so i got bored a couple of days ago, tied up a quick beetle pattern using yellow foam generously given by a fellow fly tier. unfortunately, it’s sitting up in the canopy of a very tall tree… (should have taken pictures before fishing it) i need to make a bunch more, when this thing hit the water i swear i placed a magnet in a scrap yard! as soon as i tie another ill post pics, anyone else have a good beetle pattern? or a good story of a fly that shouldn’t have been?
A lot of people will fish palmer dry flies for beetles. A good generic beetle would be a peacock herl body palmered with natural red dry fly hackle, size to suit. If you really want a shell case, wrap your peacock herl from front to bend but don’t trim. then after palmering bend to front, pull up the tips of the herl to the head and tie down. I’m not convinced the shell case is necessary, since it’s on the surface, and by leaving it out your fly can never land wrong side down. A cochybondu (herl with furnance hackle, with black tips if you can find it) is a good beetle immitation as well, tied with a collar hackle rather than palmered.
This is a fly I dressed recently.
Hook: #12
Silk: Orange fluo.
Body: Two strands of Peacock herl.
Hackle: Furnace Hen.
It is based on the old fly - Bracken Clock.
Clock is a dialect word for a beetle.
Ring the colour changes to suit the local beetles.
