Scuds....where/when/how???

[retrocarp 0]

Retro! When did they change from kg to lb in Australia?

Lolol they didn't but I'm 52 so I still remember the old stuff

[Dave G. 0]

Well, I tried a few scuds in various sizes and colors the other day, and no luck. This is a tailwater, where most of the water is rather shallow, with lots of rocks. there is very little scud-like habitat on his river. Another local river here in CT has a very strong abundance of scuds (from what I've heard). I've heard that many guys use them on that river. I will keep at it. The day I fished was a very slow day, so perhaps they just weren't going to eat anything.

That's ok there is still a fish story to be told yet then !!

 

When nothing wants to bite I usually switch to singing or sink tip line and do down stream nymphing with small Gold Ribbed Hairs Ears. They probably have some fancy name for that these days but that's what I do anyway. GRHE or a Soft Hackle is a decent searching pattern and when fish aren't up top I figure they are on or near the bottom when all else has failed . That tactic has gotten me fish more than once though.

[Bruce Norikane 0]

There's different types of scuds. Not all of them live in slow water. Some tailwaters have plenty of scuds in the riffles.

 

Igotwood - have you seen any normal sized scuds in other parts of this river?

 

Here's a great article by Pat Dorsey:

http://www.patdorseyflyfishing.com/crustaceans--their-imitations.html

[mikechell 0]

Small dip net. Lift a stone and scoop up the critters under it to see what you can "duplicate".

[Guest]

Try them in any freshwater body of water and you may be pleasantly surprised. No local fly shop believes me when I tell them of the major local lakes in which I've found them (because they're believed to only occur in weedy streams and rivers), but after pulling them up repeatedly living on mulm covered branches I've snagged on the bottom, I wouldn't be without a grey #14 scud on any Western Pa body of water ever again. The only problem I face when using them is weeding through the tons of little fish that bite in between the bigger fish that hit it.

[IgotWood 0]

Well, I plan on hitting the water again this Sunday. Ive tied up a couple of simple scuds to add to the stash. I am going to fish them hard over these next few months. Sometimes, a fly or lure comes highly recommended by many. You try it, and are discouraged if not productive right away, and most times, you never try it again. This past year, I have been forcing myself to stick with some of these recommendations, and it has paid off, big time! I plan on scuds being on that list.

[IgotWood 0]

There's different types of scuds. Not all of them live in slow water. Some tailwaters have plenty of scuds in the riffles.

 

Igotwood - have you seen any normal sized scuds in other parts of this river?

 

Here's a great article by Pat Dorsey:

http://www.patdorseyflyfishing.com/crustaceans--their-imitations.html

No, I have not, but I also haven't really looked for them either. I may be there this Sunday, and I plan on bringing a seine net.

[Trampus 0]

Hey Planet Trout!

I fish the same waters you do it would seem...upper and lower Owens and the Gorge. Two questions though...first is I have had trouble finding a good fishable area on the lower Owens...any suggestions as to a good stretch to start? And second...I fish the lakes above the Mammoth Lakes...Crystal, Mcloud, Skelton, Arrowhead and TJ mostly...what color scud would you recommend for these lakes? Thanks for the great post by the way!

[Hookedintheear 0]

This is all very interesting.

[Dave G. 0]

Scuds are interesting little creatures. Sometimes when nothing seems to be going on, scuds are what's happening. I've had luck with them in shallow waters of ponds over weedy bottoms. Sinking line or sink tip line used and just slowly stripping with short little jerks added over the weed tops and bam fish on. So that is a scenario that has worked for me besides in streams and rivers.

 

I read an article once where these two guys were fishing a big lake in a boat and came upon rising fish in fairly deep water. They tried a few different offering with no takers then one put on a small scud, again bam fish on. They both tied on scuds and caught fish. Now this sort of defies my conception of scud fishing, who ever heard of scuds near the surface in a deep lake ? I never thought of it and you gotta wonder if the small scuds were being taken for something else. None the less , the two guys reaped harvest , so really who cares except for the curious mind !

 

One time in a river I couldn't get fish to hook up on the evident caddis hatch. I put on a gray emerger that really looked more like a scud than a caddis, plus I've never known caddis to be gray in there. Again bam, on the hook of a down stream drift I hooked with this corker of a salmon. Scuds just come through for ya sometimes, I doubt that fish knew what it was taking but it more simulated a scud than a caddis ( gray ribbed with a black tungsten bead) and no fish had touched my official caddis presentations prior to this drift. No I think it was taken as a scud. If you think about it, scuds can get stuck in some faster water when a river swells and this river was swollen that entire week for sure ( normal flow of about 1600 CFS and it was running near 3000, any more than that it wouldn't have been safe to try and wade, as it was a drift boat would have been nice).

[josephcsylvia 0]

Dave, I honestly feel sometimes things get eaten because they dont look like everything else, so they stand out more.

[Philly 0]

Here in PA scuds are usually associated with spring creeks usually in slow moving areas with weed/grass patches. Or in lakes and ponds with weed beds. I've never seen them in fast moving waters.

[Dave G. 0]

Dave, I honestly feel sometimes things get eaten because they dont look like everything else, so they stand out more.

Yes, I agree Joe.

[126lineman 0]

There are plenty of scuds in fast moving water in any state, including here in Pennsylvania. They are excellent, strong swimmers.

[H.Champagne 0]

Scuds are one of my favorite searching patterns. I feel like my orange flashy ones catch the most fish. I tie some with a lot of weight and sometimes put it on as my second fly of a nymph rig and just dredge the river with it haha. They are also super easy to tie and tie a lot of that I always stock up on em.