Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

Inlet of Upper Titcomb Lake

From Titcomb Basin in Wyoming

Stream photos

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Female Skwala (Large Springfly) Stonefly Adult Female Skwala (Large Springfly) Stonefly Adult

Lateral view of a Female Skwala (Perlodidae) (Large Springfly) Stonefly Adult from Mystery Creek #308 in Washington

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27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.

Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Scuds

Troutbumks
Kansas

Posts: 1

Troutbumks on Sep 8, 2008September 8th, 2008, 8:51 am EDT

i am new to fly tying and was wondering what type of material to use to tie scuds.

GONZO
Site Editor
"Bear Swamp," PA

Posts: 1681

GONZO on Sep 10, 2008September 10th, 2008, 8:31 am EDT

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the website and to the rewarding craft of fly-tying.

Fur (or a synthetic substitute or blend) is a fairly standard material for scud imitations. It is usually dubbed and picked out to suggest legs, although it can also be spun. Many patterns incorporate something to represent the translucent carapace (often some sort of plastic tied over the back) and a rib to suggest segmentation.

You can find the tying instructions for my favorite scud pattern by using the website search to locate the "Favorite flies" thread (third post, first page). You can also see a photo of the pattern on HackleHead (click on "Fly Tying Contests" in the Troutnut header).