Polar Shrimp

The Polar Shrimp is my own development of the Francis, a classic fly for Atlantic Salmon. I have made a number of changes to make it more naturalistic, including a humped back, re-positioning the smaller brown feelers and adding eyes. Perhaps the most unique change is the use of two feathers along the base of fly matuka-style to represent the legs of the shrimp, and which can be a bit fiddly. I like the result though, and I will be teaching this fly to the Advanced class in my club later this season.

The Polar Shrimp is tied on a Fulling Mill Magni Double with stripped rachis main feelers and short feelers of brown calf (kip) tail. The eyes are melted from 60lb saltwater shock-leader and coloured with permanent marker. The body hump is formed from the eye shock leader ends. Two red cock feathers are prepared by placing them back-back, shiny sides out, and the upper barbs are then removed from both feathers. The gold oval rib and two red cock feathers are then tied back-to back under the hookshank with the barbs pointing backwards and down and left dangling for later use. The body is formed of red wool and tied off. The ends of the two red cock feathers are then tied in at the eye of the hook and the fly is then ribbed, using a bodkin to separate the feather barbs as the rib progresses up the fly, so attaching the legs of the fly to the body.