The Mopcorn Beetle was introduced to anglers by the Reno Fly Shop staff in 2020. Since it has become a favorite of fly fisherman at Pyramid Lake. This is a modern variant of the famous Pyramid Lake Beetle, introduced by Ike Barry and Doug Oullette. This updated version swims with more motion during the strip while maintaining all of the buoyancy of the original pattern. We have experimented with several color variations but have always returned to the Chartreuse/Black/Chartreuse combination. Staff and customers have taken this pattern to other fisheries and have reported great success when retrieving subsurface flies for trout, bass, smallmouth and even steelhead.
At Pyramid Lake the best approach is when using a fast sinking line, Scientific Anglers Sonar Surf or Cortland Cold Sink 8, as a single fly or as part of a two fly rig. When combined with a streamer, Midnight Cowboy, in a two fly setup we most often fish the Mopcorn Beetle as the terminal fly. This allows the most swim motion and optimizes the buoyancy of the pattern.
We hope you can check these out and let us know how you do and where you are fishing them. The finished flies and all tying materials are available in-store and online.
Tying Materials
Hook: Firehole 316 #8
Tail: UV Chartreuse Mop Body
Body: UV Lights Chartreuse ESTAZ
Foam: 2mm Thin Fly Foam
Thread: 140 Denier
Mopcorn Beetle
