Tying Hans' Cricket Fly

Tying the Hans' Cricket Fly 

Cricket fly patterns have become a staple in my summer fly selection. Bill Logan’s Big Secret Cricket has been a huge producer for me over the past 4 seasons. I recently began tying a variation of Hans’s Hopper to mimic a cricket. The resulting pattern, Hans’ Cricket fly, has been working very well on recent outings.

Materials:

Hook: Daiichi 1260 size 8-12

Thread: 140 Denier Black

Tail: Black/Red Flake Sili-legs

Body/Head: 2mm Black Foam

Abdomen/Thorax: Ice Dubbing

Legs:  Black/Red Flake Sili-legs

Antennae:  Black/Red Flake Sili-legs

Wing: Black Krystal Flash

Strike Indicator: Hot Pink Ice Dubbing

Tying the Foam Beetle Fly

Tying the Foam Beetle Fly

Materials:

Hook: Daiichi 1280
Thread: UTC 140 Denier
Body: 2mm foam
Underbody: Peacock or Black Ice Dub
Sighter: Orange 2mm Foam
Legs: Black Krystal Flash

The foam beetle fly pattern is easy to tie, but remains one of my top producers during the summer months. Trout love to eat beetles (and ants) that are blown into the water. I tie this pattern in sizes 12-18. Black is my best color, but i have had success with olive and brown versions.


Happy Tying!

Tying the Chernobyl Ant

This is a great all around summer attractor or hopper imitation. This color scheme has been a great all purpose color for me. It seems to cover a variety of big terrestrial insects- hoppers, crickets, flying ants, and big beetles. I tie this pattern in sizes 8-14.

Tying Hans' Cicada

This fly surprised me, it caught fish on the small streams that I fish in the Black Hills. It brought large trout to the surface when nothing else would. Do they take it for a cicada? I don't know, but it does catch fish. This fly is inspired by the cicada patterns I encountered in New Zealand. I tie it in a size 6 but it can be tied larger or smaller depending on the size of the bugs in your neck of the woods.