Material List:
Any true circle hook (I use Gamakatsu Octopus) -4/0-6/0
4-6lb mono -this is the tying thread
Brown bucktail (we’ve all got plenty of this!!)
ginger Crystalflash
2 soft hackle stalks
Black floss
Transparent Craftlace
Striped section off of top of ziplock bag
Very soft tan woodduck or mallard flanks
25lb mono (for burnt eyes)
Quickset epoxy
Tying Instructions:
I need to emphasis that this fetal pattern has been designed to fish in a tidal current and dance with an erratic, terrorized swimming motion when retrieved in short, sharp jerks. Best fished where you would naturally find glass shrimp such as in a tidal rip around bridge and dock structures etc.
A word of caution – In large sizes this is a heavy pattern to cast, you almost have to lob it out! Be careful on your forward cast so as not to get hooked in your neck, back or in your fishing buddy. The hooking power of a circle hook is like a magnet – one of the reasons that I smash the barb down on this pattern.
HOOK: Any true circle hook, I prefer Gamkatsu Octopus Circle hook, all sizes from 1/0 to 6/0
TYING THREAD: One of the most important ingredients, 4-6lb clear mono fishing line – When the fly is complete it all disappears under the clear epoxy.
MOUTH & FRONT LEGS: – Light Brown Bucktail, Tied in before winding the body with 4-8 strands of ginger crystal flash over.
UNDER BODY: – Black floss tied in a hump at the bend – Changing the underbody color will give the finished shrimp a translucent glow of the floss or tinsel color used. Be sure to wrap this well around the bend of the hook.
BODY: – Craft Lace or half-round ribbing on smaller sizes. This stuff is widely available from craft stores and comes in a host of colors, many useful for fly tying. I used the off-clear here that has specks of multi-colored glitter in it here.
ANTENNAE: – Two stripped soft hackle stalks, It’s important to stress SOFT here as stiff materials can cause the pattern to “bounce off” a fishes mouth!- this, I think is the problem with some other shrimp fly dressings – cut off tips.
EYES: Burnt mono fishing line in big ball shape.
Optional – A drop of quickset apoxy (use the 90 second setting epoxy here) is applied to the head section.
ROSTRUM OR HEAD SPINE: The ribbed strip off of the top of a zip lock polybag. Cut to shape and tied in on top of the back section of the body to envelope all head parts. The eyes should stick out both sides of the head spine.
SWIMMING LEGS: three small bunches of soft tan woodduck or mallard flank fibers. Tied in under the body and evenly spaced towards the hook eye. Tie these three bunches facing TOWARDS the eye – they move well when the fly is retrieved).
UROPODS OR TAIL: same as head but double thick and cut to a triangle shape. Tie these in under the hook eye.
The shrimp is finished off with a coat of quick set epoxy along the head, back and sides.
