Tying Instructions: Foam Hex

1. Prepare the foam by trimming a 3/8" section from a 1/16" thick yellow closed foam sheet. Trim the foam with a tapered section on each side of the strip. This will give a taper to the extended body.
Step One
2. Attach a sewing needle to the vise and secure the midpoint of the foam strip through the needle. Secure the thread to the needle with some wraps and position the thread where you want to create the first division..
Step Two
3. Wrap around the foam 3-4 times with tight wraps creating the first division, then bring the thread in front of the division and wrap a few times around the needle until you get to the next division position. Step Three
4. Continue to create divisions until you have five equally spaced ones. Then whip finish and put a few half hitches into the last division of foam to secure the thread.
Step Four
5. Re-orient the needle on the vise so the the eye is exposed. Tailing material can be fed through the eye. All you need is about 1/4" of material going through the eye but you'll also want about 2" extending from the other side. Once the tailing material is fed throught the eye, remove the needle from the vise and pull the foam material through the eye. The foam piece should have some of the tailing material exposed and you can lengthen this by pulling on it. Once you have the length, anchor the tailing material to the foam with an application of head cement at the base. Step Five
6. Attach the hook to the vise and secure the thread to the shank wrapping the thread to just in front of the barb. This will be the location for another foam division anchored to the shank.
Step Six
7. Wrap 4-5 times, creating the division than bring the thread forward to the shank, wrapping forward a few times until you get to the final division location, which is just past midshank.
Step Seven
8. Create the last division with 4-5 wraps, then trim off the excess. Clip the corners off the excess to create less bulk.
Step Eight
9. Secure the tag end of the foam with thread wraps, Step Nine
10. Clip off a section of Deer or Elk Hair. Clean out the underfur and even the tips in a hair stacker. Remove the hair from the stacker with your left hand and position the material so that the hair does not exceed the length of the hook when anchored at the end of the body. Wrap 3-4 times, holding the material in place so that it does not slip around the shank. Clip the excess hair off at an angle behind the eye.
Step Ten
11. Secure the butt ends of the hair with thread wraps. Obtain a hackle that is sized for the hook. Clean off some barbs at the base of the hackle and secure the hackle front of the hair wing.
Step Eleven
12. Wrap the hackle 6-8 times, each wrap just in front of the other. Secure the tag end with thread wraps and clip off the excess.
Step Twelve
13. Mount extra-small mono eyes just behind the hook eye with figure eight thread wraps. Mark the body for coloration. Whip Finish.
Step Thirteen

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