Scud Body

[TUNA]

http://www.cabelas.com/fly-tying-accessories-ribbed-tungsten-scud-bodies-3.shtml

Has anyone ever tried these things? I'm lazy when it comes to tying flies, and was hoping that these could contribute to my laziness. I tie scuds now, and they're reather simple, but I always have a hard time adding a lot of weight. I usually end up with an excessively chubby scud. They're expensive, but I think it would be worth it in the end. Also, what colors do yinz tie Scuds in? I normally stick with Olive, Tan, Grey, and sometimes Pink/Orange. I fish Scuds year round, but was also wondering if they become more prevelant at any time throughut the year. From what I could dig up, they have a different life cycle than other aqutic invertebrates and therefore usually stay about the same population wise in any given area. Was just hoping someone could verify that? Any input would be nice.

 

[MKern]

I've never tied with them but am intrigued by them as well.

I think they would be too bulky, but....


I know they put them in the bargain cave often.

 

[wetfly1]

For me... I don't weight my scuds at all. I instead use one splitshot about 10-12" above the fly. I think this allows them to drift more freely AND be lower in the water column. I have tried these bodies, but only for czech-style nymphs in which case they end up being WAY too fat for my liking. They do make a nice 'looking' fly body, but slim and heavy is they way to go with czeck style (for my purposes anyway). I would opt for a heavier hook. I use Daiichi 1130 or 1250's which have a heavier gauge wire.

For colors on scuds I use an olive slf/hares pol blend almost exclusively and will include a 'hotspot' sometimes in orange or red for the Pa. streams I fish. I don't have much to offer in the way of life cycle etc...

 

[franklin]

I bought some last week to try out. A little awkward for some ties. I found I needed to glue them in place, I use UV knot sense for that. Haven't fished them yet.

 

[JeffK]

I've used the tungsten scud bodies, but they are a specialized body IMHO for when you need a super heavy nymph, usually in a Czech nymphing type rig. They aren't for run-of-the-mill scuds. They do make an incredibly dense fly if you need one, but you have to put the dubbing on very slim or the fly gets too bulky.

For regular scuds I have been going simpler. My scud is just dubbed muskrat fur on a hook. Adding in a little synthetic dubbing can help. I like gray, but the shedder scud are a pinkish sort of color which is matched by the Musky Shrimp. The Musky Shrimp is cream Australian oppossum dubbed on an orange thread. The orange thread shows through when wet making a cool effect.

Finally, fished with Ted Patlen last week and his scud was just cream seal dubbing on a red thread. I go simple with scuds with a gray or cream sort of coloration. Never had luck with olive shades - don't know why.

 

[jayL]

I make my own with lead "twist ons". I have found that unweighted scuds and shot works better.

 

[afishinado]

I also usually tie my scuds unweighted and use SS to get it down. Adding weight to the hook shank of a curved scud hook flips it upside down. Also as mentioned the fly may end up too bulky. Anyway, I've has good luck with unweighted scuds (and SS) in many LS streams.

 

[Fishidiot]

I've looked at these weights and have considered trying them but haven't bothered yet. To begin with, I like my scuds small, unweighted, and slender. A heavy weight like this will invert the fly causing it to run hook upward (I would think) and make for a very bulky body. I suppose if I was going to fish a western tailrace with very heavy water and fast current where I really wanted something that would dredge the bottom, these weights might be ideal. For my scud fishing, which is almost entirely shallow PA limestoners, these things aren't a good fit.

 

[OldLefty]

These caught my eye for a moment, then I realized they are to be attached to the top of the hook. I would find it difficult to believe they wouldn't result in the fly riding upside down when fished. I must admit that I haven't seen a scud tied with this and placed in water to know for sure.

This is how I attach weight to my scuds. I don't do it so much for weight; rather, I do it to give the slightest bit of depth to the forward half or so of the fly. The example is on a #18 hook for reference.

Dave R.

 

[Rod_Hertzer]

An old timer showed me how to make a good cress bug without the bulk. He'd dub on the shank of the hook, wrap lead wire around the hook, take his thread over it once or twice and then smash the lead with needle nose pliers. Hit it with glue to keep it from spinning and then dub on the olive rabbit fur. Trim the back and give it a coat of vinyl cement and it's done. That might work for you.

 

[sandfly]

Rod,
Scuds and cress bugs are 2 different animals. Scuds are a shrimp like critter, and cress bugs are more armadillo in shape. thats the best way I can explain it.

 

[Rod_Hertzer]

Can't the same theory be applied to a scud? I did say that it was a cress bug pattern and not a scud. Just trying to think outside the box.

 

[JeffK]

Those weights do cause the fly to ride point up (and a lot of Czech nymphs ride point up in my experience too). Sometimes I tie the fly backwards, but most people don't and they work just about the same. Another case of the who knows what the trout see. However, riding point up helps keeping it from snagging.

And back to the scud/cressbug dilemma. Decades ago my fly mentors, who were old-timers on the Lehigh Valley limestoners, were true believers in "just fur on a hook flies" and tying in the round. Therefore their scud or cressbugs patterns were round, sparsely dubbed flies that looked the same which ever way they drifted. Also no tails, no ribs (well maybe a rib), no backs. Fur and thread color combos were a big deal since the sparse flies showed some color of the thread through the dubbing. Musky shrimp a prime example.

The in the round theory is that real bugs swim right side up, but flies tumble back and forth. Therefore, make the fly look like the back all the way around so when it rocks it always looks right. A fly with a back and bottom side will show each side randomly and the wise old fish will be scared when it rocks. When tied in the round a scud or a cressbug is pretty much the same thing. The old timers always worked hard to get a nice football shaped taper and not to have the fly look like a crude blob. Therefore, although they were simple patterns getting a nice streamlined shape with a translucent soft dubbed body took more practice than you would think at first glance. "Neatness counts" was a phrase often associated with these simple flies.

In the early 1970's some guys started tying these on curved English bait hooks - didn't have scud hooks then as I remember. That started a curved vs straight hook debate that I still don't think is resolved. BTW, the first time I tried just hare's ear on an English bait hook I caught a 22" brown at the old Bushkill Ck fly stretch near Tatamy - that was a powerful argument for curved hooks to a green fly tier! However, I have gone back to straight hooks.

To wrap up, I've tried a bunch of realistic modern patterns for scud and cressbugs and always find myself back with a simple "just fur on a hook" fly.

 

[joereese]

Tuna,
haven't used them. As others said, they would make the scud too bulky. If you must try them, I bet Wflies have them cheaper than cabelas

 

[TUNA]

Thanks Joe