CB's Japanese Beetles

 Above photo: Provided by Debbi T. Walker, an Ohio Photographer. 

Debbi is a talented outdoor photographer who loves to take pictures of insects, animals, and landscapes and often shoots photography around the Mad River, Cedar Bog, and Logan County.

In the heat of the summer, many fish hunker down during the day and will pass up the occasional Caddis, midge, or ant floating overhead. Often, fish conserve energy for a larger, more nourishing food item. During the summer months, fish want to conserve energy and exert themselves only for the most significant meal. 
 
This is called the “Pounds Per Meat Law” (Doug Swisher &. Carl Richards); again, the least amount of energy is expended for the most nourishment possible. This should be the mid-summer mantra for both fishers and fish!  Large ants are another food item that fish will come off the bottom for during the midday sun and heat. If it's windy and the fish are not on the rise, this is what I pull out of my boxes.

Japanese Beetles are one of those items on the surface menu that will spark a fish's interest when nothing else seems to work. Rises to beetles can be vicious and lightning fast for both large and smaller trout. This pattern has saved my summer days on the stream time and time again, especially when it's hot or windy on the river.

This Japanese Beetle pattern is one I have refined over the years and even have changed up since the advent of some better synthetics. Over the years, sheet foam has become more accessible in terms of thickness and color range.

I'm particular about foam thickness as much as I am about feathers and color ranges. Hopefully this pattern will serve you well as a close imitation of the naturals. This particular pattern is always in my vest from July through October.

CB's Japanese Beetle

Thread~ Veevus 14/0 black

Hook~ TMC 531 #13-#19 (odd-sized series) or Partridge Ideal Standard short shank hooks

Body~ Beaver Belly dubbing

            Peacock Herl x3 strands

Wire Rib~ Uni Wire sm fine green

Wing Case~ Loco Foam Beetle Green

Rear Legs~ Micro knotted black or green pheasant tail (make sure you knot these .125"    spaces between segments; do not use commercially knotted hopper legs, they are too big)

Hackle~ Black hackle collar x3 wraps

1) Near the hook bend:
Tie in Green Loco foam a .25" wide segment.
Tie in 2 to 3 strands of peacock herl.
Tie in Green Uni Wire.

2) Begin by dubbing black Beaver Belly into an egg or football shape to create the profile of the beetle's abdomen. Now wrap the Peacock Herl covering 1/2 of the hook shank over the dubbing profile. Now wrap the Uni wire in the opposite direction that you wrapped the Peacock Herl. Now tie in 4 knotted pheasant tail legs, two on each side of the hook. The legs should extend about .125" behind the hook bend. The tie-in point for the legs is right in front of your abdomen. See all images below.

3) Now pull Loco Foam over the entire abdomen section and make 4-5 tight wraps while pinching foam between your index finger and thumb. Snip off the tag end of the foam and secure it down tightly. Now you will have a defined wing case segment. Tie in black hackle in front of the tied-off section of foam. Now wrap black hackle 4-5 turns. This will imitate the front legs and give the fly more stability.

4) Build up a thorax section using black dubbing in front of the hackle collar. Make sure you do not crowd the hook eye. This is actually the hardest part when tying this fly; get your proportions correct early on, and the whip finish will not leave you spewing expletives.

5) Waterproof the fly with CDC floatants. I recommend this because Loco Foam reacts with chemicals in many silicon floatants, which may cause the Loco Foam finish to melt or smear.

This is not a difficult pattern to tie quickly; make sure you use a 2x short-shank, wide-gap hook, such as the TMC 531 or the Partridge Ideal Standard. As seen in the photos above, I use a size #13-#19 TMC 531 (odd sizes); it's a 2x-fine blackened wire hook with a wonderful track record of positive hook-ups.

Thanks for letting me share! ~Clint Bova

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