Jake’s Gulp Beetle 01/20/2020 Photo Album
Jake’s gulp beetle has earned the status of indispensable mainstay in my fly box. For some reason I did not use it as frequently in 2019 as during the previous two seasons, but I would not want to be on a stream anywhere in the world without it. Beetles are prevalent in nearly every ecosystem, and trout are keenly aware of their presence.
| Fly Component | Material |
|---|---|
| Hook | Tiemco 2457 or Equivalent |
| Thread | Black 6/0 |
| Overbody | 2MM Foam |
| Abdomen | Dubbing (I prefer peacock) |
| Legs | Black Silli Legs |
| Indicator | Narrow strip of orange 2MM foam |
If you read my original post on Jake’s gulp beetle, you can learn about my introduction to this productive pattern. This post also contains step by step tying instructions; however, I no longer use the slit method outlined in steps 7-9. Simply apply pressure when wrapping the thread between the rubber legs, and this action will create an indentation that mimics the separation between the head and body of a beetle.
Angled View
For some reason I did not utilize the Jake’s gulp beetle as frequently in 2019 as previous seasons. 2019 was a year of late run off and high flows throughout the late summer and fall months, and I suspect that the beetle excels during low clear water conditions, when the telltale plop registers with wary stream residents. Check out my post of 01/28/2019 for additional information regarding Jake’s gulp beetle, and how I deploy them.
A Batch of Five Finished
When I recently counted my supply of beetles, I determined that I had adequate quantities of size 10 and 12. Last winter I tied five size 14 imitations, so I decided to increase that size to ten and produced an additional five. These are available for situations, where the trout refuse the larger beetles.