Materials
| Foam Cylinder | White foam cylinders (7mm) - available at fly shops; this is what makes this fly work |
|---|---|
| Bodkin | Heated with the lighter and shoved through the center of the foam cylinder |
| Lighter | To heat the bodkin before poking it through the cylinder to accommodate the shank |
| Wire | Galvanized wire (fine) - twisted to make the eye and the shank which inserts through the foam cylinder (wire is available at dollar/hardware stores) |
| Nail | Headless small diameter nail in wood block - used to form the eye and the initial 3 twists of the shank |
| Pliers | Grips the eye and allows the continuous twists to make the shank (after removing the eye and wire from the headless nail) |
| Wire Cutters | As required to cut the wire or the twisted shank |
| Super Glue | Secures the shank inside the foam cylinder |
| Beading Wire | Coated SS; 7 to 19 strand (available at craft shops like Michaels); stiffly attaches the trailer hook to the protruding end of the shank |
| Paint and Marker | Yellow fabric paint and black permanent marker pen - a yellow eye with black pupil on the foam cylinder |
| Hook | Barbless, short shank, wide gape, trout size (#4 - #8) |
Notes
A white foam cylinder surface skater fished with a trailer hook sitting 1 to 1.5 times the foam body length behind. The foam cylinder's action on the surface entices fish, and any back-end material can be used for balance. Cast and strip it off the beach for cutthroat, which will sometimes rise from nowhere to chase the waking fly.
Published in December 2021 (Vol 54 No 10), page 14.