from In the Loop Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue 39

Marocco: Muddling through the Middle Atlas

Fly Tying:

The Ribbon Shrimp

From late autumn until early spring, the majority of bait fish around the coastline of Northern Europe leave the shallows and head out for deeper water where they will be protected from the bitter cold of winter. Many of the species of shrimp that can be found on the other hand move into deeper tidal pools and onto shelves were the coastline is steeper and falls abruptly away into deeper water.Therefore, shrimps are on the coastal seatrout’s menu the whole year round, and can be found in great numbers. These are particularly important to fly fishermen because they mature in the shallows where we do most of our fishing, and all sea trout fishermen should have at least a couple of good shrimp patterns in their fly box at all times.

By BARRY ORD CLARKE

WHERE, WHEN & WHY?

You may think that a perfect small translucent shrimp pattern fished blind, may not be the easiest prey for a sea trout to notice in a large body of water! and if you fish something that “stands out in a crowd” with a little colour and movement, it may increase the chances of it being noticed and picked-up.

The most rewarding colours for shrimp patterns, in my experience, are red, pink, orange, and olive. Occasionally, it can be worthwhile, tying some very small shrimp flies in sizes 12-14-16 and in more neutral, mundane colours, such as grey and white. Shrimps of all shapes and varying sizes are without a doubt the most important all-year-round food sources for saltwater seatrout. Unlike other seasonal foods like ragworms, sandeels and small baitfish, that the seatrout feed on throughout their first years in salt water. Natural selection takes a favorable view of effective and adaptable feeding, a proficient predatory fish, when feeding, will maximize energy intake and minimize energy consumption. Predators quickly learn to avoid areas where there is little or no food. These rules also apply to the fish familiarizing themselves with the best feeding locations and habits that coincide to the different seasons. So, its paramount that the effective fly fisherman is aware of this and adapts his techniques, flies and strategy to that of the seatrout’s feeding habits. This is especially important during the winter months when food items are few and far between. Look for the signs, deeper bays with vegetation and structure, or the classic leopard bottom, with dark spotted patches of vegetation on a lighter backdrop of sand, where prey can have accessibility to sufficient food and cover from predators.

The natural collection points of wind lanes of all shapes and sizes are also worth working. These collect plankton and other small forage that attract shrimps and baitfish. If there is ice on the surface, which is quite a common occurrence in the winter months, on Scandinavian

coastal waters, pockets of open water generally indicate warmer water or flow. Both these elements will attract prey and predators alike.

FAST OR SLOW ?

Most species of shrimp have three very different ways of locomotion. When foraging for food or resting on the bottom they use their front walking legs for moving short distances on vegetation and other structure. When migrating or moving over larger distances they use their swimming legs. These are located under the abdomen and undulate when swimming, and can be used to propel the crustacean in all directions slowly. But when alarmed or fleeing from a predator they use a contraction of their strong abdomen muscle which results in a powerful rapid snap of the tail plates propelling the shrimp quickly backwards away from danger.

With this in mind, one has a better understanding of the type of retrieve required to imitate a swimming or fleeing shrimp.

Your retrieve will not only decide the speed of your fly but also its action in the water. If you know your prey and choose the correct retrieve, your overall chances of connecting will increase. If you choose the incorrect retrieve even the right pattern may not result in a take or even a follow.

After a few extremely frustrating days fishing earlier this spring, where I had fish following the ‘regular patterns’ I started fishing small. When I say small, I refer to the hook size used and went down to patterns tied on a size 16 short shank hook.

The results were overwhelming! My best seatrout season ever; six days fishing with 78 seatrout with 33 over the kilo mark.

Whilst tying flies at one of the large European fairs, I saw a similar material as Organdie being used for nymph gills. When I returned home, it wasn’t difficult to find at my local sewing shop just for a couple of pounds, and, as far as I can see, it’s exactly the same material as the one marketed by a large fly tying supplier - but for just a third of the price. I have also experimented with colouring the ribbon with waterproof markers but the colour washes out for some reason in salt water, but dying may be an optionthat I have yet to try.

This is an extremely quick and easy pattern, that only takes a few minutes to tie if you use Bug Bond as the shell back, if you use epoxy it does take a little longer in curing time.

Materials//

Hook: Mustad Shrimp C47SNP-DT

Eyes: EP Crab eyes

Feelers/Body: Organdie decretive ribbon

Shell back: Bug Bond

Secure your shrimp hook in the vise with the hook shank horizontal.

Cover the whole hook shank with a foundation of tying thread.

At the base of the hook tie in a short length of lead wire as shown.

Now fold the lead wire along each under-side of the hook shank and secure with tying thread.

Once, secure run your tying thread back to the hook bend.

Select your chosen Organdie ribbon.

Cut a length of Organdie ribbon approximately 15 cm long, depending on the size of hook you are tying on. With a pair of long sharp scissors make a cut along the edging of the ribbon as shown.

You will now be able to pull out the short woven lengths of Organza.

Pull out enough to make a bunch of strands long enough for the shrimp’s beard. Tie in approximately one third of the length of fibres that you prepared for the beard.

Now fold over the remaining fibres. Tie these down so they are a little longer than the first fibres.

Now fold over the remaining fibres. Tie these down so they are a little longer than the first fibres.

Dub your tying thread with a little pearl ice dubbing. Wrap a short collar with this tight into the beard.

Brush the ice dub fibres forward over the beard.

Take a pair of black Easy Shrimp Eyes. One side of these eyes are ribbed. Make sure that this side is upward when tying in so the tying thread gets a better purchase.

With a pair of tweezers bend the eyes upwards as shown.

Tie in the eyes right on top of the ice dubbing collar with the eyes pointing straight up.

Cut a 15 cm length of Organdie. With long straight scissors carefully trim off the ribbons welded edge as shown.

Take the length of ribbon and with long straight scissors divide the ribbon diagonally from one corner to the other.

Pull out all the long fibres that run the length of the ribbon.

Take the ribbon section and pull off a few fibres from the side with the long fibres.

Tie in the ribbon ”hackle” at the widest end just behind the beard. This will create a tapered body, large at the front and smaller at the tail.

Make a couple of wraps of ribbon as you would a traditional hackle and tie off.

Take some clear mono for the rib.

Tie in a length of mono as shown.

Dub your tying thread again but this time cover the whole hook shank back to just behind the hook eye.

Now you can wind on your ribbon hackle forward to the hook eye forming a christmas tree like effect on the shrimps body. Tie off and whip finish just behind the hook eye.