My humpback scud
- This topic has 24 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated Jan 18, 2007 at 7:35 pm by
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I used twist on lead strips and a (FIRED).22 bullet case. Take the bullet and place it on the lead strip to make a half moon. Hit the FIRED bullet with a small hammer to stamp the half moon section out. Position it on top of the hook and wrap it good with thread. Finish it with dubbing a mono rib and a shellback. Makes a very nice scud!
Thanks guys it isn’t new and I’m sure someone has already done this sort of thing. I have seen some store bought scuds that looked similar but I was never able to get mine to look as good. Scuds are a major part of most tailwater Trout’s diet and also one of my go-to flies when fishing a tailwater. I spend a lot of my tying time trying to perfect Scuds. The article that lead me to play with twist on lead in the first place, suggested you cut small segments into a triangle shape for scuds. I just took it a step further towards a more realistic outline. The one in the picture is a 16 but a larger riffle shell will make a larger scud. I’m working on one now that I’ll name the 44 mag! ;D
Sowbugs come to mind as another great pattern where this stuff would be very useful. The flat profile would be easily achieved with twist on. You might have to cut it in half long ways to get the thickness right.
Mike,
As a matter of interest here. Both Dave and l have often discussed issues related to flies. One of which being, does the profile of the fly really matter, in so far as scuds, sowbugs and other bottom dwellers.
In all honesty l do not believe that it does, If such a small matter did matter then the numbers of fish caught would be greaty reduced to start with.
In many cases the perception of a fly being good is held in the eyes of the human and not the fish.
I used to tie scuds with profile and l know longer do that.
Tying small flies of course also elminates the addition of weight to any great extent. And in that case, you have to add weight by other means to get the fly down.More or less l use straight shank hooks for crustaceans, and if needed wind a lead underbody, as a rule for flies less than 18, l do not bother to do that, as that creates bulk for the fly body and does not allow for a good profile for the material used.
I am sure a guy by the way of Mike Mclelland coame up with that idea, l stand to be corrected here if l am wrong.
Just my thoughts here Mike, by no means am l suggesting you are wasting your time with your fly.
It is the answer to a question l am often asked, amongst others.Davy.
Hey Davy –
Not being offensive, because I know and like Mike McLelland a lot (his shop is one of the only ones recommended by this site in my About page), but he didn’t invent that method either.
Zach,
Thanks for the info. Its hard to keep up these days with who innovated new patterns, and l know well enough that in some cases commercial flies are credited to a person who did not innovate that fly, l know that at my cost l can tell you.
Some of the flies l innovated that were published years back in the UK, found their way into the Umqua collection, amongst others. At least many of them are available via the orvis outlets, that is due to the fact that it is a UK co that produces many of the flies they market and l have a contract with them.Davy I honestly don’t know one way or the other. What I do know is that confidence plays a major role in any type of fishing. So if a more realistic pattern helps confidence, then maybe it is worth the effort.
Sometimes when I’m tying I’ll play a movie in my head of a Big Brown sitting in a run taking bugs as they pass by. I imagine him responding to my fly but then at the last millisecond,, he turns away. Then I try to make a fly that he won’t turn away from.
Mike –
In examining the success of Trout Crack, and also the scuds I’ve caught in the water (though I’m really not much of a bug man), I’ve decided the slenderer the profile, the better.
Yea these are thinner then they look and you can adjust the size(caliber) of the stamp or hook to meet the end of the curve where you want it. I do use Mono thread to segment.
Today on my way home I imagined a sowbug made from flat lead wrapped with grey marabou and a shell back segmented with mono. I make a scud from strands of marabou that works pretty good. I didn’t have time to tie it because my dog decided my bucktails were chew toys.. I had to clean up his mess. Little yapper dogs make a big mess when you splat them against the wall.
;D
Mike,
I do not for one moment disagree with that train of thought, l think that way also to be honest. I get to wonder myself at times why my 6ins bait fish lure is dismissed by that big old fish l know is down there looking at it.
On the other hand l do base much of my ways on what
Oh and if anyone wants to keep that recipie close but still feels a little pitty for me then feel free to PM or Email me 😉
Carter,
If you are not able to find it, send to me a sample, which l will return to you, l will know how to formulate that blend.
I promise to keep it only to myself.There are many variables with antrons, nylons, and synthetics our there, and they differ in many ways.
As a rule Zack ,having at one time developed the SLF series of dubbings and using tons of natural fiber for dubbing blends, there is not too much l do not know about the process of dubbing manufacture.
I sold that company to Wapsi a few years ago. They moved the manufacturing base l owned in the UK back here to Mtn Home, lock stock and barrel, and continue to produce all my original blends a dubbing series.There is a little confusion here in the USA.
There is a very great difference between rabbit and hare. Rabbits are what you guys call cotton tails.
The hare is a European species imported to South America, mainly Argentina and Chile, there are millions of them there, and that is the source that we obtain hares masks and hides from, after which they have to be dealt with.
HaresZack,
I have to tell you this. Dave is a very good friend of mine and we fish to gether often, not so much now that he has moved back to OK.
Anyway, l have no doubt at at all how good a fly the RFSN is, but for me it just is one of those flies that does not produce the goods.
I use the Hares ear, in various guises.
Kind of funny that as we have both fished side by side and there is no real difference so far as catch rates are concerned.
Dave uses his fly and l mine.No doubt that the confidence deal has a great deal to do with that.
Such things at times defy logical explanation. What works for one may not do so for another.
Woman l like that too!!Davy.
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