< With the success many of you have with crickets, either fished alone or tipped on a jig. I decided I needed a good cricket pattern for my fly box. I had tried in the past to tie a cricket pattern…

[Rex Robinson]

/p>

With the success many of you have with crickets, either fished alone or tipped on a jig.  I decided I needed a good cricket pattern for my fly box.  I had tried in the past to tie a cricket pattern, but was never happy with the profile or proportions.  I have a foam spider pattern that is easy to tie and I thought if I could add some shapely legs, a wing and some markings I could produce something that might pass for a cricket to a hungry gill.  I little time at the vise produced this...Foam body makes it float great and a coating of fabric fusion gives it durability.  Tried some with white legs......

p>birds eye view.....gills eye view....Going to tweek a few more things and get some pantone markers with fine tips with a more accurate color.  Hope to post a step by step in fly tying forum soon.  Got a feeling this is going to work as well as my favorite hopper pattern!

[Nyle L. Hepfer]

that is one of the best cricket patterns I've ever seen. Great fly.

[Rex Robinson]

Shawn, the cricket on the left in the top picture is a bottom view, and the last picture is it floating in a glass of water as seen from the bottom.  If you click on the pictures and then click again it should enlarge the picture for you.  .

[Shawn Allison]

Rex, that is one GREAT looking cricket!  Would you mind posting a pic of the underside of it.... just want to know what the bull gills are going to see from below just before their peeling drag and doing circles under the boat. lol.

[Jim Gronaw]

Excellent! You sure do tie a great looking fly!

[Rex Robinson]

Jim these are for topwater, same as my grasshoppers.  I have some other cricket and hopper patterns that are sub-surface that met the taste test.  Figure I could always peg a small bead in front of it to fish it deep.

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Rex...are these designed to float, or to be used as a sinking fly? Most southern boys are tight lining the real McCoy on the bottom with weight or else fishing live crickets below corks.

[Rick King]

Rex , thanks I went out today and picked up some Fabric Fusion and will give it a try...

[Rex Robinson]

Rick, this is made out of 2mm craft foam that most craft stores have for less than a dollar for a 8 1/2x11 sheet.  The fabric fusion seals it but remains flexible and dries clear.  Put some on a toothpick and coat the whole fly.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

They look awesome Rex.....I know they would get crushed in the black waters of the Carolinas!

[Rick King]

Rex , I look very good as is...... wondering how long it takes to tie. I also have never used fabric fusion. Do you coat the whole body with it? Cant wait to see how it is tied.

I'm going to try to make one out of razor foam. The problem with razor foam it is a expensive for the amout you get.