God's Creation–The Beetle

One of the greatest pleasures of fly fishing is the requirement of close observation of one’s environment. As one progresses, it becomes abundantly apparent that increased observation and attention to detail reveals the complex and beautiful world that God has created. The relationship and interdependence of each part of our natural world surely is the work of God.

Our observations reveal that beetles account for 40% of all insect species (and 25% of all animals) on earth. See Gilliott, Cedric, Entomology (2 ed.) (1995). Given this observation, beetles should account for a decent percentage of space in an angler’s fly box. And for the small stream angler, that percentage should be even higher.

This is a rather straightforward beetle pattern that I created. It is designed to solve a few problems:  

(1) Sight - Small streams, especially canopy laden and/or those in a valley, are notoriously shaded. Even on bright days, sun can be limited and variable. Being able to visually track flies is crucial. While beetles are often comprised of a number of colors, they are often predominately black. Black is tough to track on small streams. Although a flash of white or pearl can be helpful, in sunny areas or in a foam line, it can fade away into the background. For this fly I use SAAP Float-Vis in florescent chartreuse. Other florescent colors can work, such as yellow, pink or orange. The idea is to keep the visual post short so it is visible to the angler but not to the fish and to have a color that will not disappear into the background of the water surface.  

(2) Legs In Water - Bugginess is the name of the game. Providing something that is enticing and that masquerades as an easy, high caloric meal is key. Often, legs are tied too high on terrestrials and they ride above the water and defeat the purpose. So, I tie the legs on the bottom of the fly and arrange them so they gently slope downward in the water. I also use and prefer legs that are somewhat supple, which allows them to move, rather than using stiff legs with little movement. 

(3) Peacock - Peacock herl or spears can use used as the underbelly of the fly. While real peacock is incredibly reflective  of light, it does have a tendency to be brittle. Here, I chose to dub Arizona Synthetic Dubbing in peacock. 

Here are the steps for tying the fly. See captions below photos for more detail.

Click Play Below.

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