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UNI Products Fly Tiers Corner
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April 2025
Article and photos by Steve Hudson
Remember 1964? On the radio, rock ‘n’ roll had taken hold…and in the record stores (records…remember them?) was a vinyl disk entitled “Meet the Beatles.” There’s some truly interesting pop history there. You might want to check it out.
But I digress.
Instead of talking about the ‘60s music scene, let’s talk about flies for springtime trout.
Let’s meet the beetles!
Beetles (your scientist buddies will identify them as members of the order Coleoptera) are terrestrial insects, meaning they live on land. They make up about 25 percent of all the animal species on Earth. That’s a lot of bugs crawling around out there on streamside twigs and branches, and some of them end up in the water.
When they trout pay attention!
Especially from spring through fall, beetles of various types can be an important part of a trout’s diet. That’s why fly fishers often carry beetle imitations, even when fishing streams where mayflies or caddisflies are the stars.
Beetles typically have flat, oval bodies that float low in the water with legs outstretched. Trout seem to be aware of that. If you can suggest those characteristics in the imitations you create, you’ll be well on your way to success – and that brings us to the Deerhair Beetle.
Overview of a Deerhair Beetle
The Deerhair Beetle is easy to tie, and it does a good job of presenting those characteristics that trout are looking for.
Hooks: Hook-wise, use a light wire dry fly hook. A standard or 1XL hook is ideal. Beetles float low in the water, and you want to be sure the hook is not so heavy that it causes the fly to sink.
How about sizes? Beetles come in just about every size imaginable, but you won’t need to carry them all. My box holds beetles in sizes 16, 14, 12 and 10, with most of the duty calls going to the 14s.
Thread: When tying this fly, use high-strength thread. That helps you tie down the deerhair without risk of breaking thread. Color wise, I use black or match the body color.
Deerhair: Hair of deer is a great material for making floating flies. In this case, you don’t necessarily want the kind of hair used to create deerhair poppers; it can be relatively fragile in this application. Instead, consider deer body hair (chosen as if you’re choosing elk hair for an Elk Hair Caddis) or the middle or base portion of straight fibers from a bucktail. Other types of hair (notably elk hair) can also be used.
Underbody: Deerhair Beetles usually have an underbody of peacock herl or coarsely dubbed thread. Try both and see what you prefer. Dark or iridescent colors are preferred.
Legs? Yes. But with the tying technique we’ll use here, you won’t need a separate material to make them!
Tying Sequence
Step 1: Start your thread about an eye diameter back from the rear of the hook eye and wind a thread base to the bend.
Step 2: Select a bundle of deer hair. How big should it be? The tendency is to use too much hair, making the bug bulky and clunky. But with just a little practice you’ll become adept at choosing the right amount. In any case, use hair that’s thick enough to provide flotation. That usually means you’ll want to form the actual body from the middle or lower portion of the hair fibers.
Step 3: Now hold the bundle so it hangs off the back of the hook and is above the hook shank. Then tie it in, starting at the bend. Wrap thread over the hair bundle forward to near the eye. Then wrap back over the tie-in and toward the bend a second time. Wrap tightly to secure the hair solidly to the hook. Then use fine-tipped scissors to trim any excess hair from the front (eye) end of the hook.
Step 4: Now form the underbody by tying in and wrapping a couple of strands of quality peacock herl. Alternately, use a coarsely textured, dark or medium-dark dubbing blend.
Whether using herl or dubbing, wrap the underbody forward to near the eye and tie off. At that point your thread will be hanging near the eye, you’ll have a dubbed (or herl) underbody, and the bundle of hair will still be hanging off the back of the hook.
Step 5 (the tricky step): Now form the body by folding the bundle of hair over the top of the hook using your bobbin (dominant) hand. Then use your non-bobbin hand to bring the thread straight up and over to form three stacked wraps at the front of the hook to secure the hair. Tighten the thread as you form each wrap.
Then, immediately, let the bobbin hang free and pull the front of the hair bundle rearward so you can make two or three “insurance” wraps around the hook shank directly behind the eye and in front of the hair.
Step 6: Now tie off your thread in front of the hair bundle. This is one fly where a couple of two-turn half hitches (formed with a half hitch tool) really shine. Once the thread is secured, trim the excess hair close to the front of the body.
Step 7: All that’s left is to add legs – and here’s the neatest way I’ve ever found to add legs to a deerhair beetle. Simply use a bodkin or fine-pointed scissors to cut two or three body fibers at the rear of the body. When you do, they’ll spring forward and form legs. Do this on each side of the fly, perhaps crumpling the fibers a bit to make the legs buggier.
The final steps: With everything complete, I like to coat the hair body with Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails to add durability and enhance flotation. I’ll often add a sight spot, too, using a dab of bright enamel or fabric paint. Yellow works well for me, but choose a color you can see well on the water.
Fishing the Deerhair Beetle
Deerhair Beetles are easy to fish. Simply cast the fly close to cover and let it drift with no added motion. If you can put the fly under overhanging limbs or grass, so much the better. The legs will pick up enough motion from the current to appear lifelike, yielding a great imitation of a real beetle that’s fallen into the water.
While most Deerhair Beetle action will occur close to cover, note that beetles can be blown by wind into the middle of a flow (or can float down from upstream). It’s always worth a few drifts through major current seams just to see what might happen.
