I have been fishing one of the most heavily fished still waters on the eastern side of Washington State, and I have tied several scud patterns. Each of them has a spot in my still water box but I came up with a simple and most effective pattern ever.
What I learned about scuds is that they develop an “orange-hot-spot” caused by internal parasites. Some might refer as “pregnant spot” but the fact is “dying spot” that makes any still water trout gorge on dying scuds.
Ok, I’m confused by the instruction.
Step 2: Tie in two olive ostrich herls and make 2/5 of the body. DO NOT cut them for now.
Step3: Tie in two orange ostrich herls and wrap a “hot-spot” exactly in the middle of the fly. Proportion has to be 1/5 of the body.
Step 4: Wrap remained olive ostrich herls to form the front 2/5 and tie off.
How come in Step 4, I’m not palmering through the orange herls and screwing up the look?
Nice fly, btw.
I believe from what you say here, that you should just wrap the orange herl over the olive herl for the middle 1/5th. Then continue on with the olive herl. Doing it this way you don’t have to tie in your second dose of olive herl. So, when you finish the 1st 2/5th of olive, just lay a section of olive flat against the hook shank and wrap orange over it.
Maybe, but then step 2 should say, “make 3/5 of the body.”
If the center is 3/5th of the entire fly, then that would leave only 1/5 olive on either end of the fly. …2/5ths…/…1/5th…/…2/5ths…= 5/5ths.
You are correct though. The third 1/5th is only a 5th of the fly, and it’s in the center. …Olive…/…Red…/…Olive…
There are dozens of Ray Charles Fly Patterns, representing Scuds…most using the hot spot
Hot Spots can be used for many nymph patterns and streamer patterns
I like the Royal Ray Charkes fly pattern, submitted by Satoshi Yamamoto
Al Campbell’s Too Simple Ray Charles http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac022304.php is also another verison of a hot spot Scud fly pattern.
For whatever reason, hot spots do cause fish striking the hook… ~Parnelli
FWIW, I was told by a guide on the Bighorn that the Ray Charles was meant to imitate a sowbug and that the bottom should be trimmed (to get the sowbug’s flat profile) while the sides should be left long.