Redrock Orange Foam Cicada
by @sunny
Foam Cicada · Terrestrial
A loud bug over green summer water
A size 8 foam cicada in black and orange with a cream elk wing and barred rubber legs, for trout looking up in warm weather.
A foam cicada with a black back, a bright orange belly and a long cream wing. It is built from laminated black-over-orange foam, cream elk hair, a few strands of pearl flash and barred rubber legs.
- Pattern
- Foam Cicada
- Imitates
- Cicada emergence, typically hot afternoons from late spring into midsummer
- Hook
- size 8
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Black-over-orange foam floats high
- Cream elk wing with pearl flash
- Barred rubber legs front and back
- Tied on a size 8 hook
- Orange head tabs for visibility
On the water
A thick slab of foam sits on the hook, black on top and orange underneath. A cream elk wing sweeps back past the bend with pearl strands mixed in. Black legs banded in white kick out front and back, and two orange tabs pop up at the head.
Toss it tight to the rock and let it land with a soft splat. Dead drift it along the seam, then give it a twitch so the legs shiver. On hot afternoons when the trees are buzzing, trout often patrol the banks waiting for one to fall.
Laminated foam is the heart of this fly. Glue the black and orange layers fully flat before cutting, so the edges stay crisp and the two colours read as clean bands from the side.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 2X or 3X tippet; the foam and legs can twist lighter line.
- Let it sit after the splat, then add one short twitch before the drift ends.
- Hang a small nymph 18 to 30 inches below for a dry-dropper rig.
Where and when
- Water
- Green River, Flaming Gorge, Northeast Utah
- Hatch
- Cicada emergence, typically hot afternoons from late spring into midsummer
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Bank edges, riffle seams and slow green pools under rock walls
- Also fishes
- Also works as a hopper or beetle stand-in along grassy banks, and as the top fly over a dropper in summer riffles.
Also on this water
- CicadaJun
- Blue-Winged OliveApr–May, Oct
- CaddisJun–Aug
Fished out of Dutch John and Vernal.
Make it yourself
Intermediate4 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Foam Cicada
- Style
- Terrestrial
- Hook
- Tiemco 5212size 8
- Thread
- Black UTC 140 denier
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- BodyBlack-over-orange laminated 2mm foam
- FlashPearl Krystal Flash
- WingCream elk hair
- LegsBlack-and-white barred round rubber legs
Details
- Imitates
- Cicada
- Colors
- Black, Orange, Cream, Pearl, White
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 8 hook in the vise and start the black thread at the eye, wrapping a thread base back to the bend.
- Cut a foam strip about the hook gap wide with a tapered end, black layer up and orange layer down.
- Tie the foam in at the bend, then bind it forward along the shank in firm segments, leaving the front third clear.
- Stop the thread about a third of the shank back from the eye and pull the foam down tight there.
- Tie in four to six strands of pearl Krystal Flash on top, trimmed just past the bend.
- Clean and stack a clump of cream elk hair and tie it on top so the tips reach slightly beyond the bend.
- Tie in a rubber leg pair on each side at the wing tie-in point, angled forward and back in an X.
- Bring the remaining foam forward over the tie-in, secure it, and trim the front into two short tabs.
- Trim the leg lengths to match, about one shank length each.
- Whip finish under the foam at the tie-in point and add a drop of head cement.
Proportions (5)
- Foam body width roughly equal to the hook gap.
- Elk wing tips reach just past the bend, about one and a quarter shank lengths from the tie-in.
- Flash strands trimmed level with or slightly beyond the wing tips.
- Rubber legs about one shank length each, front and rear.
- Head tabs short, roughly a quarter of the shank.
Tips (4)
- Stack the elk hair well so the tips line up and the wing lies flat and even.
- Use a few loose wraps first on the foam, then tighten; this stops it rolling off the top of the shank.
- Pre-cut several foam strips with a razor and straightedge before tying a batch.
- Barred legs move more when left uneven by a hair, so trim with sharp scissors and a light hand.
Common mistakes (4)
- Cutting the foam too thin makes the fly ride low; keep the strip as wide as the hook gap.
- Crushing the foam with heavy wraps tears it; use firm but not cutting pressure.
- Leaving the elk butts long under the foam makes a bulky head; trim them short and at an angle.
- Tying legs in too far back unbalances the fly; set them at the wing tie-in point.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 8 · Materials only · 12 flies
$36.25
$3.02 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$7.90
- Pearl Krystal Flash$3.95
- Cream elk hair$5.50
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$3.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 48 flies
$87.83
$1.83 a fly
Bought separately $92.45 · you save $4.62
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$19.75
- Pearl Krystal Flash$11.85
- Cream elk hair$22
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$14
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 144 flies
$210.76
$1.46 a fly
Bought separately $239.50 · you save $28.74
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$59.25
- Pearl Krystal Flash$31.60
- Cream elk hair$55
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$35
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$186.25
$15.52 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$6.50
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$2.95
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$7.90
- Pearl Krystal Flash$3.95
- Cream elk hair$5.50
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$3.50
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
$230.33
$4.80 a fly
Bought separately $242.45 · you save $12.12
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$13
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$5.90
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$19.75
- Pearl Krystal Flash$11.85
- Cream elk hair$22
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$14
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
$342.76
$2.38 a fly
Bought separately $389.50 · you save $46.74
Includes Tiemco 5212 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212$35
Thread & wire
- Black UTC 140 denier thread$17.70
Materials
- Black-over-orange laminated 2mm foam$59.25
- Pearl Krystal Flash$31.60
- Cream elk hair$55
- Black-and-white barred round rubber legs$35
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
- trout
- orange
- black
- elk hair
- rubber legs
- summer
- size 8
- dry dropper