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Jelly prawns are one of the critical building blocks at the lower end of the food chain in our tropical and sub-tropical estuaries. They are also a favourite food item for many species of iconic tropical sport fish such as barramundi, king threadfin salmon and blue threadfin salmon and tarpon to name but a few. They are also much sought after by demersal fish species including bream, flathead, grunter and fingermark.

Strictly speaking the natural ‘Jelly Prawns’ are not juveniles of larger prawns but instead are small krill like shrimp from the family Sergestidar. As such they are more akin to the krill that are the main food source for wales and so much more of our marine wildlife, than to prawns which in reality play a lesser role.

Misunderstanding them to be juveniles of prawns is understandable because they only grow up to about 4cm in length.

I tie this fly on a #2 to #4/0 unweighted worm hook to which I add my own weight. Whilst those tied on and the smaller hooks are closer to the size range of the natural my bigger versions are about twice the size as the natural jelly prawn. That doesn't seem to worry bigger fish and I am guessing that they are more tuned into the colour, form and function of the oversized representation of a jelly prawn and see the bigger offering of protein as a bonus. Tied on a #4/0 hook this fly is turning out to be a really outstanding option when targeting a number of species including fingermark, jacks, grunter and flathead.

The original colour is shown in the recipe below but a natural olive over shrimp or red over white are great options also.

Materials

Notes

• All the sizes in this post relate to tying a size #2/0 baitfish. Size range for this fly is size #1 to size #5/0 ... adjust the sizing to suite the size of the hook.
• The 2/0 hook is 47mm long and the target length for the finished jelly prawn is 94cm.
• For the weight that you pre-tie onto the hook I recommend 10 turns = light weight, 15 turns = medium weight and 20 turns of the lead wire = heavy weight.
• With such a small amount of hook shank being used to anchor all the materials in the fly I urge you to apply a small drop of super glue to the tie in of each material as you proceed.

Process

All the sizes in this post relate to tying a size #2/0 jelly prawn. The hook is 47mm long and the target length for the finished jelly prawn is 94cm. With such a small amount of hook shank being used to anchor all the materials in the fly I urge you to apply a small drop of super glue to the tie in of each material as you proceed.

B	Bring the hook up horizontal in the vice. Pull the silicon legs back on each side of the hook shank and lock them to the hook shank with a length of pipe cleaner as shown in the photo. Take the thread up to the flat section of the hook wrap the thread in tight touching turns to the eye of the hook and then back half way along that flat section.

C	Select a small bunch of flash blend that is at least twice the length of the hook. Tie that in with tight wraps of thread on top of the flat section of the hook. Apply a single small drop of super glue to the tie in of this first half of the flash blend.

D	Select 4-8 strands of krystal flash that is at least twice the length of the hook. Tie that in with tight wraps of thread on top of the flat section of the hook. Apply a single small drop of super glue to the tie in of the krystal flash.

E	Select a second small bunch of flash blend that is at least twice the length of the hook. Tie that in with tight wraps of thread on top of the flat section of the hook. Apply a single small drop of super glue to the tie in of the second half of the flash blend.

F	Take a length of plastic bead chain eyes and with a pair of needle nose pliers squash off as many beads as required to leave you eyes that are the right width apart. For this size #2/0 fly I have removed 2 beads. Tie the eyes in above the hook shank and half way between the split shot and the eye of the hook. Trim the excess bead chain eyes away. You can access photos of this process in steps E,F & G on my mud prawn post.

G	Select a final small bunch of super hair that is at least twice the length of the hook. Tie that in with tight wraps of thread on top of the tie in of the plastic bead chain eyes. Apply a single small drop of super glue to the tie in of the first half of the super hair.

H	Mix a small quantity of 5 minute epoxy and use a tooth pick to apply epoxy around all surfaces of the head of the fly whist leaving the eyes free standing and also the void under the head of the fly and the lead weight on the hook shank. At this stage remove the pipe cleaner that is holding the legs out of the way and pull the front four forward through the epoxy on the front of the fly and the back four legs forward through the epoxy on the other side of the fly. Be careful not to allow the epoxy to encroach down the body as you want the body to be free moving. Working with epoxy Rotate the fly whilst the epoxy goes off so as to ensure a nice symmetrical and round head.During this process stop occasionally to finess the positioning of the legs so that the spresd of the legs is relatively even.

I	When the fly is finished, and the epoxy has cured, stroke the body materials back into place and trim the body so that the finished fly is about twice as long as the hook and so that the body is not too square at the end. Using nail polish the same colour as you painted the lead weight on the shank of the hook paint the epoxy head of the fly.

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