It's not often that you come across a pattern which is quick and simple to make, catches all sorts of fish and is just plain fun to tie.  One such pattern which has been gaining popularity recently is the very simple but deadly STP foam frog.  This cleaver combination of foam and rubber is responsible for hefty catches of bronzebacks, bucketmouths and pike all over the country.  I've even read reports that this little sucker readily fools snook and baby tarpon in the Southern states.  In any event, this fly just plain works!  It's frog-like silhouette, combined with subtle popper action drives just about any warm water species crazy.  Best of all, it can be tied in minutes with readily available materials!

Note:  This pattern is also commonly known as Tomsu's STP Frog and has been popularized by the very effective STP Frog foam body cutters, which are extremely handy however not absolutely necessary to tie this pattern.  The steps below are generic and are not meant to depict the original Tomsu's STP Frog pattern.

Tying STP Foam Frogs
 

1. Using the STP foam frog cutters, or the generic printable templates on the right, cut out two identical frog shapes out of a green and a white sheet of 2mm foam.  If using the templates, simply trace them out onto the foam using a pencil. You can use standard 2mm foam available readily at fly shops and craft stores, or specialty foam such as Loco Foam which comes with an iridescent side.  The color of the foam can vary, creating the potential for countless color combinations.

2. Once the temple has been traced out on the foam sheets, use standard scissors to cut them out.



3. After the foam body has been prepared, secure the hook in the vise, start your thread and attach a 4" strand of 40lb mono well into the bend of the hook on top of the hook shank.  This will later act as a weed guard.



4. Tie in the top portion of the frog's body (green) by laying the long foam extension along the shank of the hook, with the bulk of the frog's body pointing towards the bend of the hook.



5. Repeat the same process for the lower portion of the frog's body.  Note that you may have to slightly rotate the lower section of foam as the hook point will not allow it to extend directly backwards.  Some rotation is fine at this stage as this is not the body's final position.



6. To prepare the hind legs, take 3 - 4" strands of any rubber hackle material and tie and over hand knot to create a joint.  Repeat this process twice to create a left and a right hind leg.



7. Tie in the hind legs parallel to the hook shank, with one leg on each side of the upper foam body.



8. Attach front legs about 1/4 down the hook shank, from the eye of the hook.  The front legs are just single or double strands of the same rubber hackle material used for the hind legs.



9. With all of the legs in place, move the thread in front of the front legs on the hook shank and fold forward the top portion of the frog's body (in this case, the green foam).  Secure the green foam by tightly wrapping it between the abdomen and the head sections of the cutout.  If done properly the foam should somewhat flare.  Repeat the same process with the lower (white) section.



10. Rotate the hook so that it sits upside down in the vise.  Take the strand of mono that was attached in step 3 and pull it forward towards the same point where the foam was tied down.  Leave enough slack in the mono so that it loops just past the point of the hook; this is what creates the weedguard.  Once the loop is the right size (see pic) tie down the mono and trim and excess.  Whip finish and apply head cement to all visible tie down points, including those on the foam.



11. Return the fly to it's upright position and add 3D prismatic stick on eyes.  A frog pattern can also be added to the foam using any permanent, water-proof marker.



Due to the simplicity of this pattern, and it's ability to be customized with all sorts of substitute materials and color combinations, many variations can be created to fit your fishing needs quickly and easily.



Written By: Nick Pujic, © March 2005
Photographs By: Nick Pujic