By Nick Simonson

A strong forage base is the foundation of a great fishery. Having a dynamic food web ensures little fish become big fish, and there’s one protein-packed element in many midwestern lakes and rivers that powers everything from perch to bass to walleyes and that is the scud.  Better known as freshwater shrimp, or Gammarus, scuds are those little arch-backed critters one finds puked up in a livewell filled with walleyes on Devils Lake, or skittering around a flipped over rock on stretches of moving water and snapped up by bluegills, perch and other panfish.  They form the basis for healthy fisheries in many instances and as a result, are a common sense addition to any fly box.  Tying up a simple scud is as easy as a twist of weight and wire and a bit of artwork with dubbing, and they can be crafted in a variety of shades to match the real thing or add some attraction to the pattern.

MATERIALS 

Hook: Curved Nymph (C49S), Size10-14
Weight: .02 Lead Wire
Thread: 6/0 Olive or to match
Dubbing: Ice Dub or Nymph Dub
Shell: Poly Shellback
Wire: Ultra Wire Brassie (Br)

CLICK HERE FOR STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

To begin the simple scud pattern, secure a curved hook in the vise and make eight wraps of lead around the middle of the hook shank.  Then start the thread behind the hook eye and go over the wraps to the back of the hook and forward again.  Repeat this process until the weight is secure (1).  At the back of the hook tie in a strand of Ultra Wire and then tie in one end of the poly shell back, securing both over the lead wraps by moving the thread forward and back again, creating a smoother transition area between the hook shank and the lead wraps, so it isn’t such a hard drop between those levels (2).

Next create a loose dubbing yarn with the Ice Dub or a similar coarse nymph dubbing, so that the fibers can be picked out a bit easier when finishing the fly in the final steps (3).  Wrap the dubbing forward over the hook shank and the lead wraps, forming a tapered body that covers the weight (4).  Next, fold the poly shellback material forward over the dubbing so that it evenly covers the top of the pattern, trap it with a few thread wraps and trim off the excess (5). 

From there, gently wrap the wire around the body of the fly, forming an even, segmented appearance similar to the body of a scud; tie off and trim the excess wire a bit behind the hook eye and cover it with thread (6).  Once secure, form a small thread head which transitions down from the shell evenly, then whip finish and cement for posterity.  When complete, use a needle to tease out some of the dubbing on the underside of the fly to create the illusion of the many legs that freshwater shrimp sport in the wild.  Then, your simple scud is complete (7)!

Fish the simple scud low in the water column and along vegetation and sunken structure like trees and logs where Gammarus are typically found. With the added weight, the fly can get down into shallower stretches on floating line, but in those areas deeper than four feet or so, a sinking line (type II or III) may be necessary to fish it effectively in the strike zone.  Grays, olives and greens are the likely natural colors to have on hand to match the real thing, but don’t forget to add a few colored options in pink, red or orange to draw the attention of fish.  Tie a bunch up and exploit any fish species’ desire for an easy meal this openwater season!

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Jumbo Shrimp. The simple scud pattern can be tied in up in a variety of natural colors which imitate freshwater shrimp in the wild, or in brighter ones to catch the attention of fish.