FTF Fly Pattern - Kirk Dietrich - Shrimp Head

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[Guest rich mc]

now you have my mind racing to tweak it into a crayfish pattern for up here in illinois thanks rich mc

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

now you have my mind racing to tweak it into a crayfish pattern for up here in illinois thanks rich mc

 

I'll be interested to see what you come up with. I think by just adding silicone legs like below does it for me. Although I'm sure something simulating claws off the rear would be more crawfish-like.

I did these late last year and named them Crawshrimp. I would add more weight than the tutorial to get it down quicker.

 

Kirk

 

[agn54 0]

Great looking fly as usual Kirk, and great SBS. Do you make your own craft fur dubbing brushes?

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks AGN. Yes, I do make my own brushes. I used to do this fly with a dubbing loop and wrap the body and trim the fibers from the botton and shape the top the same as below. With the dubbing brush, I just pull it from front to back and back to the front without wrapping. I think I use less of the brush this way. I think I may get three, 15 inch brushes from one large craft store patch of craft fur and then I'll get four or five of these flies from each brush.

 

Kirk

[Tailn'Jax 0]

Excellent fly Kirk. I've been making lots of shrimp eyes lately as well.

[Henry Franklin 0]

Nice Kirk!!!

 

Henry F.

[iFly 0]

Lovin the flies! Might have to try some soon. Good tie, Kirk

[lykos33 0]

Kirk, I met a gent tonight that makes and fishes shrimp much like yours. He said he fishes them fast in the Bras d'Or lakes here in Cape Breton. IO didn't have time to dissect his fly so I came home and pulled yours out of the databank. I opened a "Word" document and copied and pasted your pics and directions. Now they are printed and stuck to the wall in front of me to help me through the first few...hope ya don't mind I swiped your pattern idea, but they say 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'.Your's is the first I have gone to those lengths to emulate...

Murray

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks Ryan, Henry and ifly. Ryan, I'm out; I've got to make a batch soon; thanks for reminding me.

 

Murray, I wouldn't put this out there if I didn't mind people using it at their bench, that's why I take the time to explain the steps the best I can. In fact if you go to my photobucket page where you'll find some interim pics that I coudldn't fit here in the pattern data base upload. http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/q195/kirkdiet/Fly%20Tying%20Tutorials%20-%20SBS/Shrimphead/

Two things to note when tying this, you can add more weight to the top of the hook for a faster sink rate and also, you can tie in the dubbing brush at the rear and palmer it forward or make a dubbing loop at the rear in lieu of a brush if you don't have a dubbing brush. Then trim the excess fibers off the bottom to help ensure it rides hook point up.

Also, while this looks like a standard "bendback" fly and you may ask, why not just tie in a wing at the head, the difference is when you tie it like this or palmer a dubbing loop or brush is that the fibers stay with the fly and it holds it shape better when worked through the water. When I used to fish bendbacks a lot I was always not very happy with the way the body/hook seperated from the wing as it sank between strips.

I hope it works for you and as with cooking recipes, a fly recipe is just a go-by meant to be tweaked and adjusted to your own taste.

 

Kirk