Often overlooked, this tail water, spring creek and alpine lake staple has, through the years, provided me with some of the largest Trout I have ever brought to hand…For years, I have used a simple Al Troth pattern, tied on Mustad 3096B hooks, as my go-to Scud. Scuds should be tied on straight – ish hooks. When they are in motion, living scuds present a straight profile and swim in short 6″-12″ bursts. Drifting scuds assume a semi-curled position, resting scuds (in the weed beds), a curled position… See HERE and HERE…use thy rod tip and line accordingly. For an overview of these protein packed critters, please visit WESTFLY and PHILLIP ROWLEY…please note, I have made an accomodation to the manufacture’s of curved Scud Hooks…
SCUDS, SOWBUGS, a PACIFIC KING and a TUNGSTEN G-STRING WORM…ready for H2O…
Another place for SCUD imitations…”Miracle Mile” section of the East Walker River…
HOOK: TMC 2457 or Daiichi 1120 or a straight-ish hook like a TMC 2488H, Daiichi 1250, Daiichi 1760, Daiichi 1560 – #12 – #18
THREAD: Veevus 16/0, Olive
WEIGHT: 8-10 wraps, .010 -.015 Lead or lead sub.
REAR JUMPING LEGS OR TAIL: AZ Simi Seal, .11, Gray/Olive
UNDER BACK: Lime (Chartreuse) Flashabou), Hedron
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Olive
RIB: 5X or 6X Fluro or Mono tippet material
This pattern would imitate a resting scud, in the weed beds, just waiting for a Trout to root it out…
Materials LIME FLASH Olive/Gray SCUD…
HOOK: TMC 2499SP -BL, #12 – #18
THREAD: Under Abdomen- Veevus 16/0, White – Head. Ultra 70 Denier, FL. Pink
WEIGHT: .015 – .010 lead or lead sub.
REAR JUMPING LEGS or TAIL: 6-8 Strands Midge Flash, Pink Pearl
ABDOMEN: 30/40/30 Mix Ice Dub UV, Pink – Sow Scud Dub, Fl. Pink – UV2 Pink Scud Shrimp Dub.
UNDER BACK: Medium Opal Tinsel
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Pink
RIB: Ice Thread, Pink
Materials for PINKO, UV2 OB SCUD…
Pink is another good color to include in one’s fly box. This pattern is a killer on the Big Horn River in Montana…and elsewhere…
HOOK: TMC 2488H, #12 – #18
THREAD: Danville. 6/0, Purple
WEIGHT: .010 – .015 lead or lead sub.
TAIL: AZ Simi Seal, Purple
ABDOMEN: AZ Simi Seal, Purple
UNDER BACK: 6-8 Strands, Krystal Flash UV Pearl
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Clear
RIB: 5X or 6X tippet material
Purple…because it is another color that works and because nobody else has ever tied one exactly this way…(to my knowledge)…
Materials PURPLE ONE (Scud)…
HOOK: TMC 2499 SP-BL, #12 – #18
THREAD: Gordon Griffith 14/0, Sheer, Red
WEIGHT: .015 or .010 lead or lead sub. (Lead sub. does not come in a .010 diameter)
TAIL: Mallard Fibers, natural
ABDOMEN: Rainbow Sow Scud Dubbing – Wapsi..(NOT the dubbing from Hareline and trust me, there is a difference)
UNDER BACK: Holographic Mylar Motion, 1/32′, Black – Spirit River
BACK: Stretch Flex. 1/8″. Clear
RIB: Black Ice Thread
HEAD CEMENT: Hard AS HULL
This is primarily an attractor pattern. Rainbow Sow Scud Dubbing is one of my favorite attractor dubbings, The tan and this version find their way into a lot of attractor patterns that I tie…
One of the fellows at a Forum I visit asked me how I tie the Holo Rainbow Scud…so here it is:
These are the materials…
…and these are some tools I use to “fuzz” out the legs…
1. Put 10 wraps of .010 lead on the hook shank, a little bit forward of the middle…
2. Bind down the wraps with tying thread (Veevus 16/0 Red )…
3. Pull off the stem, about 12 -14 Bronze Mallard shoulder fibers and secure to the hook at the bend then wrap thread deep into the bend. Advance thread forward to front of lead wraps and secure with a half hitch…
4. Tie in a strand of Black Ice Thread…half hitch
5. Tie in a length of Clear 1/8′ Stretch Flex (or your shell material, like a strip of freezer baggie)…a few wraps then…half hitch…
6. Tie in a strand of Spirit River Holographic Mylar Motion, 1/32′, Black…a few wraps then half hitch…bring all of the materials down, into the bend with thread wraps and…half hitch…
7. Like this…now the thread is ready to be dubbed…
8. Moisten the tread with water ( I use spit), then pull off small sections of Rainbow Sow Scud Dubbing and twist it on the thread…do small sections when wrapping forward…the finished dubbed body should look like a football…then – half hitch
Ready to bring the other materials forward…
9. Bring the Holo Mylar Motion forward, add a few wraps and…half hitch…
10. Bring the Stretch Flex forward, take two wraps over the material, one in front of the material, then one over the material again…now, pull the stretch flex towards the bend and secure with two more TIGHT wraps…half hitch (this is where a half hitch tool pays off rather than using fingers)…now, bring the Black Ice thread forward with 7-8 wraps ( as ribbing ) and wrap thread twice and then – half hitch… then whip finish …and add a dollop of “Hard As Hull” to the head…
11. Stick a needle into the eye of the hook to clear any head cement (so ya’ don’t start swearing on the water)…and now those “Fuzzing” tools are applied to the fly. I like a needle first then either a bore brush or Velcro…CLIP the legs even with or just below the hook point…some tiers like to cut the legs at an angle…I don’t think the Trout give a rat’s behind about that…
Toss that puppy in the H2O…it is now bomb proofed…
HOOK: Daiichi 1250, #14 -#18
THREAD: Under Abdomen, Veevus 16/0, White – Head Lagartun 74 Denier, Amber
WEIGHT: .010 lead, 8 – 10 wraps
TAIL: UV2 Strung Saddle Fibers, Fl. Orange
ABDOMEN: 50/50 Mix Ice Dub UV Hot Orange – UV2 Scud Shrimp Fl. Orange
UNDER BACK: Orange Flashabou, Hedron (see last pattern in series for link)
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Clear
A so-called dead scud pattern. The orange tint may be caused by a parasite infection (see Westfly LINK)…In any case, they work…
Materials UV2 DEAD ON SCUD…
This, with a Scud attached to the terminal end…makes a pleasant sound…with a Trout on…
MOO down in SCUDVILLE…Hot Creek, CA…
UV2 TAN (molting) SCUD – Hyalella
HOOK: TMC 2488H #14 – #16
THREAD: Under Abdomen – Veevus 16/0, White – Head, Tiemco 16/0 Brown
WEIGHT: .010 Lead, 8 – 10 wraps
TAIL: Mallard Flank Fibers, Natural
ABDOMEN: UV2 Scud Shrimp, Tan
BACK: Swiss Straw, Clear, 1/8″ strip cut lengthwise
A molting version of the smaller Scud (genera Hyalella) found in the Eastern Sierras.
