Experimental Shrimp Patterns

[Der Baron]

Just thought I'd show you a couple of my shrimp patterns, I'm keen to have a go with in and around a few rock marks I have had success at last year. I figure shrimp patterns will work for most fish, but I have tied these mostly with Wrasse in mind, but again I won't complain if anything else takes them.


The Pink one
I've tied the pink ones on a size 6 salmon single, using pink glowbrite floss. The feelers are tied on the bend of the hook, with a pink coloured angel hair, so as to give a more natural shape to the shrimp. the main body is simply pink fritz, and a shell back overlay, with veniard chain link, painted black for the eyes. I wound the pink globrite, back up the shank over the shell back to give a segmented look to the body, and finished it off with the same pink angel hair for the tail or beard.

The Purple One
The same again technique wise, materials slightly different, due to the fact I had no purple fritz, the hooks are slightly bigger Aberdeen size 2's. The feelers are just strands of purple twinkle, the thread is a purple globrite. The main body is a mixture of pink and purple litebrite, with a purple cock hackle wound from the eye to the bend. Again the shell back over the top with the globrite rib, and finished with the twinkle at the beard, or the shrimps tail.

I do have another slightly more natural colour tied using a very light coral and peach material, which looks the part. The hook shapes are probably not ideal, I would want to tie these on giant size buzzer hooks if I could get them, but size 8's are their limit. Another alternative might be to consider smaller circle type hooks, a size 2 might be ideal, I reckon this would give you a more realistic shape to the shrimp, but ultimately that's probably more pleasing to the human eye, and will not matter a jot to the fish, if you get the swimming action right.

Can't wait to get using these, partially as I have high hopes, and because I have just took delivery of a new 9# 9ft travel rod, and hopefully my new Greys GX300 reel arrives tomorrow.

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Last edited by Der Baron on Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lovely lookin flies. I've just started tying myself since christmas and my shrimp patterns would look terrible next to these chaps in the photo. I was tying a few last night and thought i was gettin the hang of it . I'll have to keep practicing after seeing these. Where do you buy your supplies. I'm yet to have a good scour around the net and the local shops here are useless for fly gear. Keep us posted when you get a few fish on them.

wow thats class.bass wud love them

Very nice indeed Paul I am looking forward to hearing and seeing the results of your handy work, the fish won't be able to resist them
Class flies, well done.

Nice looking flies.... Crazy Charlies are also a very nice and easy to tie Shrimp pattern... I've had flounder and small Turbots on these flies off the Kerry beaches so it might be worth trying the beach at early morning as well.... You never know... I like the more natural colours for the beach.

Tight Lines,

Kevin

Great job...will be good to hear how the different colours fish...best luck

Thanks all for the encouraging comments, I do hope that they come up with the goods now, I will let you know, but I can't see me using them until Spring.

Lovely lookin flies. I've just started tying myself since christmas and my shrimp patterns would look terrible next to these chaps in the photo. I was tying a few last night and thought i was gettin the hang of it . I'll have to keep practicing after seeing these. Where do you buy your supplies. I'm yet to have a good scour around the net and the local shops here are useless for fly gear. Keep us posted when you get a few fish on them.

Evans mate, my advice is to keep practising, use lots of ref books, mags like' Flytying & Flyfishing' are excellent, but overall, keep your early patterns very simple. Simple marabou wing patterns with tinsely or fritz bodies are best. Then move onto simple palmered flies for smaller imitations on still waters are good confidence builders. Although I was very lucky in that I had a very good mentor, who basically taught me a lot of techniques over the 15yrs I've been tying. Admittedly I am a bit rusty of late, and would have to say am not totally happy with the shrimp tyings, but that's typical of me.

For sourcing stuff, I used to use the likes of http://www.sportfish.co.uk as they have everything that a fly tyer would ever need. Recently I have come across http://www.meadowfishery.com, who are a good deal cheaper, and infact tonight I have just sourced the ideal hook for the above patterns, and will be ordering some this evening.

Another point is, I would advise using the cheaper materials for sea or less imitative patterns. Marabous, veniard or indian cock capes. Keep the expensive stuff like Keough capes, and seals furs for the fine still water stuff. If I can be of any further help drop me a line.

cheers Paul


PS
Anyone wanting to have a go at Shrimp patterns, I've just sourced the right size and shaped hooks here; http://www.meadowfishery.com/prods/gamakatsu-sc15-saltwater-hooks.html

LOOKING GOOD. IF I WERE A POLLACK I'D EAT THEM MYSELF!!!!!!!!!

Just a small question on the material on the first fly (the pink shrimp), what type of material is the angel hair and the veniard chain link. Also the shell back overlay. I might order a bit of the kit to try and re create one of these if you would't mind me using your pattern. I'll practice away on my minnows and deceivers for a while before i give it a try though. I've only been using dubbing, flash, cock hackle, buck tail and a few of the more easy to come by, simple to use materials till now.

Thanks,
Evan

Just a small question on the material on the first fly (the pink shrimp), what type of material is the angel hair and the veniard chain link. Also the shell back overlay. I might order a bit of the kit to try and re create one of these if you would't mind me using your pattern. I'll practice away on my minnows and deceivers for a while before i give it a try though. I've only been using dubbing, flash, cock hackle, buck tail and a few of the more easy to come by, simple to use materials till now.

Thanks,
Evan

No probs Evan, work away. The angel hair I can't remember where I got it, but any flashabou variant will do just as well. If you can get hold of any of the ultra violet stuff even better. The shell back comes in rectangular sheets, and you cut it to suit, but you can also get it in soft plastic coloured translucent strips. The chain bead comes in varying sizes, which you just snip off. There is a nack to tying them on tho'. If you keep an eye on here I will be tying a more natural couple of variations and I will do a step by step photographic guide. All the above stuff is available on the 2 websites I put links to.

Regards Paul.

Lovely flies Paul, well tied, surely worth a throw for sea trout too near river estuaries come the summer?

Thanks Paul,
All very helpful tips. I'll get a bit of gear off that site and start practicing. I'll let you know how i get on with them. Looking forward to seeing more posts from ya.

Tight lines,
Evan

Just a small question on the material on the first fly (the pink shrimp), what type of material is the angel hair and the veniard chain link. Also the shell back overlay. I might order a bit of the kit to try and re create one of these if you would't mind me using your pattern. I'll practice away on my minnows and deceivers for a while before i give it a try though. I've only been using dubbing, flash, cock hackle, buck tail and a few of the more easy to come by, simple to use materials till now.

Thanks,
Evan

No probs Evan, work away. The angel hair I can't remember where I got it, but any flashabou variant will do just as well. If you can get hold of any of the ultra violet stuff even better. The shell back comes in rectangular sheets, and you cut it to suit, but you can also get it in soft plastic coloured translucent strips. The chain bead comes in varying sizes, which you just snip off. There is a nack to tying them on tho'. If you keep an eye on here I will be tying a more natural couple of variations and I will do a step by step photographic guide. All the above stuff is available on the 2 websites I put links to.

Regards Paul.

Great flies. i have been tying a few shrimp patterns but using gery type colours like the more natural look. I would love to see a step by step of these. Also for the shell/back im using uv gel. I must say it has made tying so much easier. You can get the stuff really cheap on ebay fom china. Lamp nail gel and top coat. Check out ukswff in there fly tying section its well worth a look pat