Geehi Beetle    Geehi Beetle

Hook:   Tiemco TMC 100 # 10 - 20

Thread:   Dark Brown 6/0 - 8/0 Depends on size

Tail: Pheasant Tippets

Rib: Copper or Gold Wire; Fine

Body: Peacock Herl, 1 - 3 bushy pieces

Palmer Hackle: Brown Cock

Hackle: Brown Cock

1/ First off wrap a nice even base of thread starting from near the front of the hook and extending to the point where you are going to tie in your first part of the fly, the tail. This point should be roughly level with the barb on the hook. Once this is completed and you have a good bed of thread proceed to step two. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 1
2/ Take a small bunch of pheasant tippet fibres and make sure the tips are aligned. Measure off against the hook shank so that the tippets are equal to the length of the shank. Tie in and trim any excess. You should have something as is shown in the accompanying photo. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 2
3/  Next take a piece of copper wire and secure it to the hook at the rear of the fly. This wire should be tied in so that it protrudes out from the rear of the fly and is out of the way of your working space for constructing the rest of the fly. Once this is done trim the excess wire and cover with a few well placed turns of thread. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 3
4/ Next take two pieces of good bushy peacock herl. These should be tied in extending to the rear of the fly and with the bushiest side of the feather on the outside. This will allow a good body to be easily constructed as the wrapping of the herl around the hook shank will cause it to stand out at right angles to the hook. Trim the excess and wind the thread forward to a point roughly 1/3 the shank length short of the hook eye. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 4
5/ Now take one of the herl pieces and very carefully wind it forward towards the thread. Make each successive wrap just to the front of the previous one to construct a nice plump body. Care must be taken to avoid breaking the very delicate herl which would mean untying the last step and replacing the broken herl with new pieces. Once finished, tie off and trim the excess herl.  Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 5
6/ Take the second piece of herl and wind forward toward the thread. This time the object is not so much to make each turn in front of the previous one but more so to avoid crushing the previous herl and also to fill in any gaps that may be obvious to the tier. Winding it in a gentle to and fro motion will help you to not squash the herl already in place. When you reach the thread tie off and trim like in the last step. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 6
7/ This step requires you to select a small ginger/brown cock hackle. This will be to used to form the palmered hackle body which part of the reason why this pattern is so deadly. Tie it in angled slightly back and shiny side of the feather facing forward. Trim any excess hackle feather stubs and add a couple of turns of thread to strengthen. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 7
8/ Wind the hackle back toward the wire at the rear of the fly. Use 4-5 even turns to get there and when you do use the wire to make 3 tight wraps around the hackle securing it in place. You can can then remove the excess feather and begin the ribbing of the pattern. When you are happy that the feather is secure and won't unravel go to step 9. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 8
9/ Once again using 4-5 turns of the wire wind it forward to the front of the fly. Be careful to not crush the hackle fibres already in place. This ribbing strengthens the fly and stops the palmered hackle from coming undone. When you reach the thread take tie off and remove the excess wire.  Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 9
10/ We are nearly finished. Select a good quality hackle feather from your cape. Either Ginger or Brown, light or dark. I have used a normal Brown Cock feather here. Tie it angled backwards and with the dull side towards you. This will assist in getting the hackle to stand up correctly right from the very first turn. Once this is tied in trim the excess feather stem and wind the thread forward to the eye of the hook. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 10
11/ Lastly take the hackle feather and carefully wind it forward to the thread. Make sure each successive turn is just forward of the previous one just like in Step 5 with the peacock herl. When you are satisfied with how the fly looks tie off the hackle, trim the excess and apply a couple of half hitches. Tying the Geehi Beetle Step 11

The Pattern

This 'Aussie' pattern has been around a long time and works in a wide variety of situations. It is heavily hackled with a palmered body hackle which means it sits very high and is almost impossible to sink. Great to use as an indicator fly or on it's own in rough water, especially on smaller alpine creeks. The orange pheasant tippets tail is suggestive of some beetles found dropping into our rivers in summer times but more importantly can also represent grasshoppers. In very small sizes can be fished to sippers in calm and spooky back and edge waters and in the larger sizes can be fished all day in rivers like the Big, Howqua, Nariel, Indi, Little Snowy etc etc A must have in sizes #12 - 18 it is both simple to tie and durable. Tie some up and give them a try.

Regards

Antony, David and Geoff