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
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
Wow Scott - that is an outstanding Cricket and step-by-step… Great photos and demo…
As you probably know out West where by now the fish have been hammered with hopper patterns… the Cricket is the ticket! Let us know how is does on the real judges.
