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How To Tie Eric Schmuecker’s Foam Frog
Foam Frog
Recipe:
Hook: Tiemco 8089, size 10
Thread: There is none, now how often do you have a fly that doesn’t require thread.
Foam Body: Bug body, 4mm Foam Legs: Ant Body, 8mm
Glue: Zap-a-gap
Rattle: Micro
Eyes: Doll eyes , 4mm
Legs: Round rubber legs
Markers: Prismacolor, green, red, black, yellow
Step 1.
As Eric would say, to get this step right, you need to know how to carve out pumpkins. This part can be tricky the first go around, but you need to keep the knife cutting at an angle. You want it to be cut in a canoe shape. And pay attention to hook size for the correct proportion when shaping this hole for the fly rattle.
Step 2.
Once it’s cut you can proportion it according to the hook size. Notice the point of the body is right behind the eye of the hook. The back will be cut for the bend of the hook.
Step 3.
Push the rattle in the top section of the body.
Note: In the recipe it calls for round rubber legs for the front legs. This step can be done two ways, but we’re going to do this by gluing the rubber legs between the two bug bodies that will be glued together. We actually forgot to do this step so I hope the way its explained will be enough. Round rubber legs are together in very long strands. Cut a strand about 2 inches long and keep two strands together. You will sandwich them when you glue the two bodies together. The other way to do this is by taking a bodkin needle, it needs to be long enough to go through to the other side of the body. Poke it through the top portion of the bug body. By creating this hole you can now take a threader and push it through one side until the diamond part is showing on the other side. Then take the rubber legs and go through the diamond like you would do to thread and slide it back through. The legs should now be on both sides of the body.
Step 4.
When applying the zap-a-gap just add little drops around one side of the body. Sandwich them together and hold tightly for a few seconds.
Step 5.
Now take two ant bodies and glue the bigger end on each side of the body.
Step 6.
Add a drop of zap-a-gap on each side of the legs and bend the leg forward. Hold it for a couple of seconds and it should stick.
Step 7.
Now add the eyes the same way.
Step 8.
Color the belly first. I like to use yellow or the lighter shade green out of all the colors of green.
Step 9.
Now the top can be done several ways. But you want to add the larger spots (with a darker green) first and then you can outline them with a black marker.
Step 10.
With another shade of green, you can now add some more spots to blend the whole thing together.
Step 11.
The last and final step is to add the red on the sides for the gills. It’s optional, but the kids like it.
