I finally tied one on (somehow that doesn’t sound right) on Monday and did a little injured minnow retrieve. Short little strips, a moments wait, then again. Didn’t have any takers and was afraid of losing the fly that I plan to use as a model in an upcoming swap. I’m open to hearing of your experiences with one of Hatch’s miracles. JGW
Sorry, the only experience I have with Jelly Beans are with the ones you eat. I have not had the pleasure of fishing one of Jim’s creations. 
Hey JGW,
I have not tied or used any of Jim’s Jelly Beans yet but I have been using what I call a size 8 Aberdeen foam pusher (round head) that is a Dremel bug from Jim’s article. I have had really good success with it on bream and LMB since I have been using it. Yellow is my favorite color but I tie it in green chartreuse , black and yellow, orange, tan, and other colors also.
[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/082205fotw.html:b38b5]Creative Foam Fly Tying - Dremel Bugs[/url:b38b5]
It is the fly below Jim’s Flying Pig :).
JGW,
I think you are on the right track. This is how I have been fishing Jelly Beans, with some signifigant success.
I present the fly with a noticable splash, and then let it sit for a while. Often that is enough as it will quickly get mauled. If that doesn’t get a strike, a few short strips and then sit again, like a minnow on its last legs.
I have also noticed that gills will sometimes come up and “bump” the fly with their nose and not take it, I presume to see if it is alive. One short strip after that bump will almost always bring a strike.
As the man says, your mileage may vary, but this has worked very well for me. I am looking forward to my local lake turning over and bringing the crappies up, I think they are just going to LOVE Jelly Beans!
Take Care,
Ed
Hey JGW,
I’m still recovering from knee surgury with agonizing
slowness. I have taken to driving to a boat landing
on the lake not far from the house a couple times
daily. I’ve been mostly fishing the Jelly Beans as
they have proven very effective for me. The best
action in my waters seems to be short quick strips
with about a 3 second pause about every 2 to 3
feet. I’m normally getting a fish or at least one
or two hits on most casts. At the landing I’m not
getting the big bruisers but the small to medium
bluegills are all over it.G Also an occasional
cruising bass, particularly near darkness. Several
days ago, I caught and released probably 50 in less
than an hour. Was having so much fun I couldn’t
stop. By time I got home the stupid knee was
throbbing and I spent the evening with the ice bag.
By the way, adding a slight offset to the hook has
reduced the number of misses for me. Warm regards,
Jim
OK-OK!!!
Somebody please post a picture!
Hope you fell better soon jim.
chris from canada
here ya go…
Hey Folks,
Just spent an hour at the landing. Found a decent
spot to sit and flyfish.G Released probably 50 or
more bluegills. A few up to hand sized. Finally
the knee started hurting again and it’s back to the
icepack. Just got off the phone with the Doc. He
wants to see me next week. Said he may have to go
back in. I am not a happy camper. 
I am giving
thought to becoming a pirate. Chop it off at the
knee and get me a peg. Warm regards, Jim
Thanks for the picture Mr Blur !
Neat fly!
Hey jim, sorry to hear about your predicament; don’t think of it as a peg leg, think of it as rod tube for compact rods!
Just kidding,
Hope things go well for you on the visit.
chris from canada
Not at all Blur man! I just checked, both of my
Cabelas Stowaways would fit.G Warm regards, Jim
Hey Dixie,
I just figured out what fly you were talking about
using. It’s the Ladyfishers Nymphomie.G I make
one using chartruese foam, hackle and tailing that
is easy to tie and very effective. Ladyfisher has
a certificate of title to that pattern. You may
owe her some royalties.G The smaller ones with a
few wraps of lead wire on the hook can be made to
suspend at different depths.G Larger ones have
accounted for salmon. Warm regards, Jim
Jim,
I’ve been using that foam pusher for a while now. Good surface fly and the Bluegill just won’t leave it alone :). All kinds of bream on it and even some Bass on it. Mine is slightly different as I use small punched out foam discs from foam sheets for the segments rather than shaping them on the Dremel. The only part I shape on the Dremel is the round head. Deanna will have to put it on my tab :D.
Hi,
I liked the look of those, but I didn’t have any foam. However, I figured I could do something similar with cheniel and wool. I used some red wool tied in cross-ways to the hook to make some “hot spots” for the gills, and used white cheneil for the body. Trimmed the red wool flush to the white body, and, overall, it looks pretty fishable. Of course, this would be intended as a sub-surface version.
- Jeff
Come on people…tie some up just like Jim has described in his FOTW article. I did when it came out and made a dozen or more. They are just wonderful. They are about the only fly I have used that gets the spots hitting on our very clear lake. Usually get a hit when it lands. Haven’t gotten the hook ups that I would like though. Maybe my tail is too long. I don’t know if they are shorting it or just spitting real quick.
Barry
my weekend goal! make up some of these babies, and if the knee relents, to do so after some bass fishing. JGW