FLY OF THE MONTH

THE FLY FISHERMAN

FLY OF THE MONTH

Titusville-Orlando

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Step 6

Step 7

Finished Fly

Click on images for a close-up view of each step.

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OLD FLY OF THE MONTH PATTERNS

This section of the web site will be dedicated to the Fly of the Month. Each month, we will take a local fly that has been doing well on fish, and give you step-by-step instructions on how to tie it. Many of these flies will be submitted by local guides. Each fly will contain a materials list, as well as a guide on how to fish it.

September 2007

The Sassie Shrimp

Provided By: Captain Nick Sassic

Materials Needed:

Mustad 34007 (or similar hook), sizes #8-#2
Lead or Beadchain Eyes, weight depends on hook size and sink rate
Craft Fur
Marker, Sharpie or other Permanent Marker for Barring
Crystal Flash
Crosscut Rabbit Fur
Strung Rooster Hackle
Hard Mono, for Weedguard

Tying Directions:

Step One: Place hook in vise, point down, secure and attach thread. Secure eyes to the top of the hook shank, leaving enough room to tie in a weedguard between eyes and the eye of the hook.
Step Two: Move the thread to the rear of the hook shank. Select a clump craft fur, about the thickness of a pencil eraser. Clean out the fluff. Measure the craft fur to twice the length of the hook shank and trim off any excess material; trim from the butt of craft fur, so that the natural taper of the tips remains. Tie in the craft fur, to the top of the hook, just before the bend.
Step Three: Using a permanent marker, bar the craft fur. Although the photo shows black barring, we normally use olive, bronze or another lighter barring. Black was used to show up better in the photograph. Barring is completed easier in this step, before placing the other materials on.
Step Four: Tie in three to four pieces of crystal flash on each side of the craft fur. The crystal flash should be tied in on the sides. The crystal flash should be as long as the main body of the craft fur (not including the extreme tips of the craft fur).
Step Five: Cut a piece of crosscut rabbit hide about 2" long; this length will give you some material to work with. Tie the rabbit in, directly in front of the craft fur tie in point. Make sure that the fur is laying backwards, towards the craft fur. Palmer the rabbit strip one to two times, around the hook shank. Number of wraps will depend on the size of the hook. Tie off and trim any extra rabbit.
Step Six: Select a strung saddle hackle that is full and limber enough to palmer. It may be necessary to trim the butt of the feather off, so that the quill will not break when the feather is palmered. Tie the hackle directly on top of the exposed rabbit hide (white area under in front of the fur on Step 4 photo). After securing the feather, move the thread forward, to just behind the lead/beadchain eyes. Carefully palmer the hackle forward, being sure not to trap individual barbules under the wraps. Secure the hackle behind the eye and trim off any excess.
Step Seven: Move the thread in front of the lead/beadchain eyes and tie in a double mono weedguard.

Fishing Techniques:

Captain Nick Sassic has been utilizing this fly for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon. There is no reason why it will not work on any other species that eats shrimp on a regular basis. The fly can be tied to sink rapidly or slowly, depending on the eyes used. Captain Sassic says that short strips work the best, to imitate the darting of an escaping shrimp. If the fish don't attack it with that retrieve, he uses long, slow strips, causing the fly to drag across the bottom.

Captain Nick prefers tying this fly in natural colors: tans, olives, browns, and creams. He uses grizzly crosscut rabbit, to give the barring effect to this area. This fly has also worked in pink, white, and rootbeer. Experiment with colors that have proven themselves in your particular area. Good tying and happy hunting.