OE Deep Diving Shrimp

Looking natural in both salt and fresh water

By Kasper Mühlbach

Oliver Edwards needs no further introduction. He has been developing flies and contributing to the scene for years now, and his considerations and explanations have attracted my attention from time to time.
In the mid 90s I bought his book Flytyers Masterclass, but when I recently saw one of his DVDs, I looked at the Deep Diving Shrimp with new eyes.

Lady of the stream, brownies, rainbows and several other species like the taste of a Gammarus. You find it in very different environments from smallest fresh water streams to salt water.
This is a pattern as all round as Red Tag. The silhouette, the speckled legs and the shell back makes it become alive both in the vice and at the end of the tippet.

Last year I tied some in two different colours. A warm orange and a pale green. This was the first super impressionistic imitation, which I dipped in salt water in hunt for the shining sea trout.

It was a bright and sunny day. Almost no wind and crystal clear water. Not perfect for fishing, but probably good for the hunting trout. I stood on a sand covered flat in hip deep water. 4-5 meters in front of me, it became deeper. A few rocks were lying at the bottom covered with bladder wrack.

Suddenly, 4 trouts patrolled along the edge. I was fishing in another direction and just below the surface. These trouts swam just above the bottom.
They disappeared as quickly as they emerged.
Five minutes later, the area was patrolled again - by two smaller trouts. That made it. I changed to the new, heavy gammarus imitation. I extended the leader and waited. And waited. Or at least I felt so. I think I waited for five minutes when 2 more cruised the area. It was like looking into an aquarium.
I dropped the fly and saw it sink. It was one feet above the bottom, when one of the trouts made a calm acceleration and sipped in the fly. I lifted the rod...


A rare experience when fishing for sea trouts which is normally done under more rough circumstances.

Now, I have tied 10 more, which will be suitable when it is cold, and when the trout become more selective. Maybe I will tie some for my friends or just send them the link to this page.

OE Deep Diving Shrimp

Materials

Hook	Kamasan B100 or Mustad CZ Authentic Czech Nymph Size 10-18.
Weight	Lead free foil.
Thread	8/0, color to match the dubbing.
Tail	Barbs of brown-grey partridge hackle.
Antennas	As tails, but smaller clump.
Rib	Clear nylon mono, 4-6 lbs.
Shellback	Flexibody, clear.
Body	Fine dubbing, like MC 14.
Legs	Barbs of brown-grey partridge hackle.

	Shellback cut into shape  Kasper Mühlbach

Tying instructions

1. Add weight 6-10 wraps. Make two layers, the upper one shortest. Secure it with some super glue
2. Tie in tail well down the hook shank.
3. Take the thread to the eye. Tie in the antennas.
4. Take the thread back to where you tied in the tail.
5. Tie in the rib.
6. Cut out the shell back. It should be oval or shaped like a long drop stretched in both ends.
7. Tie in the shellback.
8. Make a dubbing loop.
9. Dub the body.
10. Prepare 6-8 partridge hackles by removing the fluffy parts.
11. Wax the dubbing loop.
12. Get the hackles into the loop.
13. Make sure they do not come out or move. Align the points and ajust them to the final lenght of the legs.
14. Cut off the stems 1-2 mm from the dubbing loop.
15. Spin.
16. Take out the hackle points.
17. Spin again.
18. Turn the dubbing loop towards the eye in nice equal turns.
19. Secure it at the eye.
20. Moisten your fingers and make the fibres point down.
21. Pull the shell back towards the eye.
22. Secure the shell back.
23. Whip finish.
24. Rib the fly in nice turns.
25. Whip finish.