Cricket Anyone?

[Scott P.]

or Charlie Boy meets Thunderthighs

I like the Charlie Boy http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/details.cfm?parentID=164  body because it seems to be more secure on the hook, but the front end and legs of the Thunderthighs http://hopperfishing.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/thunderthighs/  look pretty cool so I thought I’d cross-breed

Lot of steps here, but the fly is pretty easy to tie and doesn’t take all that long

Hook – Dai Riki 280
Thread – UTC 140 (olive brown here; couldn’t find my spool of black)
Body – 2mm foam black
Legs (front) – round rubber black (med)
Legs (back) – 1mm foam black & sexi-floss black
Wing – landscape fabric (trimmed to shape)
Indicator – foam

Trim foam strip (hook gap width) to a point (different than Charlie Boy but I’ll explain); poke a hole for the hook

slide foam to back of hook and wrap hook shank with thread

tie a 2mm x 2mm strip of foam to hook shank; helps to bind foam body to hook (leave a tag end on the back – helps elevate the tail end later)

poke a hole in the foam strip at hook eye

pull foam over hook eye and let foam protrude over the front

apply Crazy Glue (gel) on back end

apply some on binder strip

fold strip back over and squeeze at tip

couple soft wraps (don’t want to cut the foam) and pull; thread should be right about where the barb is

cross-wrap over top to where you want next segment and repeat wrap

and again

one more at the hook eye (I know; insects have 3-segment body but fish don’t seem to care)

use razor to cut back end (parallel to hook shank)

trim back end to point (this is why I pre-trimmed the foam; scissors seem to grab foam better and makes it easier to maintain the pointed shape)

add front legs

cut foam on top at front tie-in (original Thunder-thighs has both layers of foam folded over here but on small hooks like this #10, it’s a bit too big for me)

move thread back one segment and add wing (I use landscape fabric; optional but I like the way it looks)

fold the foam strip back and tie off to create head

and trim

rear legs made from 1mm strip of foam cut to shape

tie overhand knot in a piece of sexi-floss

insert rear leg

pull floss tight and trim tag end

attach back legs and trim at tie-in

add indicator strip

trim strip, front legs and you’re done

Regards,
Scott

[C.B. Crumpler]

sweet.

[Colin M.]

That does look pretty darn enticing…I might have to whip a few of those up and give em a whirl.

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