Shrimps

[sculpin_crusader]

Just a few shrimps i've tied up for next year. Its a Steve Thornton pattern although I used to tie Oliver Edwards shrimp pattern untill I discovered this one. Just as a query does anybody else tie and fish this pattern? Apologies for the poor picture quality.

[sabsman]

Very nice looking shrimp patterns there SC.

Have you got the dressing for these or could you point me to a step by step you may have followed?

The profile on these looks spot on - just what i'm looking to tie for a shrimp invested piece of water I fish regularly.

Sabsman.

[sculpin_crusader]

This pattern is found in Listen to the river vol 1. Basically you build a more pronounced hump by laying very thin strips of adhesive lead to give you the more broader shrimp profile, this is varnished and coated with tippex. It also helps to flatten it to keep it slim but broad. The body is nymph skin 3mm translucent coloured to your preference, I tend to do a pale watery olive, a darkish grey and a pink one. For the legs I use hen hackles, these are very small, I strip one side to keep the fibre count down. These I colour the same for all patterns (watery olive). I tie it with moser power silk and after you've made the body, tie the nymph skin off at the eye with a spare bobbin and follow the edge of the nymph skin with your thread trapping the hackle underneath as you go. Finally give the shrimp a coat of megashine varnish, this is made by helly hansen and is the varnish to use given by Steve Thornton. Take care to not clog up the hackle fibres and try to keep the varnish on the sides and back, I turn it upside down whilst drying. Its not a hard tie but a little time consuming whilst your waiting for things to dry.

[sabsman]

Appreciate the very detailed dressing and quick reply SC - looking forward to having a crack at it.

Sabsman.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by sabsman

Appreciate the very detailed dressing and quick reply SC - looking forward to having a crack at it.

Sabsman.

Likewise.
I have seen these but never knew how to tie them.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
They look solid and would hope they slip through the water easy.
Thanks again.

[sculpin_crusader]

They've got a good enough amount of weight to them. I tie them on Kamasan B100 only because thats what I have, but you could further still increase the weight by using a heavier gauge hook suck as the B110. I dont know what the pattern would look like on the Flashpoint czech hooks, but now they have introduced size 18 and 20 it maybe worth a crack. Size wise I only tie size 14 and 16 but have tied on a size 20 Varivas 2200 which would be the equivilent to a size 18 B100 as the size 18 2200 is the same size as a size 16 B100. But I think you'd have to be fishing for some very cautious fish to have to use this size regularly.

[dabhoy]

They look really nice SC

[jonnied17-2008]

they look very life like, very nice

[Dougie]

Nicely tied. They work very well in both running and still water - don't be afraid to tie some on straight shanked hooks for retreiving techniques too.

My favourite is actually a crossover between the two versions (Thornton/Edwards)....



at this time of year it can be very good pulled through the margins on small stillwaters, particularly if it's a bit rough and the trout are in grubbing around for crustaceans.

Dougie

[sculpin_crusader]

I like it, it does actually look like a hybrid of both. Have you just used partridge? Maybe its just me but it does look fuzzy underneath? I tend to use this fly as stalking pattern, crawling though undergrowth using the catapult cast to very close sighted fish in back waters.