Shrimp

oceanside tarpon fishing in the Keys really has no equal when it comes to technical difficulty. the cast, the angle, the strip, the leader, the fly. all of these elements have to be right to even get a look from fish that have seen hundreds of lures and flies. when it’s hot, sunny and calm that technical difficulty goes to a whole different level. how do you convince a fish to eat a fly in those conditions when it’s not actively feeding and can see and feel everything from the skiff to the line to the leader?

the Shrimp is designed for exactly that scenario. unlike most traditional tarpon shrimp flies the Shrimp actually looks and behaves like the real thing giving you an edge in calm clear conditions. the palmered marabou tail pulses and breathes without stripping and the tented hackle wing and custom dubbing blend body slow the sink rate so you can give wary fish a long lead. grab your #10, a clear line, and a long leader and feed them the Shrimp while everyone else rips worms. the Shrimp is tied about 3” long on a #1/0 Gamakatsu SL12s and available with an optional weedguard for fishing around those late season weed lines.

$12.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Color Natural Black

Hook Size#1/0

Weedguard No Yes

a photo of the Shrimp tarpon fly resting on its corresponding page in my tying journal

history of the Shrimp

the Shrimp started life as an update of Andy Mill’s venerable Dinner Shrimp and it’s one of the first patterns I offered here at TwoAught. over the six seasons since it’s introduction the Shrimp has evolved in to a distinct pattern separate from that original inspiration through testing and feedback from Keys guides and anglers. today’s Shrimp is more lifelike, lighter, slower sinking, and much more durable than the original.

at it’s core the Shrimp is designed to be fished slowly. if you fish oceanside tarpon in the Keys you have to have a palolo worm alternative to throw at wary fish in calm conditions. when it’s clear and calm you can’t slap a fly down right in front of a fish and rip it back to the boat. long casts with generous leads are the norm and that requires a fly that suspends or sinks very slowly. you also want that fly to move on its own with very little input from your stripping hand to keep the fly in the zone as long as possible without spooking wary fish. if you’re fishing oceanside in the Keys you owe it to yourself to have a few of these in your fly box.