Hareline Linguini Foam is a pre-cut, narrow, closed-cell foam strip designed for quick, consistent foam bodies and accents on terrestrials and attractors. Its linguini-like profilelong, rectangular, and slightly compressiblemakes it ideal for segmented bodies, foam sandwiches, and clean, repeatable silhouettes without the tedium of slicing sheet foam into uniform widths.

Because the width is dialed for trout-sized terrestrials, it builds buoyant yet balanced profiles on hooks in the 814 range. The foam is flexible enough to cinch down for neat segment transitions, resists tearing better than brittle sheets, and comes in practical earth tones plus hi-vis colors for sighters and hot spots.

How to Use It

Secure a strip at the bend with two light pinch wraps, then increase tension as you advance, creating spaced compression wraps to form clean segments. A tiny drop of thin superglue between stacked layers locks in foam sandwich bodies without bulk. For hoppers or Chubbies, tie one strip on top and one below, add a sparse dubbed thorax, then bind the foam down again at the head. Trim to a gentle taper with fine scissors, and color the segments with waterproof markers for mottling. The material pairs well with polypropylene or Widows Web wings and barred rubber legs.

Keep thread pressure firm but controlled140D or gel-spun makes neat, flat wraps that wont cut the foam. When making extended bodies, bind the strip to a needle or mono loop, segment forward, add a drop of glue, and transfer to the hook. A brief pass near (not in) a lighters flame can round square edges for beetles, but go sparingly to avoid shrinking. UV resin topcoats on wear points (like the head tie-in) extend the flys life without killing float.

Example Flies

Chubby Chernobyl: Use two Linguini Foam strips (e.g., tan over purple) on a size 1012 wide-gap hook. Tie the rear segment at the bend, add a white or chartreuse poly wing, sparse ice dub thorax, and barred round rubber legs at the mid and front tie-downs. The pre-cut width keeps the body symmetrical so the fly rides true and easily suspends a 2.53.5 mm tungsten dropper in rough pocket water.

Morrish Hopper: Build the abdomen with a single Linguini strip segmented forward over a dubbed underbody on a size 810 long-shank hook. Notch a small V in the tail end for realism, add a deer hair or poly wing, and bind a second short foam tab at the head for the thorax cap. A light marker mottling on tan foam plus mono rib makes a durable, high-floating hopper that still lands softly.

Fat Albert: Stack two contrasting Linguini strips (e.g., black over tan) to create a buoyant foam sandwich on a size 812 2XL nymph hook. Add splayed rubber legs at the thorax and a short flash or Widows Web wing for visibility. The narrow strip width keeps the pattern from getting blocky, so it punches through wind, stays upright, and remains visible among glare and foam lines.

Why We Like It

Pre-cut consistency saves time, trims guesswork, and delivers uniform bodies that track straight. The strip width suits the most-used trout sizes, building buoyant profiles without the clunky bulk you get from wider sheet foam. It takes marker well, glues cleanly, and the slight stretch lets you torque down for crisp segments without tearing.

On the water, flies tied with Linguini Foam float long, recover after fish, and carry a tungsten dropper without needing half a bottle of floatant. For guides and high-volume tiers, its a fast, repeatable way to produce durable hoppers, beetles, and attractors that stay in the film where fish actually eat them.

Comparable Materials

Wapsi Thin Fly Foam (12 mm sheets) covers more sizes and shapes but requires cutting your own strips; its versatile, yet slower and less uniform for production tying. Hareline Fettuccine Foam is the wider siblinggreat for big hoppers, stoneflies, and bass bugswhile Linguini handles the medium trout range with cleaner proportions. Foam cylinders (Wapsi/Rainys) excel for ants and beetles with rounded profiles, but theyre less adaptable for long, flat bodies. Rainys colored foam sheets are durable and vibrant, though youll be matching widths by hand, which can introduce bulk or asymmetry compared to Linguinis ready-to-tie strips.