TXH20man

Flat Rock ... great tips. Thanks!

Here are some squimps ... I imagine I need to get the eyes farther back on the shank, but we'll see how they fish.

I used craft fur for the tail and matching bucktail for the collar. One of the things I've figured out (belatedly) is that I don't want craft fur forward of the hook on most anything I've tied so far. Fouls like crazy.

Okay. Thanks. I was thinking maybe a real small wrap of lead wire on the shank might solve the hook up/down issue, without the weight of the eyes. Of course, they look more like squid with the eyes.

For the Martin-esque shrimp, the polar chenille actually works as a bit of a weed guard with the hook down.

I have also thought about a light coat of silicone at the stage before adding the chenille ... thinking that might keep it at the surface.

Thoughts about that? Other than messy and time-consuming?

Tidewater, have you tied the squimp without the eyes? At least some of the time I'm fishing deeper water under lights and want my fly near the surface, or at least in the first 4 ft of the water column.

Tidewater, thanks so much. I'll take a look at that pattern. And I appreciate the feedback. Let's see if I can get those pics to post ... now I am not seening them either, though they were there to begin with ....

Thanks Flat Rock ... I'll let you know as soon as we have openings. ;-)

Mike, I almost said "toddler tier" -- that's how it feels. LOL.

I'm a 2-month-old tier (having a ball with it) and posted some stuff up over in the beginner's corner, but thought maybe this was a better place for this question ...

I ran across a how-to video on the Martin shrimp fly and thought it looked pretty and useful and fairly simple to tie. I've tied a bunch now. And caught both trout and redfish (and ladyfish) on them.

Questions:

1. Early on, I dispensed with the marabou tail, which was a pain in the butt to tie and didn't seem to offer much in the way of additional action. Thoughts on this? Would I get more looks with it?

2. Again, in an effort to simplify, I recently decided to tie some with Crystal Flash antennae rather than the monofilament antennae in the original. It seems to me that the mono antennae (i've used both 4 lb and 12 lb) are pretty stiff and probably don't show up well in the water.

3. Finally, fishing the fly, I've found the most effective method is a super slow strip (I imagine this allows the "legs" to flutter about) with the occasional panicked-shrimp hop. I guess it could be fished faster with a lot of long, sharp retrieves. Honestly we're just now seeing shrimp show up in our bays again in good numbers, so it hasn't been on the menu of the fish I've been targeting. Anyway, thoughts on fishing it?

4. Finally, other (better?) shrimp patterns I should try?

For anyone not familiar, the recipe calls for mono eyes and antennae, UV polar chenille legs, bucktail body/horn and clear heat shink tubing cut to shape and tied on. Only place I could find the heat shrink tubing in clear was Amazon.com -- $9 for 200 pieces assorted sizes.

Some examples below.

Thanks!

I'm a 2-month-old tier (having a ball with it) and posted some stuff up over in the beginner's corner, but thought maybe this was a better place for this question ...

I ran across a how-to video on the Martin shrimp fly and thought it looked pretty and useful and fairly simple to tie. I've tied a bunch now. And caught both trout and redfish (and ladyfish) on them.

Questions:

1. Early on, I dispensed with the marabou tail, which was a pain in the butt to tie and didn't seem to offer much in the way of additional action. Thoughts on this? Would I get more looks with it?

2. Again, in an effort to simplify, I recently decided to tie some with Crystal Flash antennae rather than the monofilament antennae in the original. It seems to me that the mono antennae (i've used both 4 lb and 12 lb) are pretty stiff and probably don't show up well in the water.

3. Finally, fishing the fly, I've found the most effective method is a super slow strip (I imagine this allows the "legs" to flutter about) with the occasional panicked-shrimp hop. I guess it could be fished faster with a lot of long, sharp retrieves. Honestly we're just now seeing shrimp show up in our bays again in good numbers, so it hasn't been on the menu of the fish I've been targeting. Anyway, thoughts on fishing it?

4. Finally, other (better?) shrimp patterns I should try?

For anyone not familiar, the recipe calls for mono eyes and antennae, UV polar chenille legs, bucktail body/horn and clear heat shink tubing cut to shape and tied on. Only place I could find the heat shrink tubing in clear was Amazon.com -- $9 for 200 pieces assorted sizes.

Some examples below.

Thanks!

I found some at Michaels, haven't checked JoAnn's or hobby lobby yet. Hair length of some colors not as long as the fly shop stuff, but that may not be an issue depending on what you are tying. I think it was $2.99 for a square twice the size of the hareline.

