Beginner’s Fly Tying: The Turbo Beetle

Turbo Beetle

Summer soon will end and now is the time to think about seasonal-transition fly patterns, which will be useful for a variety of fresh water species. As I began to think about an ideal fly pattern for our September tying session, I considered what artificial fly would both advance the fly tying experience for our beginner fly tiers, as well as provide yet another standard fly pattern for use at this time of year. For those reasons, our September 19th tying session will feature a very realistic and relatively easy-to-tie beetle pattern called the Turbo Beetle. In advance of the September 19th class, I suggest class participants search for and watch a YouTube video on tying this fly produced by Tim Flagler’s tightlinevideo.

The next Beginner class will be held 7:00 PM on September 19th at Trinity United Methodist Church. As always, we welcome fly fishers who have never* tied an artificial fly to join our beginner fly tying classes; equipment and materials are always provided to newcomers (and PVFF club members) to the ‘world of tying artificial flies.’

*Note for all fly tying newcomers: For the past several months our PVFF fly tying instruction has been broadened to provide monthly instruction for members who might never have tied a fly (true beginners), as well as for those who have some experience in fly tying and wish to expand their tying skills and broaden their knowledge of the natural species which we try to replicate. 

By Don Fine