BB Shrimp

Ireally enjoy sitting down to watch any new saltwater fly DVD, and it was no different when I received my copy of Aquasoul by Ben Godfrey of Krank Productions. Five minutes into the film I was thinking, damn, this is good! By the end of the 47 minutes, I had to watch it again, and have done so several times since. Aquasoul was filmed at the Claremont Isles in Queensland and features Peter Morse and Brett Wilson as they fish for several species held dear to most of us who frequent salt water.

Brett Wilson came to fly fishing later in life and has embraced it with a passion, already notching up several permit and tying his own variations of fly patterns to suit his needs. It is one such fly that caught my attention in the opening scenes of Aquasoul, a fly that Brett calls the BB Shrimp (Bretto & Ben Shrimp).

Inspired by Dave’s Pink Shrimp (FL#80) and some flies given to him by Scott Mitchell, Brett modified the pattern by tying some variations fairly sparsely and using more-translucent materials. He had results straight away in the skinny waters close to home, so he tied them down to a size #6 for bream and whiting.

When he joined the crew on Aquasoul this pattern soon became the fly of choice for the clear waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Tying a bunch of variations in a range of weights and sizes saw his fly box raided when the other anglers realised the fish were keyed into smaller and sparser flies.

The variation that caught my attention had an orange belly, created from dyed pearl Estaz chenille that is wound in open wraps to reduce bulk. Brett’s hook of choice is the Gamakatsu SL12S from size #2 and larger, or the Gamakatsu B10S in smaller sizes for bream and whiting. The eyes of choice are Brite Eyes, which are a turned brass eye, in preference to lead which can break. Choose the size of eye to suit the desired sink rate and size of fly that you are tying.

HOOK: Gamakatsu SL12S #2–2/0 Gamakatsu B10S #4–6

Thread: UV white or pink Danvilles Flat Waxed Nylon

Eyes: Brite Eyes, size to suit

Tail: White marabou and a pair of Epoxy Mono Eyes

Egg Sac: Pink or orange Egg Yarn

Body: Orange dyed Pearl Estaz or Cactus Chenille

Wing: Tan or Shrimp Pink Streamer Hair topped with two strands of Pearl Crystal Flash

TYING NOTES

BB SHRIMP

1/2. Tie in your Brite Eyes just behind the hook eye. Lay a base of thread down the hook shank and tie in a bunch of white marabou about the same length as the hook shank.

3/4. Outside the marabou, tie in a pair of Epoxy Mono Eyes so that they extend just beyond the hook bend and splay outward and upward when the hook point is up. Tie in a short bunch of Egg Yarn under the shank so that it extends no further than the hook bend.

5/6. Tie in the orange Estaz Chenille and advance the thread to the dumbbell eyes before palmering the Estaz Chenille on wide wraps up the body.

7/8. Invert the fly in the vice and tie in a tapered bunch of Streamer Hair so that it extends just beyond the marabou tail. Top this with two long strands of Pearl Crystal Flash to imitate antennae.

9/10. Whip finish. Mark the wing with 4–5 bars with a permanent marker, if desired, before applying a thin coat of UV resin. Make sure the hook gape is not compromised and cure the resin before finishing the head with a drop of head cement.

The tail is fashioned from a bunch of white marabou, a telling feature of many successful flats flies. The marabou offers movement that mimics life, and is readily available. Outside this is a pair of epoxy stem eyes. You can make your own or buy them, but use bright red, black or green — as long as they are prominent. Then tie in a stub of Egg Yarn at the base of the gape before adding the Estaz Chenille in wide wraps up the shank and tie off behind the dumbbell eyes.

Turn the fly over and tie in a tapered bunch of Streamer Hair so that it extends a little past the marabou tail. The bunch should be about half the width of the chenille body. Top this with two strands of pearl Crystal Flash so that they extend well past the wing, and whip finish. Position the wing and apply a thin coat of UV resin such as Loon Thick from the dumbbell eyes to just before the bend. Don’t make it too bulky and make sure you don’t close the hook gape.

Of course, the devil is in the detail. You can spice things up by adding some bars in the wing with a permanent marker before applying the UV resin. Nice prominent contrasts work well, making the fly pop off the bottom and stand out amongst the surroundings.

The BB Shrimp fishes well on #7 to #9 outfits depending on the weight of the fly. It lands fairly softly, sinks well in shallow water and is a great weapon to have on the flats.

Tie some up yourself and see where the journey takes you… I’m off to watch Aquasoul again!