Favorite Scud Color?

[jimmadsen]

Okay - I just have to ask...what's your favorite scud color? Olive? Brown? Gray? Tan?

The waters I'm fishing have plenty of scuds in the waters and the trout make a meal of them (I've seen the stomach pump pictures) but for the life of me I can't seem to fish the right color to get them to strike.

I know that scud are mostly active at night and there's not a lot of movement when the sun is high so I tend to fish them mostly in the early morning and late evening.

THOUGHTS?

Thanks!

Jim

[SilverMallard]

I catch most on bleached ginger w/red thread or scud gray with black thread...except on very bright sunny days. Then I use a UV Ice dubbed scud with red thread and just slay them.

[flyandtie]

mine is olive.
are you fishing them in lakes? or rivers?
fish them near weeds and and bottom cover.
use of a indicator works well to keep it right above the vegetation and slowly twitch it every once in a while to mimic the actions of the scud.
.usually they are no deeper than 5 feet.
when the scud gets frightened it can move in fast scoots like a crayfish.
but dont waste your time scooting a scud quickly.
only on rare occasions does this work.
also if you are going to be tying them, tie them straight! not curved. curved ones are either dead or resting or feeding.
also tie some with a orange bump 3/4 of the way up the hook shank. to simulate a pregant scud. sometimes this is what the fish key in on.
also pure orange scuds are dead and sometimes the fish key in on only the orange scuds.

but everyones opinion on scud color isnt important.
they matchtheir color to the environment they live in. i use green because all of the vegetation in my locallake is green.
but if yours is tan then you need to be using tan scuds.
tie yours or buy them....lwhatever you do in sizes #20-10 and youd be set.
you also must make them have a scruffy underside to suggest the legs.

also molting scuds that do not have their exoskeleton yet, have a distinct blue/grey hue. another thing to think about.

wow sorry for the long post just though it should be informative!
hope it helps!

[TomTrout]

Jim

Best suggestion I can give is that you check your local fly shop. He'll tell you the best color. Now when your on stream watch the fish. They'll root around to loosen the the scuds from the weeds then drop back to pick them out of the drift. when he drops back make your cast and lead it to him.
Color varies by stream in NJ where I'm originally from we used pinkfor scuds and shrimp on the Musky.

Tom

[DaleW]

But, ya know, about the time I've hit on a color that's producing results, the next time or season those finicky fish have changed favorite colors! Better take them all!



Dale

[FlyPimp]

I do best for trout with creamy white scuds. Flo Orange or Flo Pink for steelhead

[nen-bran]

Olive definitely. If the scuds live in vegetation, the fly should blend in just like the natural. I think that the trout will turn their noses less with a more imitative, not attractive dressing.

Just my two cents, nen-bran

[dixieangler]

I tie a sort of two tone with the Rainey's Beadback Scud. I use clear glass beads for the back and tan Antron (nylon) yarn for the legs. The bream here in FL seem to like this one the best so far in size 10 and size 12.

[MNFisher]

Without question, my best results from fishing a scud have come from using a size 12 with Ronn Lucas' Orange Iridescent dubbing.

[MR.JML]

Olive or Flo Pink. You can find my recipe for Barbie Shrimps on flytyingworld.com
I also tie a pattern called a Glenn Canyon Scud.
John Larson (Alpinefly)