Is there different/better foams that I should use for terrestials?

[PaScoGi]

Been wondering if the type of foam I buy for tying terrestials makes a difference in floatability?

Did a google search and didnt see any articles. There was one video on you tube from a salt water guy called backwater fly fishing, he talked about using 1.5 mm, 3 mm, & 6mm, and mentioned open cell foam and closed cell foam?

Anyone have a go-to foam or would any basic craft store foam suffice.

I tie hoppers, beetles, and chubby chernobyls.

Thanks for any help, was just curious.

 

[tomgamber]

Open cell foam is more likely to become water logged. Closed cell foam will not. You can find suitable foam at the craft store but not all foam will do. My 2¢

 

[JeffK]

Foam is another rabbit hole that you can go down, but 95% of my foam flies for terrestrials, bass bugs (like Gurglers) and saltwater flies are made from the 2 mm thick EVA foam you get from the kids section of a craft store. It is cheap, comes in many colors, is readily available and works for nearly every foam bodied fly I tie.

You need black for beetles and ants. For larger bugs you can make 4mm and 6mm sheets by gluing 2mm sheets together with Scotch Super 77 spray adhesive. That way you can get custom color combos. For example, I make up yellow, light orange, light green and gray, light orange, light green 6mm sheets for hoppers. You can make any hopper combo you want to match local hoppers. Same with Chubby Chernobyls - play with the color combos. Try black and orange for cicadas. Maybe putting some bright color on top can help see the fly. For foam tarpon toads I use strips of chartreuse over white and black over purple. You can sandwich a bright color between two black sheets and cut the strip across the width to get a different look. I find the easiest way to cut foam strips is with a rotary fabric cutter against a steel straight edge. You can stack yellow and black and punch cylinders out to make bees and yellowjackets (but unless you tie a ton it is easier to buy premade). Harrison Steeves has all sorts of terrestrial patterns (see disco beetle) made from discs punched from 2mm foam. You can go crazy playing with standard 2mm EVA craft store foam.

The warning is that some craft store foams can be soft, so work carefully with thicker threads so you don't cut through the foam. Fish teeth can chew them up sometimes as well. Some of the fly shop foams are more rugged and appear to be polyethylene foam or a tougher EVA material. Some foams in fly shops seem to be repackaged EVA craft store foam.

Sometimes a round body is needed and you can buy round bodies from Rainys and Bill Skilton.

The thinner foams like razor foam and packing foam are good for smaller bugs, like wingcases for emerging mayflies or midges. But, I don't see much use for them for terrestrials.

If you go off the deep end you may start seeing applicable foam everywhere. For example, Fishy Fullum had cool grasshopper patterns made from the foam in swimming pool noodles and some people made terrestrials from pieces cut out of flip flop soles.

Like most fly tying ventures you can go off the deep end easily, but 2mm craft foam sheets will handle most of your needs.

 

[nfrechet]

i prefer the foam sheets from hopperfishing rather than craft store foam sheets

I do not production tie my foam flies so 8 1/2 x 11-inch sized sheets are a waste of materials for me

Fly Tying Materials | Hopperfishing

www.hopperfishing.com

 

[Bamboozle]

Foam is another rabbit hole that you can go down, but 95% of my foam flies for terrestrials, bass bugs (like Gurglers) and saltwater flies are made from the 2 mm thick EVA foam you get from the kids section of a craft store. It is cheap, comes in many colors, is readily available and works for nearly every foam bodied fly I tie.

...The warning is that some craft store foams can be soft, so work carefully with thicker threads so you don't cut through the foam. Fish teeth can chew them up sometimes as well. Some of the fly shop foams are more rugged and appear to be polyethylene foam or a tougher EVA material. Some foams in fly shops seem to be repackaged EVA craft store foam...

...Like most fly tying ventures you can go off the deep end easily, but 2mm craft foam sheets will handle most of your needs.

Great advice here, especially the part about working with thicker threads. My go to thread for foam is 3/0 Gudebrod that flattens which also helps.

I used to buy all my foam in the fly tying section of Walmart, (better known as the craft section) and occasionally ventured Jo Ann's for different colors. Plain sheet craft foam covered everything for me until I discovered Bill Skilton's offerings.

These days I use his foil foam for my beetles and his plain & stacked cylinders for everything else. I've worked with Scotch Super 77 spray adhesive enough times to know I DON'T want to make my own custom color combos, I'd MUCH rather buy them ready to go!

Besides, I have a hard and steadfast rule about not spending hours of my time fabricating a fly I'm going to fish infrequently when I can buy it. That’s also why I don't make poppers or gurglers either...

 

[JerryC]

I use craft foam I pick up in craft stores. 2 mm is available in all sorts of colors. 6 mm mostly black and white. Sometimes I can find 3 mm foam. If I'm looking for 3 mm or 6 mm in other colors I'll order them on line. I also pick up sticky back foam from craft stores, I use it to make multi-color layers for hoppers, gurglers, even sliders. Foam cylinders I buy. I buy the soft foam popper bodies if I want to make standard poppers. I make a couple different poppers with craft foam circles or hearts.
I can make my own foil foam. I use 2 mm sticky back foam and Art Deco transfer foil. Press the foil against the sticky side of the foam and the color transfers to the foam. These are some beetles I tied up
with foam I made up.
.

Which is better. I think craft foam is the best overall choice for flies. It's easily available, relatively cheap, lots of colors and thicknesses, You can, with a bit of work, make 3-D flies. You can color it with permanent markers. It floats well, though I think it does absorb water, but not at a rate that would sink the fly.
As someone mentioned most of the sheet foams you buy from fly shops on and off line are just large sheets of craft foam cut in 4" x 6" pieces and marketed as "fly foam" Same is true for "Sili Legs" they're just spinner bait skirt layers. They use them to make spinner bait skirts. Cute name, higher price for a smaller quantity because it's fly fishing/tying.

 

[PaScoGi]

Thanks all, great replies! Much appreciated as always!