Both floating and wet beetles (including drowned terrestrials beetles and aquatic beetles) should be fished in the current with as little line drag as possible or with a very short twitching action. A nondescript well tied beetle pattern if presented in the right way when fish have beetles on their menu, more often than not, will be accepted by fish.
One species that is a popular food source for trout is the tea tree beetle. This representation is tied in shades of black and brown colours that have stood the test of time. Many of the recipes you see use brown raffia as the wing case. I don’t like raffia as a fly tying material and have substituted a hackle from the back of the ring neck pheasant. Its a similar colour to many of the recipes that have come before mine but its much more durable than the raffia.
