Floating Shrimp

Hook: Mustad 92611, Size 2, offset straightened
Thread: White 3/0 monocord
Body: 11/32" diameter white polyethylene foam cylinder
Legs: 2 white saddle hackles, plamered and trimmed
Eyes: black artificial anthers
Tail and Shellback: White 2 mm craft foam with mylar gift wrap glued to both surfaces

Instructions: To make the mylar coated craft foam, coat both the mylar and the craft foam with water-based contact cement and let both surfaces dry. Carefully place the mylar on the craft foam and then roll the mylar with a handle with a knurled grip, such as a ratchet (this ensures good contact). Repeat the process on the other side. Cut a 11/32" diameter cylinder from white polyethylene foam (found as packaging material. Other colors of polyethylene foam are available from the inexpensive toys known as pool noodles. Craft foam is available in a wide range of colors. ). Straighten the offset in the hook and mount it in the vise. Start the thread at the eye of the hook and then tie in the foam cylinder at the front. Use loose wraps to place the foam cylinder on top of the hook and wind to the rear. There tie down the foamcylinder tightly. Advance the thread 2/3 of the way forward. Tie in the black artificial anthers as eyes. Tie in the 2 saddle hackles at the same spot. Wind the thread to the end of the foam body and take several wraps. Palmer the hackle to the bend of the hook and tie it off. Cut the shellback and tail from the mylar coated foam. Attach the shellback at rear of the hook, tie off with several half-hitches and cut the thread. Reattach the thread at the eye of the hook and tie down the front of the shellback, taking several half-hitches. Coat the half-hitches with head cement. Wind the thread with widely spaced wraps to the rear of the hook and tie several more half-hitches. Coat the half-hitches with head cement. Cut the thread. Using a bodkin, free any hackle trapped under the last winding of thread. Trim the palmered hackle to give an good imitation of legs. Mark the segmentation on the shellback and tail using a fine-tipped black permanent marker.

I designed this fly to be fished with a sinkiing line, with this fly floating up off the bottom. The idea is the same as fishing with a booby fly, but this fly at least resembles a shrimp somewhat.

Mark Delaney

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