Question about rubber legs

[quivira kid]

Okay, I've got a pretty basic question. It's been a challenge for me to get my foam flies (beetles, hoppers, gurgle pops) to have legs that stick straight out to the side. Anybody got any tips for making the rubber legs look good? This seems so basic to me, yet I really struggle with it. Most of the time, the foam pushes the legs down and I end up with a droopy-looking fly.

Thanks for the help!
Zac

[Wes]

a few suggestions...material management. proper time and place to attach rubber. use of thinner foam strips so's the foam doesn't wrap around the hook so much. attach legs outside the foam.

[rainbowchaser]

If all else fails or to replace legs that have been torn off you can use a large needle to pull a single strand of rubber through the fly. Repeat as desired and put a drop of superglue at each entry/exit point to seal up fly and hold legs.

[joe cool]

I used to try figure eighting rubber legs in but it seems easier to just lay the legs right on top of the hook parallel with it, make a loose wrap or two to hold them in place a bit, then tighten the thread up and pull the legs into position on the sides of the fly. Might not be the look your going for but it makes adding legs easy for me. Each strand of rubber gives you two legs on one side of the fly. I'm not sure if this is clear or not so if you can't picture it let me know and I'll try to post some pictures later today or tomorrow some time.

[William Fitzgerald]

Tie your fly,couple extra wraps where you want the legs. Tie in the legs with wraps in the center,with two hands pull one set af legs toward your body and one set away. You should have a four nice legs two on each side.BILL

[Normand]

heres a tutorial i did on another board for a foam spider

just omit the tail and use all black materials and you have a beetle










similar to this one



you can also fold a strand of rubber leg around the tying thread and make a wrap or two around the hook shank. then position the rubber leg to the side of the shank. repeat the process for the other side

[pittendrigh]

Don't tie the legs on, sew them in with a wide-eyed rubberleg needle:



To make a rubberleg needle I heat the eye of a sewing needle to orange-yellow with a cigarette lighter.
Then I use needle nose pliers to jamb the still-glowing eye down onto the point of another needle.
Then you have a rubberleg needle. Couldn't live without it.

[JohnScott]

I really like the way you did the pix with print for your tutorial.

Gives me an idea for doing my next FOTW. Wouldn't have thought of it without your post, but I am pretty sure that I have what I need on my computer to edit my pix to include the tying instructions on the photos the way you did.

Thanks much for the idea.

John

[JohnScott]

...Most of the time, the foam pushes the legs down and I end up with a droopy-looking fly...Zac

.... I have the same "problem" you describe with some of my better ( more effective ) patterns, Zac.

But it seems to me that those patterns are effective, in part, because the legs do droop down and create a lot of movement and action in the fly / for the fishies. Low riding terrestrials ( and stoneflies ) are probably easier prey for the fish than perky, high riding, leg strutting, about-to-escape bugs.

The droopy leg models might not look as good when shown to other fishermen, in the flesh or via the internet, but when it gets down to what matters ....

[CoachBob]

I'm guessing you want legs at more than one location on the body. Let me make three suggestions:
1. If you knot the legs they will look a lot better hanging down (very natural). You knot them BEFORE you attache them and make the knot by forming a loop with the leg and pulling the tag end of the leg through the loop with forceps. Lick and tighten. Licking is necessary to keep the knot from untying.
2. If you want straight legs, your foam may be too wide to have them (unless you use #3 below). OR, cut the foam in a beetle shape and make the fly chernobyl style attaching the legs in Madam X fashion. No fold over here.
3. Rotate the hook in your vise. Attach legs ON THE BOTTOM of the hook shank (as seen from the top of the fly) with a figure 8 wrap. When you fold over the foam it should not extend below the hook shank and Voila! straight legs.