Don's Fly Tying - The Gold Scud

Trout in our BC lakes feed all year round on shimp or scuds. The shrimp are primarily green usually closely imitating the bottom vegetation colour. This is likely because they can better evade predators, including maurading trout, with a colour closely resembling the weeds. However, I have found in my fishing trips throughout the province, a few different scud or shrimp colours, a tint of gold in lakes like Marmot, not far from Nazko, and also at Whiteswan, east of Canal flats. A definite shrimp blueish hue exists in Pass Lake, north of Kamloops off the Lac Du Bois road. This month we will have a peak at a goldish shrimp that has worked for me in Marmot Lake.

Below is a pleasant day on Marmot Lake with sons Trevor and Allen plus fisher dog Pepper.

Materials

Hook--Gamakatsu scud size 10 - 14 or 9671 size 12
Tail--small excess body dubbing
Body--Bottom layer, gold ice dub UV shrimp, top clear or green plastic strip
Rib--Spaced turns clear or gold tying thread
Head--Optional gold bead
Hackle--None
Thread--Thin monofilament

Instructions

An option is to slide a small gold bead to the hook eye. Next roll some UV ice dub fairly thin and insert it into a dubbing loop. Turn it evenly hook bend to the eye. The cut a fairly thin strip of clear or green plastic film and secure it head and tail to the top of the body. Finish with spaced turns of your tying thread around the body, tie off, cement and you have completed a fly that caught a 5 pound rainbow in Marmot Lake!

My latest book, "Fly Tying, Proven flies for the Pacific Northwest", published by Hancock House Publishers, (www.hancockhouse.com), is now available at;
Fly Tying, Proven flies for the Pacific Northwest
This book covers my favourite chironomid, wet, dry and salmon/steelhead patterns. Clear instructions are included on how to tie these flies with minimum equipment using a hand half hitch throughout the fly construction.

Do you want to see the previous fly tying articles?

Monthly Fly Tying Articles from November 1996

Your comments are welcome at " dhaaheim at telus dot net"

CANADA , a clean, spacious, scenic, fun place to visit!