Materials UV2 TAN (Molting) SCUD…
HOOK: TMC 2488H, #12- #16
THREAD: Gordon Griffith 14/0, Sheer
WEIGHT: .015 or .010 lead or lead sub.
TAIL: Mallard Flank Fibers, Olive
BEAD: Spirit River, Hot Orange sized one size under hook size
ABDOMEN: 50/50 Mix, Whitlock SLF Scud dub/Sow Scud Light Olive
BACK: Stretch Flex, Clear
A pregnant scud imitation – the orange bead representing the brood pouch or Marsupium. I use lead stuffed into the bead and a few wraps in front to lock it in place…
Weird colors?…it’s what I do… the Trout in the Lower Owens River will vouch for me…
MOO’s DIAMOND DUN SCUD (Blue)…
HOOK: Daiichi 1760, #18
THREAD: Veevus 10/0 , Black
WEIGHT: .010 lead wire wraps – 8-10
TAIL: 50/50 mix Ice Dub UV Dun/AZ Diamond Hair .11, Silver Blue
UNDER BACK: Fire Fly, Silver
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Clear
RIB: Seaguar Fluro, 6X
“BLUE?”, you ask…because this guy ALWAYS catches large Trout on BLUE patterns…
It’s the “Let Mikey do it !”…principle…
Materials for MOO’S DIAMOND DUN SCUD…
MOO’S DIAMOND DUN SCUDS…
KG’s SPRING CREEK SCUD – Kelly Glissmeyer/Variant …
HOOK: TMC 2488H, #12 -#16
THREAD: Benecchi 12/0 Tobacco
TAIL: AZ Simi Seal, #.10, Golden Olive
ABDOMEN: AZ Simi Seal. #.10, Golden Olive
BACK: Stretch Flex, 1/8″, Clear
RIB: Pearl Krystal Flash
Kelly Glissmeyer ties a lot of interesting patterns. This is his Spring Creek Scud that has popped one or two very large Trout on an unnamed water he frequents…
Materials KG’s SPRING CREEK SCUD – Variant…
Scud time on the Lower Owens Ricer…
KG’s SPRING CREEK SCUDS…
HOOK: TMC 2457, Daiichi 1120, #12 – #18
THREAD: Uni 8/0, Olive Dun
WEIGHT: 10 -12 wraps .010 or .015 lead or lead sub.
TAIL: Mallard Flank Fibers, Olive
ABDOMEN: 50/50 Mix AZ Diamond Hair, Olive – Sow Scud , Olive
OVER BACK: Flashabou, Olive
BACK: Swiss Straw, Olive – 1/8″ strip, cut lengthwise
RIB: 5X or 6X Mono or Fluro tippet
This is a generic, olive pattern that incorporates a bit of flash on the back. This particular color is what I most encounter on still and moving waters I fish, here in the West…Swiss Straw gives a “wet” look to any shrimp pattern – it is cheap and easy to use…
Materials PEARLING SCUD…
PEARLING SCUDS…#14’s…
NEXT: More Euro type attractors for Spring…
PT/TB
Beautiful masterpiece Tim…wonderful information and exception photography…a lot of work!!! Thank you.
Thanks Gary !!!
PT/TB 🙂
Impressive! 🙂
Very nice write up and flies.
Thank you Bill !!!
PT/TB 🙂
Superb post!
Thanks guys !!!
PT/TB 🙂
Excellent Post.
I have been fishing a similar blue scud for over 20 years and they DO WORK!
Larry
Larry,
Blue is my son Michael’s favorite attractor color…I use it a lot…
PT/TB 🙂
Do you sell your flies? I’m not into tying my own. I use scuds for Yellow Perch and Bluegills in the U.S. and Canada.
Tim,
No, I do not sell my fly patterns. There are plenty of tiers that do and you might want to check these guys out:
http://www.dreamdriftflies.com/index.php?cPath=802&osCsid=5beec37106ffbd046e886e80ef2c79f7
PT/TB 🙂