The eel smelling shrimp

Jan Reniers' Eel Smelling Shrimp

Jan Reniers' fabulous Eel Skin Shrimp

One of The Netherlands' many well known fly tiers is Jan Reniers. You will almost always find this easy talking dutchman near good fishing water.or you can meet him all over the world where fly tiers show their art.
He became famous for his different shrimp creations, his latest being a shrimp imitation with a shield of real eel skin, which, when wet, has the typical smell that attracts fish.

The tying instructions for this shrimp are

1. Tie in a plume of gray fox hair around the shank close to the bend of a hook size 2 (1)
   
2. Form a tapered body of gray wool (2)
   
3. Add a few mallard fibers on the outside of the tuft of fox hair (3)
   
4. Prepare the front two segments of eel skin
   
5. Tie the first segment in over the fox and mallard forming the inner 'cheeks' of the fly
   
6. After this the eyes made of black beans on copper wire can be attached on top of the fly
   
7. Add two antennae made from grizzly hackle stems
   
8. Tie the second segment in over the eyes and antennae forming the outer 'cheeks' of the fly (4)
   
9. Tie in a new tuft of fox hair under the hook forming the legs
   
10. Prepare and tie in a new shell segment and a new bunch of hair for legs
    
11. Repeat the above until the body is almost covered
    
12. Tie in the tail hair and shell before the last segment of back shell is added
    
13. Whip finish over the base of the last segment of eel skin (5)
    

As Jan says: "It sure isn't an easy fly to tie - but it can be very succesful"

Materials: