Tying Guide: How to tie Michael Olesen's

Foam Foil Sedge

  • Hook: Maruto d21 size 10 or 8
  • Thread: Semperfli Waxed 12/0 Rust
  • Body/abdomen: Rust-colored Kapok and Hare dubbing mixed 50/50
  • Wings: Foam Foil, 1 mm in thickness, and a small bundle of golden brown deer hair
  • Thorax: Rust-colored Hare dubbing and golden brown Deer hair
  • Antennae: 4 hairs from a moose mane 

01

The idea behind Foam Foil Sedge

To create a transparent fly that floats well

02

Learn how to make Foam Foil Sedge

Pay attention to the little details and take your time

03

Step by Step Tying Guide

High resolution pictures and easy to understand guide

The idea behind Foam Foil Sedge

Information About Foam Foil Sedge

This caddis fly is named after the material from which the wing is made. The material is called Foam Foil, which is a type of very thin foam with closed air cells and a fine plastic coating on one side. Originally, this material was manufactured as packaging to protect items that cannot tolerate water, such as TV and computer screens. A water-resistant material with closed air cells is naturally well-suited for dry flies, and furthermore, it is fortunate that this material can be colored to produce a neat insect-like pattern while still retaining its transparency despite coloring.

Over time, I have tied various versions of this caddis fly. Many of them have had cut wings, but my latest version is a bit simpler and has burnt wings. I have used a wing burner/template personally made for me by Maarten van Eijk from Holland, which I am really pleased with, as it holds the material well even when I need to have both hands free.

Luna Mayfly featured in Gordon Van Der Spuy's new book

The Feather Mechanic II

Briefly about “The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern”

A look into the feature of the Luna Mayfly in Gordon van der Spuy’s new book. What Michael’s thoughts were going into this, and places on the web where the book can be bought will also be mentioned here.

See more from Gordon van der Spuy on his socials and website.

You can find a copy of “The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern” on  www.themissionflymag.com

Fly tying by Michael Olesen

Explore a variety of flies and recipes

Explore flytying from my vise at different levels of difficulty and learn ways to make them with easy step by step guides and simple illustrations. Explore a variety of flies and a passion for fly tying.

My choice of material

List of materials for The Foam Foil Sedge

Material List, everything you need:

  • Hook: Maruto d21 size 10 or 8
  • Thread: Semperfli Waxed 12/0 Rust
  • Body/abdomen: Rust-colored Kapok and Hare dubbing mixed 50/50
  • Wings: Foam Foil, 1 mm in thickness, and a small bundle of golden brown deer hair
  • Thorax: Rust-colored Hare dubbing and golden brown Deer hair
  • Antennae: 4 hairs from a moose mane 
Step by step guide to Michael Olesen's

More About The Foam Foil Sedge

My inspiration, which has now become a “Foam Foil Sedge,” originally came from an article by Paolo Canova in the Italian fly fishing magazine “Fly Line.” In this article, a type of clear and transparent foam is used, which I immediately set out to find. By chance, I came across something similar, albeit with a plastic coating on one side, which fortunately turned out to work really well.

One of the significant advantages of my “Foam Foil Sedge” is that it floats really well. I am tempted to say that it floats for ever, although, strictly speaking, it might be bragging a bit.

Are you ready to tie the Foam Foil Sedge? Then continue reading below in the step by step guide.

Foam Foil Sedge Tying Guide

Part 1 - Preparing The Material

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 1

Place a piece of foam foil in your wing burner; the foil should be about 3 x 4 cm.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 2

Cut the foil very close to the edge of the wing burner/template.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 3

This is how the wings should look after being burnt with a lighter. Do this by running the lighter around the edge of the wing burner template in a single smooth motion.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 4

Fold the wings in half and hold them with straight tweezers along the fold you made, then burn the fold along the tweezers in a fairly quick motion.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 5

The folded wings will look like this after the fold has been melted slightly with the lighter.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 6

Color the wings with brown waterproof marker. I color the wings on both the inner and outer sides, but not both sides at once, as they need to dry up a bit before they can be flipped.

- Michael Olesen
Foam Foil Sedge Tying Guide

Part 2 - Tying The Fly

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 7

Loosely wrap the rust-colored dubbing on the hook shank. I prefer to twist the dubbing in a loop of thread for the sake of the body’s strength and fluffiness.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 8

Tie down the wing about 4-5 mm from the hook eye. It’s a really good idea to trim/adjust the wing a bit so that it reaches well down the sides of the hook shank. The wing should also be nicely centered for the fly to cast well.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 9

This is how the wing and body look from below.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 10

Tie down 15-20 pieces of deer hair in the same point as the wing, on top of the hook.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 11

Deer hair and wing seen from above.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 12

Make a 10-15 cm loop of thread and let it hang 5 mm behind the hook eye. Then, wrap some dubbing on the thorax area.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 13

Cut a small bundle of deer hair from the skin, spread it slightly between your fingers, and place it in a clamp. Cut the hairs with a long pair of scissors so that they protrude 5-6 mm beyond the edge of the clamp.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 14

Twist the deer hair into your loop of thread and wrap them tightly, 4-5 turns, around the thorax area.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 15

Trim the deer hair very short on top and bottom of the thorax and optionally darken these areas a bit with a waterproof brown marker.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 16

Tie down 4 pieces of elk hair behind the hook eye. First I tie them down with a couple of wraps, making them  point backwards.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 17

The 4 small tufts of elk hair pointing forward are now trimmed. The 4 backward-pointing elk hairs are tipped forward and secured with thread. I give the thread a bit of varnish, just for safety. These antennae can be omitted if you don’t want to deal with them during fishing.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 18

I create some bends/curves on the deer hair by holding them and pressing them towards the fly itself. I do this a couple of times until I am satisfied with the result.

- Michael Olesen

Foam Foil Sedge Guide - Step 19

The finished Foam Foil Sedge

- Michael Olesen
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