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I picked up the details for the backwater beetle from this site last year and used them all summer long with great success. I was not all that proficient as a tier when I first started tying it but with a little practice had them looking pretty close to the ones I had seen online. The real trick was in obtaining the correct foam and I remember early attempts were marred by using a much stiffer foam I obtained from the cellar and not a fly tying store! Anyway after finding the correct material it became much easier and the results can be seen in the attached photos. 

I used this fly in backwaters on the Goulburn during the irrigation season and found them invaluable. Most fish (that were not tail up head down in the mud) accepted it or if not the Cochybondhu with few refusals. In the case that the fish did come up and look at it and didn't take a change down in size seemed to work well. These flies caught me many fish on the Yarra on some private stillwaters near Ballarat. They also worked very well on the South Island where my guide was happy to swap them for some of his exquisite quill bodied spinner patterns! I would recommend them in sizes 14 - 18. The larger versions are good searching flies and you can hand a small beadhead below it and still keep it floating. The smallest version I save for the extra fussy fish with the standard being about a #16. I have also found in my limited experience that the Seal's fur versions work better than the Antron ones I have tied when Seal's Fur was unavailable.