A very innovative prawn pattern which is adaptable for both salt and freshwater use as well as being adaptable for shrimp, prawn, nipper and yabby representations. Whilst the sieves, feelers, nippers and body are tied in the conventional way the fly comes alive when a “shrimp shell” is fitted over the back of the tie to finish it off. Shrimp shells are available in clear, olive pearl, pearl, pink pearl and tan pearl and come in sizes to suit #2, #4 and #6 flies.

The shrimp shells also finish off a very nice nipper.

The shrimp shells used in these flies have been developed by Alan Barber of  Tiewell and also finish off a very nice yabby.

	Shrimp shell shrimp and yabby

Materials shrimp shell prawn

Materials shrimp shell nipper

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks Tie in small bunch of superhair at the bend of the hook to represent the sieves and other mouth parts. Make the mouth parts about as long as the hook shank so that they will create some movement in the water. Managing synthetic fibres Tie in a feeler on each side of the mouth parts that are about one and a half times the length of the hook shank. Tie the hackle in at the bend of the hook. Wet fly hackles

B	Using the single strand dubbing technique dub on a thorax section along the rear third of the hook shank. Dubbing techniques Palmer the hackle back along the thorax tie it off at behind the thorax and trim the excess. Three or four turns of the hackle are enough. When you trim the excess hackle off it is best to trim the hackle fibres protruding above the top of the fly so that there not in the way when the shrimp shell is fitted. Palmering hackle Take the thread to the bend of the hook.

C	Starting just a smidge behind the eye of the hook dub on a body that starts at almost nothing and increases uniformly along the body until it is two thirds the thickness of the thorax when it reaches the thorax. Mix a small amount of epoxy and put a small amount along the top of the fly. Working with epoxy

D	Take the shrimp shell that you cut out earlier and bend it along the imaginary center line. This will allow it to sit on top of the fly better. Place the shrimp shell directly on top of the lite coat of epoxy on top of the fly and wind the thread to the eye of the hook following the segment lines printed on the shrimp shell. Tie the thread of and trim the excess. Spread a small amount of epoxy over the top of the shrimp shell and then rotate the fly until the epoxy is almost going off. At the last moment you can invert the fly so that the epoxy sags a little creating a slight bulge on the shrimp shell over the thorax.