As the story (perhaps apocryphal) goes, someone once asked the British scientist J.B.S. Haldane what we could infer about the Creator from studying nature, and Haldane replied, "I'm not sure, but he has an inordinate fondness for beetles." Haldan's point was that beetles make up some 40% of known insects. And since trout eat insects, it's only logical that trout share this inordinate fondness for such readily available sources of protein.

Earlier this summer, we featured a simple ant pattern, and now here's a matching simple Foam Beetle from Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis. Since summer started late in much of the West because of excessive runoff, we can assume that beetle patterns will fish well all the way into October in many places. Drifted along stream edges and beneath overhanging vegetation, a beetle can draw even big trout to the surface.

In this video, Strolis shows just how quickly one of these patterns comes together in the vise. If you prep your materials beforehand, you can probably whip up a dozen of these in less than an hour. Tie them in several colors and sizes to mimic your local beetles. 

The Foam Beetle from Richard Strolis on Vimeo.

          The Foam Beetle
          Hook: Curved caddis-larva hook (here, a Tiemco 206bl), sizes 6-10.
          Thread: Black UTC, 70 denier.