Mastering Tying the Foam-Bodied Stimulator for Trout Fishing

Close-up image of a foam-bodied Stimulator dry fly, featuring a prominent white and brown hackle, a bright yellow body, and a red bead head, displayed against a dark background.

Meet the foam-bodied Stimulator, your next go-to dry fly pattern for consistent success on the water. We’re taking the legendary Kauffmann Stimulator, a true titan in the world of trout flies and one of the best dry flies ever created, and giving it a modern upgrade for maximum effectiveness. This isn’t just a classic; it’s a version specifically designed for incredible buoyancy, keeping your fly riding high even in rough water. Personally, this modified Stimulator has outfished everything else in my box, consistently bringing fish to the surface. I think you’ll see why after tying a few of these easy-to-tie foam flies up!

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Close-up of a fly tying hook secured in a vise, ready for tying the foam-bodied Stimulator fly pattern.
Close-up of hands securing thread wraps on a fishing hook while cutting excess with scissors.
Close-up image of a black fly tying hook with orange thread wrapped around the shank, set against a neutral background.

Start by securing your thread wraps on the hook shank. This particular pattern works best with a Tiemco 201R or a hook with a similar profile. The Firehole 718 is another great choice. Once secured, wrap the thread back towards the bend of the hook.

A close-up image of a hand holding a hook with a small section of bleached elk hair secured on the shank, illustrating a step in the fly-tying process for a dry fly pattern.
Close-up of a finger holding a hook with bleached elk hair tail and thread, demonstrating the initial steps of tying a fly.
Close-up of a dry fly pattern in progress, showcasing a foam body with white elk hair and orange thread wraps on a fishing hook.
Close-up of a tied dry fly showing the foam body and elk hair wing, secured on a hook with orange thread wraps.
Close-up of a fly tying setup, featuring a hook with orange thread wraps and an elk hair tail.

For the tail, select a small hank of Bleached Elk Hair (or unbleached for a darker pattern). The bundle should be approximately the size of the hook gap. Secure this bundle towards the rear of the hook, ensuring it extends past the bend proportionally. Note that this tail is somewhat stubby when compared to other patterns, particularly Mayfly styles.

Close-up of a fly tying setup featuring an orange thread base on a hook, with a white elk hair tail positioned above.
Close-up image of a tied fly on a hook featuring orange thread wraps with a white elk hair wing.

Select and secure a length of XS gold wire, allowing it to hang off the back. Make sure you have enough wire to wrap over the body and hackle 5-7 times, as you’ll use it later to secure the hackle in place.

A close-up of a person's hand holding a fishing hook with orange thread wrapped around it, and a green foam piece positioned above. The background is dark, focusing on the fly-tying process.
Close-up of a fly tying setup showing an orange thread wrapped around a hook shank with a small tuft of white material for the tail, and a piece of yellow foam positioned for the body.
Close-up of a tied fishing fly with a green foam body and a white elk hair tail, resting on a fly tying vise.

Now, it’s time to add the foam for the body. To help create a taper, trim the foam into a triangle shape. Then, wrap the foam forward over the body with touching wraps to ensure you completely cover the fly’s abdomen.

A close-up of a person's hand tying a fishing fly, featuring a yellow thread on the hook and brown and white feather materials being added.
A close-up image showing a person's hand holding a hook with a foam body and thread wraps being secured for tying a fly fishing lure.
A close-up of a partially tied fly, featuring a yellow foam body and a brown hackle, with an elk hair wing attached to a fish hook.
Close-up of a partially tied dry fly with a green body, brown hackle, and white wing, held with a vise. The thread is orange.
An unfinished dry fly pattern, featuring a light green body wrapped with brown hackle and a white elk hair tail, secured on a fly-tying tool.
Close-up view of a partially completed foam-bodied Stimulator dry fly pattern on a fly tying vice, featuring orange thread wraps and brown hackle with a white fluffy tail.

Now for the hackle, or at least the first part. Select a feather from your cape or saddle. Ensure the barbs extend to or just past the hook point when flared perpendicular to the fly’s body. Trim the butt end of the feather’s stem, leaving enough for a secure tie-in point. Open palmer the material rearward 7-9 times, adjusting based on how “full” you want the body to appear. Once the feather reaches the wire, hold both the feather and wire, then wrap the wire over the hackle back up the hook shank to secure everything in place. Wiggle the wire when wrapping forward to help sneak between the hackle barbles.

