Scud
submitted by Elaine Cook
Scud
submitted by Elaine Cook
Scud, erroneously called freshwater shrimp, are amphipods (7 pairs of appendages, not 10, no carapace). They are a very important food source for trout in waters that have good weed growth, usually alkaline, such as a spring creek. Where found, they are usually very abundant, and trout can afford to be very picky in taking them. They are flattened side-to-side, usually gray-greenish, and swim quickly and erratically. When trout are seen rooting in the weeds, they are usually trying to dislodge cress bugs (aquatic sow bugs, which are isopods), often abundant in the same kinds of water as scud, but which are flattened back-to-belly, are usually about the same size and color as scuds, but cress bugs are not good swimmers. So a scud is tied slim side-to-side, with legs picked out under the shank. A cress bug is tied flat top-to-bottom on a slightly humped hook, with legs picked out to the sides. Fishing either is tough: lots of competition from naturals, fish are picky about size, shape and appropriately natural movement, and either pattern is all too easy to snag in the weeds where it must be fished. A customary way to fish is either a dead drift or with a very slow retrieve, typically under an indicator to keep the fly just above the weeds. Tie to the tippet with a loop knot.
Hook: Most patterns call for a rounded hook like a TMC 2457 which is the shape of a scud when not moving (or a dislodged cress bug). Swimming scud are more straight so a nymph hook like the TMC 3761 (1XL) works well. The legs picked out on the bottom may act a little like a weed guard, but it may also interfere with hooking. A TMC 3769 in the next size up, same length but wider gape, may hook better but snag worse. Take your pick in sizes 8-16.
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 (140 or 70 denier), color to match body, tail and antennae. Scud are tied in tan, olive, olive brown, olive grey, salmon and pink.
Tail: hackle tips
Rib: monofilament (tippet material, just strong enough to make very definite segments in the shellback)
Shellback: soft, thin clear plastic (such as a baggie)
Antennae: hackle tips
Body: Antron or Antron blend
1. Crimp barb.
2. Start thread at mid-shank and cover the shank with thread.
3. Select a small clump of hackle tip and attach to the top of the shank with tips extending 1/2 hook shank length to rear. It should look like a body extension.
4. Cut a length of rib material and tie in on top of the shank at the rear; tie it firmly to the top of the shank with close thread wraps to mid-shank; then double it back and tie it down firmly on top of the shank with close thread wraps back to the rear of the hook, so the excess hangs over the rear of the hook. Head cement or other adhesive on the thread wraps will help to keep the body form on top of the shank.
5. Bring thread to front and tie in antennae out over the eye. (Scud antennae are only slightly longer than the legs and are carried swept back when swimming. However, the hackle tips to the front will help the fly to swim erratically.) Cut a strip of plastic half as wide as the hook gape.
6. Tie plastic ("shellback" or body cover) in one eye length behind the eye, on top of the shank, with the long end extending over the eye. Bring thread to the rear of the shank.
7. Using a dubbing loop, dub a shaggy body forward to the plastic tie in, tie the dubbing loop off and cut excess. Trim excess dubbing from the sides.
8. Pull the plastic snugly over the top and sides of the body. While holding it tightly in place, wrap it firmly with six evenly spaced turns of rib material. Ribbing should be tight, buried in the plastic and dubbing. The body should be slightly flattened side to side. Tie ribbing off just behind the eye and cut excess.
9. Wrap a small head with thread and whip finish. Trim the rear of the plastic to a point, just behind the first rib wrap.
10. Pick out dubbing under the shank, straight down. Cut off any fibers that go out to the sides. Using an Antron blend such as Hare-Tron or even Sparkle Yarn (Aunt Lydia's has wool in it) for dubbing helps with getting nice leg fibers.
11. If you seal the head with head cement, be careful not to get any in the dubbing.
The cress bug is tied using the same materials as the scud. Omit the tail and antenna hackle tips. Tie the rib material on the sides, not the top, to make the body wide and flat. Tie the plastic in right at the eye. Trim the dubbing close to the top of the shank (instead of the sides) before wrapping the plastic down with ribbing. The plastic should be flat along the top, and not extend down the sides. Tie the ribbing off and whip finish with as small a head as possible. Trim the plastic at the rear to a rounded shape, not a point. Pick the dubbing out to the sides, not the bottom, and trim the bottom as close to the ribbing as you can. Fish the cress bug with a true dead drift, slightly slower than the surface current so it doesn't travel faster than the water at its depth.
(Each of you club members is welcome and encouraged to submit your favorite fly for publication here. Please include a picture with your words of wisdom about why it's your favorite, how to tie it and how to fish it.)