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Barry Ord Clarke
Crystal Hair Shrimp  - Step by Step
 
Finished Fly

What you need:
Hook:
Thread:
Beard:
Eyes:
Feelers:
Shell Back:
Body:
Rib:
Hackle
Mustad  80400 D / Partridge CS54  # 6
Orange 8/0
Fox fur
Scorched Monofilament
2 strands of crystal hair
Crystal hair coated with epoxy 
Orange dubbing 
Medium copper wire
Orange

1
Run tying thread the full length of the hook shank until level with the hook barb. If you would like the pattern to be weighted you can tie in a strip or two of lead along the top of the hook shank.
2
Select a small bunch of orange fox tail fur and tie in as illustrated. About half the length of the hook shank. Make sure that the fox fur is evenly distributed around the hook shank and not just on top.
3
Now you can prepare the eye's. Take two small lengths of monofilament 0.70 and scorch as shown, taking care not to set them on fire. If you wish to make the eye's even darker you can colour the tips afterwards with a black or red waterproof marker. You can also flatten the other end of the mono eyes   with pliers, this will create a good tying
foundation and stop them from twisting when tied in.

4
When both the eye's are prepared you can tie in one each side of the fox fur. You could put a drop of super glue or epoxy  here, just to hold them in position.
5
Just above the eye's you can now tie in the two strands of crystal hair for the feelers. These should be trimmed afterwards to about 10cm in length.

Now tie in a bunch of crystal hair, (that has had the ends trimmed level), even with the eyes as shown, and then secure it half way down the hook shank and then (7) bring the whole bunch over and forward again.

7
Tie in a length of medium copper wire under the body.
8
First take the tying thread back up to the eye end of the hook and tie in an orange cock hackle, point first.
9
When the hackle is secured take the tying thread once again back down to the eyes of the shrimp, and dub the body so that it tapers down to the tail in a cone shape. You can replace the dubbing with orange or clear Fritz, this makes an extremely attractive shrimp body.
10
Keeping the tying thread at the eye of the hook wind in the hackle palmer style, down towards the head.
11
Once the hackle has been taken the full length of the body,  take the copper wire in your free hand, and secure the hackle as shown by winding the wire a couple of times over the hackle. Trim of the access hackle.
12
While holding the wire in position with your left hand take hold of the crystal hair with your right, and pull it over the fly to form the shell back, taking care not to pick up the feelers, then tie it in at the tail. Now you can wind the copper wire as a rib over the hole body, taking care not to trap the hackle fibres and that the crystal flash does not slide to one side or of the top of the body.
13
Trim off the tail as shown, to form a fan shape. Finish with a couple of half hitces and remove tying thread.
14
Mix a little 3 minute epoxy and coat the back of the shrimp to make a translucent shell back.
15 / 16 

Finished shrimps in orange and white.

 

16

(c) photographs and text  Barry Ord Clarke
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