fly fishing for sea bass | Crazy hooks by Matt Pickup

HOT SHRIMPS

This is something i have been working on for a while now “SHRIMPS”.It has taken a lot of attempts a lot of time an there has been a lot of frustration trying many different materials and adapting many different patterns. There is so many different patterns out there but its creating the right one to suit your fishing for your species of fish. Key to any fishing is confidence in your bait.

Some shrimps look like shrimps and look great but have no movement or don’t sit right in the water. Some don’t look any thing like shrimps but have movement and sit perfect in the water. What i have tried to create is something in-between i think i have done that. These shrimps have been created for Bass, Pollock, Wrasse and the general uk salt water species. Some of the colours may not resemble the natural colours of our uk shrimps but what they do have is a trigger colour which appeals to the fish so they strike. After all the time and effort i have put into these they may just end up being a blow out? only time will tell.

PRINCIPLES OF MY FLIES

Movement: I have tried to create these with as much movement as possible in the legs and antennas.

The legs have been made from orvis silly legs these look great and move great, bright colours something that will stand out to the fish especially when they are moving around in the current.

silly legs

The antennas have been made from buck tail, deer hair and arctic fox tail. These are very fine materials but at the same time very robust. They move great in the water just like real antennas and bring the shrimp to life.

Colour: I have chose my usual colours for bass, pollock and wrasse pink, pearl, natural and orange.

Stability: The shrimps have been weighted proportionately so they will sit up in the water and at the same time don’t sink too quickly. I have used a lead wire as a keel to stabilise the shrimp.

Realistic: Using Bug bond, shrimp foils, marker pens, coloured varnishes and other various materials i have been able to create a body which looks similar to a shrimp.

shrimp foils

MATERIALS

Bug bond, lead wire, silly legs, wire, shrimp foils, varnish (coloured and clear), buck tail, moose hair, arctic fox tail, wing ice, ice uv dubbing, paint, mono, partridge salt water shrimp hooks.