’m a warm water guy at heart. Lot’s of good looking patterns shown already.

Gurglers are my favorite. Easy to tie and amazing to fish.

I also love frog patterns both small and large.

But foam is really nice because you can do so much with it and the possibilities are endless.

This is a new popper I have been playing with. Kind of based off a crease fly look but that mouth creates a mean pop. They can feel it from a distance.

[Matt Lewis]

Ronnie, those gurglers are something I need to tie.

Mike F., I fished my hopper creations this weekend (not the one pictured above) and although they were my crappy first ties, I had trouble getting them to stay right side up. The hair is not long (or thick) and the foam is not long on top. Anyone else have issues that may cause this?

[Eric Weller]

I love anything that Juan came up with, I love hopper Juan’s!

[lee terkel]

Ronnie… I’m with you on the Gurglers!

[Curtis Bias]

Chernobyl ants and small foam beetles are so easy to tie. The fish like them as well. I use them when pond hopping and cold water fishing too.

Then there is this web page: http://hopperfishing.wordpress.com/
There are some nice hoppers there.

[Scott P.]

Matt,

Those are some very nice flies you’ve tied.  Go with the Crease Fly suggestion – great for bass and saltwater.

A few that have worked well for me:

Foam-backed Convertible (favorite attractor pattern)

Wally Wiese’s GFA

Scott Sanchez Mega Beetle

Rogue Stone (doubles as a hopper)

Neversink Trude

Regards,
Scott

[rob page]

Chernobyl ants and small foam beetles are so easy to tie. The fish like them as well. I use them when pond hopping and cold water fishing too.

Then there is this web page: http://hopperfishing.wordpress.com/
There are some nice hoppers there.

I love fishing Chernobyl ants! Tie them on a size 10 and shorten the legs and you can cast them with a 2wt and still present a meaty target.

They just catch fish (bass).

You can’t see the fly because it’s stuck in the back of his tongue.

[Giles Blencoe]

Hands down, my favorite foam patterns to fish are Kent’s Stealth Bomber and Todd’s Wiggle Minnow. Fun to tie and their action is awesome

[Author]

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