Things I've learned:

1. Sometimes less is more.

2. You can get more craft fur for less at the hobby store.

3. You gotta go to Amazon for clear heat shrink tubing.

Here's a Martin Shrimp fly ....

Poopdeck, thanks for the tips. I'm still figuring this stuff out ....

Thanks Mogup, for the video. That's a really cool baitfish ... I may try to tie some finger mullet or menhaden on that pattern. Seems like a better use of the SF blend and not super difficult to tie. Though I'd go quite a bit smaller than 3/O for reds, snook, etc.

Flat Rock -- there's a pretty long line, actually. And we don't really get to anyplace a 12-wt would be useful, other than the jetties a couple of months each fall (when the really big tarpon come through). But I like the way you think ....

Only if they walk into a bar .... ;-)

A blonde, a bendback and a bendback clouser. Feedback most welcome.

Questions:

1. I really like the flashy Steve Farrar material. Anyone have ideas for how best to use it?

2. For flies calling for bucktail, I am more often tying with the above or with craft fur ... I like the way it moves in the water better. Problems?

Getting some hackle for deceivers and seducers today ... A new adventure.

Well, at least some of them work some of the time ... Playing around, started to tie one of Flats' drunken shrimps, then turned it into a sort of fancy clouser ... Worked!

FlatsRoamer, I never could get the black redfish worm video to load ... Using a mobile hotspot with sketchy service down here. But here's my attempt at the drunken shrimp with what I had on-hand.

TX nice looking flies and welcome! Congrats on the speckled trout! I wish I could fish from my office!

 

Flats, you need to go into used car sales

Thanks! Had a redfish come up and either swipe and miss or sip and spit the same fly.

Nice man! Thats awesome

 

When you get a chance, watch the 3 videos i told you about, those will hunt!

I just watched the drunken shrimp. I think I have everything to tie that up tonight, if dispatch leaves us alone long enough!

Well, there's one on a bendback.

Thanks guys. I had snook in mind, but I bet a redfish would eat it. Sure is fun playing with materials ...

Less bend, more back.

Caloosa Bug, no doubt you are correct. Thanks for the tip on the wide gap worm hooks.

Mike, about 3.5 using the 85 mph toll road around Austin. I only do it once a week though, so not too bad. "Fresh Life" -- love it! I love our little river and have a 4 wt I use back there ... I reasoned that saltwater flies were bigger and in many cases simpler, so that's where I would start. ;-)

MikeChell, I've been fighting a losing battle with plushness. I have since trimmed most of them, esp. on the lower wing. Thanks for the feedback. Hope you get a chance to hit Village Creek or even Christmas Bay while you are in the area. My backyard river is the N Fork of the San Gabriel -- all the usual warm water suspects plus Rio Grande cichlids.

FlatsRoamer, three species of snook in Texas in scattered locales mostly Corpus Christi south. Gray snapper all up and down the coast. For reference, Corpus is the same latitude as Tampa, and Port Isabel as Port Everglades.

Thanks for the feedback, welcomes and tips all!

Thanks so much. I'll check out the videos. Flounder, mangrove snapper and snook ... Trout usually only by accident ;-) Lady fish by accident, and I'm trying to decide spadefish ... Tied up some comb jelly imitations ... Will see if that does the trick. Hooe to be a regular and eventually to contribute when I have something to add. And thanks to everyone for the welcome and kind words.

FlatsRoamer -- I do. Hope to see some this week. Most likely conditions are an oyster-choked creek or open water under lights with fish mailing bait in the too 4' of the water column ... Throwing WF8F if it makes a difference. Thanks!

Howdy,

I got bit hard by the fly tying bug a couple of weeks ago and am now suffering from full-body paralysis ... I can NOT get up from the table!

In the space of two weeks I upgraded my original $29 made-in-India vise from BassPro to an Apex and dropped way more money than I should have at the local fly shop (which happens to be cheaper on everything than the big box!).

Probably 60 or 70 flies in, it's already getting easier (i.e., I break thread less, have figured-out how to use a bobbin threader -- you'd think that would be obvious, huh? -- figured-out I can't actually bend a forged hook, etc.). I have yet to fish a single fly I've tied, the river in the backyard notwithstanding.

Field tests this week in South Texas (I alternate weeks between central Texas and Corpus Christi, where I drive a tugboat -- not an ideal fly fishing platform, but I do see a lot of fish).

This forum and YouTube have been great teachers. Mistakes below are my own.

Cheers!