Tying the Orange Bearded Mantis Shrimp Saltwater Fly Fishing Fly

Mr Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp is a staple in every saltwater fly box. If the Crazy Charlie is the Pheasant Tail of saltwater flies and the Gotcha is the Hare’s Ear, the Mantis Shrimp must be the Prince Nymph. Tied in its original form, the Mantis is deadly. As with all great and timeless flies, it has become the chassis for many variations. The Orange Bearded version is a great spawning shrimp imitation.

Recipe:

• Hook: Gama SL45 (https://www.discountflies.com/...) or SL11-3H (https://www.discountflies.com/...). Sizes 2-8.
• Eyes: Bead chain or lead, size to match the hook.
• Thread: SEMPERFLI Classic Waxed Thread 150D (6/0), Tan. https://www.discountflies.com/...
• Tail: Craft Fur, Tan. https://www.discountflies.com/...
• Antennae: Cascade Crest Midge Rainbow Flash, Black, Root Beer, or Pearl. We like one strand of pearl and one strand of black. https://www.discountflies.com/...
• Egg Sac: Cascade Crest Faux Fox Fibers, Fluoro Orange. https://www.discountflies.com/...
• Eyes: either pre-made or self-made mono shrimp eyes.
• Body: Underfur from tan Craft Fur that was used for the tail (https://www.discountflies.com/SRCH.html?Search=craft+fur). We like to mix the craft fur with the fibers from a synthetic zonker strip(https://www.discountflies.com/SRCH.html?Search=synthetic+zonker). We find that high tac wax is very helpful for this fly. Apply the wax to your thread and then touch the dubbing mix to the wax. This results in an amount of dubbing that is almost perfect every time. PH Perfect Tac Dubbing Wax is great for this: https://www.discountflies.com/...
• Legs: Pumpkin, tan, or clear sili legs. https://www.discountflies.com/...