I have found the foam backing , but need the hoolow plastic tubing( that you feed the line through. I was thinking that vacuumm tubing would do the trick. Any suggestions?

Try a the little coffee straws you get at the convenience stores. There are cheap (free) and work great. If they move a little too much, try clear silicone caulk, or goop to anchor it. Good luck.

Steelhead Addict,
What I do is after I make the rag head I will
take my leader with hook already tied to it and thread it about one inch through a very small and sharp needle,then put the needle through the center of the bottom part of rag head thread it up the middle and pull head down to bead and hook.I pre tie several leaders and rag set ups before I hit the river.I don't beleive it's worth the time and effort to run sleeves through every rag.
Just my $0.02 Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

hey Strike Zone. I do the same thing on rags, but use the sleeves for home made aeroflies. If you use a craft needle, you can stick it in to the rubber tubing on your pliers lanyard and thread them rigth on the river. Only takes a few seconds, and is easy to do. If you set the up off center, they'll wobble/spin a little more in the current.
(Hint, Hint)

Try using plastic Q-tips. Clip off both ends and you have a hollow tube.(they come in pink) You can put this through a rag, or you can tie your favorite fly pattern on the tube, leaving a 3/8 inch of tube at head. Put backer rod on end of tube(slide over head,slightly), with a little head cement, and viola, your own custom aerofly.

Excellent , I knew you guys had some tricks. Cofee straws and q-tips, WOW! thanks

Sounds like a hassle using the straws....like a few other guys, I just punch through with a craft needle, and keep it in the box.

My wife got me some craft needles called "crewel needles", for embroidery or some such nonsense. They even have a "needle threader" (flat metal strip with a latched end) that makes even really thick yarn a snap to thread through the needle. Anyways, the needle easily threads your leader and yarn through the foam. I'm new at this, so I haven't caught diddle with my rags (only tried one once, for just a few minutes), but they sure look cool and are fun to make!