Quote Originally Posted by mikeb5 View Post
Hey all,
Just joined this forum.I am a member of various other jig and fly tying boards.
Mostly crappie boards.
Just started tying in Feb. of this year. I have a cheap Griffin vice and I recently got a Griffin Odessey.Have not tied any flies YET.
Been tying crappie jigs.

Does anybody have a link to how to ty a simple cricket?
I think all ya need is blk bucktail and round leg material.He used a # 8 hook and blk thread 210 denier(sp) I think.
A guy tied one at a local shop for my wife and I was gitting material and did not see him ty it.When we left he gave the cricket to us.
I have done a search here and on some other boards but no luck.

Thanks and HF( happy fishing)
mikeb
My intial thought was already mentioned - Al's foam hopper tied in black. This is my initial go to - easy to tie (I add a wing) with good hooking capabilitity since all the foam is on top of the hook.

Shenk's cricket always works.

Somebody was describing (use a straw to push the hair back) what is called a bullet head pattern. Deer or elk hair is tied in tips forward, then pushed back to make a bullet-type head and over wing. An underwing is tied in before the bullet head is made, and rubber legs tied in after.

I'm sure this goes by many names, but here in the Midwest it's called a Wendelburg Cricket.

http://www.danica.com/flytier/jfreund/cricket.htm