Published Nov 30. 2018 - 5 years ago
Updated or edited Nov 29. 2023

5 Minute Bug

This little beetle imitation is amazingly lifelike. Using few and ordinary materials, Russian tyer Dmitri Tseliaritski makes it quick and easy to tie.

Finished 5 Minute Bug
Finished 5 Minute Bug
Dmitri Tseliaritski

I have featured the amazing patterns of Russian tyer Dmitri Tseliaritski before. His hallmark is the very lifelike and convincing imitations.

This pattern is no different. It's a small beetle imitation, very simple in method and materials, and even quick to tie – hence the name – but as always with Dmitri's patterns it's very close to a natural and even easy to adapt to other color schemes, imitating a very wide range of beetles.
I write "close to a natural" because this fly doesn't necessarily imitate a specific species of beetle, but is a generic pattern, which can be adapted to look like various naturals.
In the colors shown here, the 5 Minute Bug is not far from looking like a small brown cicada with non-transparent wings. Tie it in black and you have a very useful general beetle imitation.

One of the things that makes this fly easy to tie is the use of hair for legs. Many of insect and terrestrial patterns have more meticulously made legs, which look very real. This pattern has a bunch of flared deer hair, which represents the legs, and it does a fine job.

The materials are quite plain, the only less common one being the black tipped feather used for the wing. Still, this is a very easily obtainable feather, coming from the sides of a common or ring neck pheasant, which is a bird so widespread, that you should have no problems obtaining a skin. The common pheasant skin – like the skin from its fancier golden cousin – contains a wealth of useful feathers and is worth getting a hold of anyway.
Apart from that you will need some tan foam, some deer hair and a bit of dubbing.

The wing side
The belly side
Top and bottom
Dmitri Tseliaritski
Materials
Ring neck pheasant
Materials
Dmitri Tseliaritski - Lukasz Lukasik, WikiMedia
5 Minute Bug
Pattern type: 
Terrestrial
Originator: 
Dmitri Tseliaritski

This little beetle imitation is amazingly lifelike. Using few and ordinary materials, Russian tyer Dmitri Tseliaritski makes it quick and easy to tie

Materials: 
Hook
Kamasan B170 size 10
Thread
Brown, 8/0
Feelers
A few deer hair or grizzly feather barbs
Body
Tan 2mm foam
Abdomen
Dubbing, dark and light brown
Legs
Deer hair
Wings
Dark tipped ring neck pheasant feather
Skill level/difficulty: 
Easy

Tying instructions

Click on each image for details. Use your arrow keys to go through each step. You can also check out the video below.

Thread and feelers

Foam

Tie in foam

Rear dubbing

Main body dubbing

Front dubbing and legs

Leg butts trimmed

Foam bent forward

Foam tied down

Forming head and eyes

Wing feather

UV resin

Tie in wings

Dub over thread

A bug catch
A bug catch
Dmitri Tseliaritski

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