Fly Tying Inventory
Curry's Red Shrimp
Curry's Red Shrimp is an Irish salmon shrimp devised by Pat Curry of Coleraine and credited as the first Irish shrimp fly of its type. It has a wound golden pheasant breast tail, a red rear body and black front body each ribbed with silver oval, red hackle-tip veilings at both sections, two silver badger hackles and jungle cock. Left without the veilings, the same dressing becomes the Red Badger Shrimp. It is fished for fresh salmon and late in the season, and a twitch makes the hackles pulse. Tied here on a double salmon hook.
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Materials
Double salmon hook
Tying thread, red
Red
Oval tinsel, silver, for the tag
Silver
Golden pheasant breast feather, wound as the tail
Floss, red, for the rear body (or red fur)
Red
Oval tinsel, silver, for the ribs on both body sections
Silver
Red hackle tips, for the veilings at the rear and front body
Red
Silver badger rooster hackle, for the middle and front hackles
Silver badger
Floss, black, for the front body (or black fur)
Black
Jungle cock eyes, one each side
How to Tie the Curry's Red Shrimp
- 1
Step 1
Fix the double hook in the vise and start the red thread. Tie in the silver oval tinsel at the rear and wind a short tag, then tie it off and trim.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in a golden pheasant breast feather by its tip just ahead of the tag. Wind it as a hackle, stroking the fibers back so they sweep past the bend to form the tail.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in a length of silver oval tinsel and the red floss. Wind the floss over the rear half of the shank and tie it off.
- 4
Step 4
Rib the red floss with the oval tinsel in open turns. Tie it off and trim.
- 5
Step 5
Tie a red hackle tip on top of the hook at the front of the rear body, then turn the fly over and tie a second one underneath, both lying back along the body as veilings.
- 6
Step 6
Tie in a silver badger hackle at the midpoint and wind it as the middle hackle. Tie it off and stroke the fibers back.
- 7
Step 7
Tie in more silver oval and the black floss. Wind the floss forward to form the front body, leaving room at the eye, then rib it with the oval and tie both off.
- 8
Step 8
Add a second pair of red hackle-tip veilings at the front of the black body, one on top and one underneath.
- 9
Step 9
Tie in a second silver badger hackle and wind it as the front hackle. Tie it off and sweep the fibers back.
- 10
Step 10
Tie a jungle cock eye along each side at the head.
Leave the fly without veilings and you have the Red Badger Shrimp.
- 11
Step 11
Form a neat red head, whip finish and varnish.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmBDGkUdtbc
Credit: Seán Woods Fishing