Arizona Cricket

Tied by John Shannon, jshannon@indirect.com

This pattern was taught to me by Chick Scott at an Arizona Flycasters meeting back in December '93. The fly also can be tied in olive, light brown or yellow to imitate a grasshopper. It is best fished during late summer and fall, cast near the bank and brush. As with most hopper / cricket patterns, trout will often strike this fly hard so be ready for a good fight.

Recipe:

Hook- 4XL Streamer #8-12
Thread- Black 6/0
Tail- Black goose biot
Body- Black foam tightly wrapped
Wing- Pheasant or grouse wing feather
Legs- Knotted pheasant tail fibers
Hackle- Black palmered over the thorax
Eyes- Mono eyes
Thorax- Black Chenille

Instructions

1. Tie in a short tail of black goose biot at the hook bend with the flat side facing downwards.
2. Tie in a strip of black foam at the base of the tail. Wrap the foam forward about 1/2 to 2/3 up the shank tightly, forming a double-tapered body. Tie off and clip the excess foam.
3. Tie in a wing made of a wing feather from a pheasant or a grouse over the top of the foam body. Tie in at the front of the body. The wing should extend to the end of the tail. To improve the ruggedness of the wing, coat the feather with flexament prior to tying in.
4. Make two hind legs by tying a single overhand knot in the middle of a few pheasant tail fibers. This gives an approximate 30 degree bend, making the fibers a good cricket or hopper leg imitation.
5. Tie in the legs just in front of the foam body, one on each side pointing backwards (like a real cricket).
6. Tie on mono eyes near the eye of the hook with a figure eight wrapping.
7. Tie in a black hackle and a section of black chenille just in front of the wing. Wrap the chenille forward to the eyes and tie off, forming a thorax. Palmer the hackle over the thorax and tie off.
8. Whip finish in front of the eyes.

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