Close-up of a tied dry fly, featuring a foam body in olive and orange, brown hackle, and white elk hair wing, positioned on a fly-tying vise.
Close-up of a person tying a dry fly with an orange thread, brown hackle, and Krystal Flash fibers, focusing on detail and technique.
Close-up of a tied dry fly featuring a foam body, with a brown and grizzly hackle, and crystal flash fibers for added effect.
A close-up view of a tied fly pattern featuring a foam body, brown hackle, and bleached elk hair wing, with a thread wrap visible on the hook shank.
A close-up view of a tied dry fly pattern, featuring a brown and yellow foam body with an orange thread base, brown hackle, and Krystal Flash fibers, positioned on a black fly-tying vise.

Select a few (3-6) Krystal Flash fibers and attach them to the fly towards the rear of the thorax. Next, fold the material over itself rearward, secure it, and trim it to length. The Krystal Flash should either match or extend just past the tail length. This will also conveniently mirror the length of your hair wing, which you’ll add in the next step.

Close-up of a person holding a fly tied to a hook, showcasing the tail and body details of a dry fly pattern.
Close-up of a person tying a foam-bodied Stimulator fly, showing the thread being wound around the hook shank and the tail made of Bleached Elk Hair.
Close-up of a fly-tying process showing a partially completed dry fly with Elk Hair tail and body wrapped with orange thread.
Close-up of a person's hand holding a fly-tying hook with orange thread wraps and white elk hair, preparing to tie a foam-bodied Stimulator fly.

For the wing, select a good bunch of hair from your Elk Hair hide, typically starting with a clump about the diameter of a pencil. Thin it out by cleaning out any underfur and removing broken hairs. Once prepared, stack the hair in a hair stacker to align its fine tips. Measure the wing’s length to match your Krystal Flash, then secure it firmly in place in the thorax region. Finally, fully cover the butt ends with your thread and build a smooth taper forward.

A close-up of a meticulously tied dry fly, featuring an orange thread body, elk hair wing, and a mix of brown and grizzly hackle feathers, with sparkling Krystal Flash fibers visible.
Close-up image of a tied dry fly with foam body, hackle, and elk hair wing, showcasing orange thread wraps and glimmering krystal flash fibers.
An intricately tied dry fly with a foam body, featuring an orange thread wrap, brown and white hackle fibers, and a touch of Krystal Flash for added attraction, positioned on a black hook.
A close-up image of a tied dry fly pattern, featuring a foam body with orange thread wraps, brown and grizzly hackle, and a wing made of light-colored elk hair, along with Krystal Flash accents.

Now for the finishing hackle. Select a feather using the same method as you did for the abdomen hackle. This feather should typically be slightly larger than the body to create a natural slope to the fly. Secure this feather right in front of the wing, and leave it in place for now.

A close-up image of a foam-bodied fly, the Stimulator, being tied on a hook. The fly features a bright orange body, bleached elk hair wing, and a dark hook, with the tying thread visible.
Close-up of a tied fly showing yellow thread wraps, a mix of bleached elk hair and grizzly hackle, with Krystal Flash added for accent.

Now, let’s add some superfine dubbing for the under portion of the thorax. I’m using Amber to create a nice transition between the abdomen and thorax, similar to the original Kaufmann Stimulator stylings. Dub a tight noodle and wrap it forward, making sure to leave enough room at the front to tie off your thread after the next hackle step.

A close-up of a partially tied fly pattern featuring a foam body, bleached elk hair tail and wing, with shiny Krystal Flash fibers. Thread wraps are visible on the hook shank, highlighted against a dark background.
A close-up image of a foam-bodied Stimulator dry fly pattern, featuring a mix of bleached elk hair, gold wire ribbing, and Krystal Flash, designed for trout fishing.

Now, wrap the hackle forward over the dubbing. While these are tighter palmer wraps than those on the body, they should still be open wraps. Typically, about 5 wraps are enough to finish it out. Finally, whip finish and add some head cement for durability. Your fly is now ready to get some trout looking up!

Recipe:

  • Hook – Umpqua 201R 10 – 16
  • Thread – Uni 6/0 Orange
  • Tail and wing – Bleached Elk Hair
  • Body – Thin Foam
  • Hackle – Brown and Grizzly
  • Ribbing – XS Gold Wire
  • Thorax Dubbing – Superfine Amber

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