To properly learn the techniques and flies presented in this website, work your way through the Basic Skills sections and then do the listed flies in the recommended order. Each fly builds on previously learned skills. They become harder as you move along. Make sure you build several of each fly to solidify your skills at each step.

Importance to Fly Fishing

Freshwater shrimp are a food source that are available to fish all year round. In lakes that have a freshwater shrimp population, they are the main diet of fish.

There are many different flies designed to imitate freshwater shrimp. The common elements are the body, the legs along the length of the body, the tail, antennae and shellback. The version listed below is based on a very simple design by a tier named Gil Nyerges (Nyerges Nymph). The tail has been left off but a plastic shellback has been added. If you find, at this time, adding the plastic shellback difficult then leave it out. The plastic shellback gives the fly a sheen that the shell of the scud also has.

In the Basic Skills sections you learned how to

• smash down the barb
• put the hook in the vice
• start the thread

Please do the above. Make sure the thread is at the bend of the hook.

Cut off a piece of copper wire about 6 cm long. Lay it along the shank of the hook so one end is about 4 mm behind the eye and tie it in using the Pinch. (see Basic Skills, section 5, Tying in the materials). Wrap the thread around the length of the wire and wind it back to the bend of the hook.

Next cut a piece of plastic material from a freezer bag or the like. It should be about 5 mm wide and at least 3 cm long. At one end of the strip snip the corners as shown. This makes the tying in a bit easier.

Next lay the strip flat on top of the hook. Place it only over the back 4 mm or so of the hook. Use the pinch and tie in the shell back. Secure with several tight wraps.

Next select and tie in a grizzly hackle as you did with the Woolly Worm and Woolly Bugger.

Cut off a 10 cm piece of green chenille and tie in like you did on the Woolly Worm and Woolly Bugger. Cinch in the materials one last time at the bend.

Before wrapping the materials, make sure you wrap the thread to the front of the hook, just behind the eye.

Again, like you did with the Woolly Worm and Woolly Bugger, wrap the chenille forward and tie off. Then palmer the hackle forward and tie off. Remember leave about 3 mm of bare hook behind the eye.

Now it is time to give your fly a “haircut”. Trim off any of the hackle fibers that are sticking up.

Next take the plastic shellback and pull it over the fly to the front. Tie it off in the same way you did the chenille and hackle. Secure with a few extra wraps.

Snip off the excess shellback material.

Next, take the copper wire and wrap forward. In total there should only be about 6 wraps of the wire. As you wrap under the fly, slowly wiggle the wire back and forth so you don’t trap any of the hackle barbules between the wire and the body. If any fibers get trapped, use your bodkin or toothpick to pull them out as you move the wire along.

Once the wire is at the front, wrap it around the hook another 2 times. Tie it off and snip off the the excess. Do not use your scissor tips when snipping wire. It will dull them. Make sure the wire is placed deep back in the scissors before cutting. Another option is to use some old scissors instead.

Build a thread head, secure with 5 half hitch knots, snip the thread and add head cement.

Here is the completed Nyerges Nymph

Click Here for more Scud patterns.

Teacher Support Materials for this Section

How to Fish the Scud Fly

How to Troll Flies