Red Canyon Foam Cicada
by @john
Foam Cicada · Terrestrial
A loud bug against red rock
A foam cicada in orange and black on a size 8 dry-fly hook, for trout looking up along canyon banks in summer.
Red Canyon Foam Cicada is a segmented terrestrial with a bright orange belly, black back and a pale elk hair wing. It carries a pearl flash tail, barred black rubber legs and an orange foam tab at the head.
- Pattern
- Foam Cicada
- Imitates
- Cicada emergence, typically late spring into midsummer, warm afternoons
- Hook
- size 8
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Orange and black laminated foam body
- Natural elk hair wing for visibility
- Barred black rubber legs that twitch
- Pearl flash tail catches light
- Size 8 dry-fly hook
On the water
Orange foam on the belly, black foam on the back, cinched into neat segments. A tan elk hair wing lies along the top, a wisp of pearl flash trails behind, and four barred black legs reach out from the thorax. A small orange tab sits up front like a cap.
Cast it tight to rock walls and shaded seams when the bugs are buzzing in the trees. Let it land with a soft splat, sit, then give it a twitch so the legs kick. Long drifts under overhanging branches are where it earns its keep.
Laminated foam is the heart of it. Glue the black sheet to the orange one first, cut a strip the width of the hook gap, and keep the thread wraps firm but not crushing so each segment stays plump and floats high.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Use 2X to 3X tippet; the foam body and legs can twist lighter line.
- Fish it dead drift tight to banks, then add a single short twitch.
- Hang a small nymph 18 to 24 inches below when fish are slow to rise.
Where and when
- Water
- Green River, Flaming Gorge, Northeast Utah
- Hatch
- Cicada emergence, typically late spring into midsummer, warm afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Canyon rivers, tailwaters, undercut banks and slow, shaded edges
- Also fishes
- Doubles as a hopper or stonefly search pattern on summer freestones, and holds up a small nymph as a dry-dropper indicator.
Also on this water
- CicadaJun
- Blue-Winged OliveApr–May, Oct
- CaddisJun–Aug
Fished out of Dutch John and Vernal.
Make it yourself
Intermediate5 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Foam Cicada
- Style
- Terrestrial
- Hook
- Dry-fly 2X longsize 8
- Thread
- Black 140 denier
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailPearl Krystal Flash
- BodyBlack over orange laminated 2mm foam
- WingNatural elk hair
- LegsBlack barred round rubber
- HeadOrange foam tab
Details
- Imitates
- Cicada
- Colors
- Orange, Black, Tan, Pearl
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the hook and lay a black thread base from eye to the bend.
- Tie in a short bunch of pearl Krystal Flash at the bend, about half a shank long.
- Cut a strip of laminated black-over-orange foam as wide as the hook gap, with a tapered end.
- Tie the foam in at the bend, orange side down, and wrap the thread forward.
- Fold the foam forward and bind it with firm wraps to form three or four even segments.
- Stop at the two-thirds point and secure the foam down hard.
- Stack and tie in a clump of elk hair on top, tips reaching just past the bend.
- Tie in a pair of barred rubber legs on each side, splayed forward and back.
- Pull the foam over the thorax, bind it behind the eye and trim to leave a small orange tab.
- Build a neat thread collar over the tie-down point.
- Whip finish and add a drop of cement to the collar.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about half the shank length beyond the bend.
- Body foam: width equal to the hook gap.
- Wing: tips reach to the end of the body, not past the tail.
- Legs: each roughly one shank length, front and rear pairs angled out.
- Head tab: short, about the width of the hook eye past the tie-down.
Tips (3)
- Glue the two foam colours together a day ahead so they bond fully before cutting.
- Stack the elk hair so tips line up; an even wing looks cleaner and sits flat.
- Use a strip of masking tape as a guide to space segments evenly.
Common mistakes (4)
- Over-tightening segment wraps cuts the foam; use steady, moderate pressure.
- A body strip wider than the gap blocks hooksets; trim it to gap width.
- Leaving legs too long tangles the tippet; cut them to about a shank length.
- Too much flash in the tail looks heavy; a few strands are enough.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 8 · Materials only · 12 flies
$44.15
$3.68 a fly
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$3.95
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$7.90
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Black barred round rubber$3.50
- Orange foam tab$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 48 flies
$106.59
$2.22 a fly
Bought separately $112.20 · you save $5.61
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$13
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$11.85
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$19.75
- Natural elk hair$22
- Black barred round rubber$14
- Orange foam tab$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 144 flies
$262.90
$1.83 a fly
Bought separately $298.75 · you save $35.85
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$35
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$31.60
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$59.25
- Natural elk hair$55
- Black barred round rubber$35
- Orange foam tab$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$194.15
$16.18 a fly
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$3.95
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$7.90
- Natural elk hair$5.50
- Black barred round rubber$3.50
- Orange foam tab$7.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$249.09
$5.19 a fly
Bought separately $262.20 · you save $13.11
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$13
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$11.85
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$19.75
- Natural elk hair$22
- Black barred round rubber$14
- Orange foam tab$19.75
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$394.90
$2.74 a fly
Bought separately $448.75 · you save $53.85
Includes Dry-fly 2X long · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly 2X long$35
Thread & wire
- Black 140 denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Pearl Krystal Flash$31.60
- Black over orange laminated 2mm foam$59.25
- Natural elk hair$55
- Black barred round rubber$35
- Orange foam tab$59.25
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- cicada
- foam
- terrestrial
- dry fly
- orange
- black
- elk hair
- rubber legs
- trout
- canyon
- summer
- size 8