The Simple Scud

 

 

Scud lakes grow big fish, it doesn't seem to matter what species, they all grow big. Scuds are incredibly prolific and can fill the water column with hundreds in cubic yard of water space. Fishing them can seem an impossible proposition when faced with the dizzying number of naturals available. I'm lucky enough to live near a scud lake where the numbers of scud are more manageable and have had some very good days fishing them. I honestly can't speak to the situation of overwhelming numbers of naturals but admit it would be a little daunting.

 

 Trout seem to love them and my best luck has been fishing under indicators. I have been wondering about this a lot in the last year and after observing the little buggers swimming am convinced I was using a hook that was too heavy when retrieving them. Under an indicator a heavy hook doesn't matter because it's supported. Unsupported, my hooks were sinking like little stones and I think the fish were put off by this. I was trying to come up with a floating scud imitation and so far have drawn a blank, so have had to settle for trying a much lighter hook. I will report back later once the season starts and see if my theory held.

 

I fish scuds around weeds, as I said, most of my luck was suspended below an indicator. The lake I fish they are quite small, 14 or 16, if the hooks were stronger I would even go to an 18 but in this lake an 18 would get straightened out quickly. Retrieving should be done with the natural's swimming motion in mind, fairly quick and steady six to twelve inch pulls followed by short rests. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason as to when they will take scuds other than maybe a lack of other hatches.

 

Materials for my scud are a Daiichi 1550 hook in size 12 to 16, small gold wire, a clear or light green 1/8" scud back, Arizona Scud blend in Olive grey and Uni thread Olive in an 6/0 size. Feel free to use colors that match your particular water, keeping in mind that most colors darken when wet.

 

 

 

First I lay a base of thread and then tie in the wire and scud back, scud back hanging off the front of the hook.

 

 

 

Then I work the thread back to the rear of the hook and dub a noodle of my dubbing material.

 

 

 

Next I wind my dubbing noodle forward and then work the thread to the eye of the hook.

 

 

 

I make one turn with the wire before I bring the rubber back and then lightly stretch the rubber over the top of the fly. I do one wrap of the wire over the rubber, binding it at the back before winding the wire to the front of the hook. I then tie off the wire and helicopter it off.

 

 



 

Gently pull on the rubber and have it fold in two with the peak of the fold pointing up. Cut the rubber, the fold will create two small peaks on the outside of the rubber. 

 

 

 

 Either brush or pick at the dubbing to create the legs of the fly. That's it, a very simple, easy to tie scud imitation.