Hannie's Spotted Cucumber Beetle

The other day Fred Hannie of Realistic Fly Tying posted this image on his Facebook page and I asked him if I could share here as well.  For reference this beetle is tied on a size 18 hook.  I find his fly tying to be really quite amazing.

 

Fred wrote...  "Like many of you I spend a lot of time looking at the insects in and around the waters I fish . Just about any bug found near a fishing spot is just one sudden gust of wind away from ending up on the menu . Apart from the many aquatic species and terrestrials that we tie to imitate are a variety of garden insects that appear in numbers large enough or often enough to make inclusion into the fly box. 

 

The Spotted Cucumber Beetle has a size and color that make it an attractive fly to both fish and fishermen. I used 6/0 white thread and monofilament in 40 pound and 10 pound for the body .  4M monofilament thread was used for the antennae and legs . The coloration was done with permanent markers and the thread was sealed with a flexible head cement." 

 

Check out the Realistic Fly Tying website for more examples of Fred Hannie's work.