FOAM SPRAWLER

SUBMITTED BY: Ruben Breitkreutz


Fly Tied and Photo taken by Ruben Breitkreutz

This is another pattern that I received from Phil Rowley at the 2002 Outdoor Show. You are imitating the Lillelulidae dragonfly nymph (known to many of us as the Gomphus) .

FISHING METHOD:  I have fished this pattern on a fast sinking line and use a short leader to keep the fly near the bottom vegetation. Use a slow hand twist retrieve with a couple quick 2 to 4 inch pulls added to your retrieve.

The takes can be very aggressive, when fishing dragonfly nymph patterns.

 Hook  

 Mustad R 72, size 6-10  

 Thread  

 8/0 olive  

 Body  

 Tan Preformed Foam body (7/8 inch- plump)  

 Legs

 Hen Pheasant tail fibres

 Head

 Tan sheet foam(2 mm) over light olive ostrich herl  
 Glue  Crazy glue to secure the foam body only

 Markers

 light olive, dark olive, brown, tan (match you bottom weed growth)  

TYING NOTES:

  1. Pinch your barb and lay down a thread base on the hook shank.

  2. Cut a slit, 2/3 down the underside of the foam body. Use a pantone pen or a permanent marker to colour the underside of the body before you Crazy glue it in place. The glue will change the colour if you do it later.

  3. Glue the body 2/3 up the hook shank. Secure the foam body with tying thread at the 2/3 point.

  4. Cut a piece of sheet foam half the hook shank for the width of the head.

  5. Tie in the foam against the body and secure it up to the eye of the hook. The foam should hang over the eye of the hook.

  6. Tie in two pieces of light olive ostrich herl on top of the secured foam. Bring the tying thread back to the front of the body. 

  7. Wind the herl back towards the body and tie off the herl. Trim the excess herl.

  8. Pull the sheet foam over the ostrich herl and tie off the foam. Build a small mid-body with the tying thread.

  9. Tie in two pieces of pheasant tail fibres (three to four fibres each) along each side of the mid-body. Pull on the legs to adjust the length.

  10. Whip-finish the fly and apply the head cement.

Use the pantone markers to colour the foam to match the weeds in the lake.