I wanted to complete my flybox by adding some shrimp. I asked around and heard that the grass shrimp on the north shore are gray. So after looking through the infamous B. Pink list o' tying sites, I threw together this monster. Comments apreciated, especially if you know what the shrimps look like north of Beantown.
hook: size 2
thread: white 3/0
Body: Long polar fibre and flashabou wrapped on shank
Legs: Light grey polar fibre, a few strands red crystal
Eyes: 80 lb. mono, melted beed (cool)
top shell: plastic straw piece
tail: same polar fibre, grey bucktail, cyrstal flash
Terry - fess up, there's no way you guys just started this flytying thing this winter! That's a gorgeous shrimp, and the grass shrimp on the Cape also exhibit the same camo sand look. That'll also trick searun trout as well, I caught my best on a similar fly!
One night on a tidal river near yours and my cottages on the south side, the squeteague came in to sip shrimp at night. They would touch nothing else and I had my big fly box so before I left I shined them with my flashlight to make sure they were poppin' sippin weakies. Those gator eyes and bodies were unmistakably weaks, all the way up at the boathouse!
Thank you for the good review. Actually the scanner hides many imperfections of this 1st year tyer. What usually happens is one side gets all the attention and the back side (the one away from you on the vise) get's short changed. So there is usually an imbalance and lack of symmetry in most of my flies. But, as with most things, time spent tying is helping with that. I'm just glad to get the basic <i>"trick"</i> of each pattern down. I can perfect them in time. Hopefully the fish will be as forgiving as the scanner.
Terry,
That shrimp looks cool. I think that the local shrimp in the sand are pretty much a translucent grayish brown. Not sure about any grass shrimp. I need to dig out my underwater photo slides...I think I have a couple of shots of shrimp, used to do a lot of macro shots with extension tubes for tiny 1"-2" critters....will try to locate them this weekend.
Doug B.
Terry,
Since when has the Lincoln Labs had an ocean test tank? This tying stuff gets to be a passionate sickness. I'm getting torn now that the reason we've been at the bench is getting CLOSE>>>>>>>>>!
Nice work.
Sorry guys...after skimming through 3 carousels of slides...no local shrimp...
Only a few Caribbean shrimp....and crabs.
Made me want to return to scuba diving........and what memories of Tarpon Alley on Grand Cayman!
Doug B.
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