SALTWATER -
INSHORE
BAITED BREATH
This is a prawn or shrimp
imitation that
has stood the test of time. Whilst I have seen it in all sorts of sizes
and colours I have found that small flies tied in translucent shades of
olives through to browns work best.
MATERIALS:
Hook - Size 2 to 6
Light saltwater
Thread - Clear mono
Eyes - Bead chain
eyes
Weight - Lead wire
if required
Mouth parts :
small bunch of marabou, rabbit fur or polar fibre
Sieves
- A couple of strands of pearl flash topped with a few strands of super
hair
Legs - Hen hackle
Body -
Translucent dubbing
A)
- Wind the thread in touching turns from the 95%
position to the bend of the hook.
- Tie in a small bunch of marabou, rabbit fur or polar
fibre to represent the mouth parts. Keep the mouth parts between one
half and a hook length long.
- On top of that tie four strands of pearl flash to
represent the feelers. The feelers should be about one and a half hook
lengths long.
- Tie in a small bunch of super hair above
the feelers. This material doesn't really represent part of a prawn or
shrimp but enhances the overall translucent profile of the fly.
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B)
- Tie in a soft hen hackle sparsely 360° around
the hook shank at the 25% position.
- Take just two or three wraps of the hackle.
- Tie the hackle off and trim the butt end.
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C)
- Using your fingers, or by pushing an empty biro along
the hook shank, gently push the hackles backward.
- Wind thread back down alone the fly forcing the
hackle fibres to splay out at around 45 degrees with the tips forming a
collar extending over the back of the fly.
- Take the thread forward to the 1/4 position and tie
in a set of bead chain eyes.
- Return the thread to directly behind the collar.
- Put a drop or two of head cement, Tarzans Grip or epoxy over the eye tie in.
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D)
- Dub on a body of relatively translucent dubbing
material that gets thinner toward the eye of the hook.
- Whip finish the thread, trim the thread and place a
little head cement over the whip finish.
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