I first tied this fly more years ago than I care to remember. I had read somewhere about using sweet wrappers to form the bodies on flies and experimented with a couple of ideas. This was pre-multi-coloured holo tinsel days and a box of Cadbury’s chocolates provided some pink, blue and red shiny wrappers. None of the resultant flies worked but the germ of the idea had been sown and I later hit on using Crunchie wrappers to make bodies. For those of you not familiar with this particular confectionery the Crunchie bar comes in a brassy gold foil wrapping.
By carefully opening the bar and flattening the wrapper you can cut a few narrow strips which can then be wound as a body. The beauty of this material is the colour, it is a lovely deep, brassy shade. I will take you through the tying process of the Crunchie Shrimp.
- With the hook in the vice start the tying silk at the eye and catch in a soft dark ginger cock hackle
2. Next tie in a cock hackle dyed Fire Orange which is slightly shorter in barb length than the ginger one. Run the tying silk down to a point 2/5ths of the way to the bend.
3. Here you tie in another dark ginger cock hackle, again, shorter in barb length than the first hackle.
4. Now catch in a slim bunch of orange dyed Bucktail hair to form the tail which should be approximately the same length as the hook. At the same time tie in a piece of fine oval gold tinsel which will be used as a rib. If desired, tie in a tag of oval gold at the end of the body.
5. Take one of the narrow strips of foil wrapper you previously cut and whip this in. now run the tying silk back up to the point where the middle hackle is tied in.
6. Wind the foil up the body in touching turns and tie it in at the middle hackle. Cut off the excess. Rib with open turns of oval gold, tie in a remove the waste end.
7. Wind the middle hackle, 3 turns is usually about right. Tie in and cut of the excess.
8. Now repeat the foil/rib used on the rear half of the body to form the front half. As a variant you can use orange floss silk to make the front body.
9. Wind the orange hackle and tie off as usual.
10. The ginger head hackle is given 3 or 4 turns now and tied in in the usual way.
11. Form a neat head with the tying silk and whip finish.
12. I like to give the head a coat or two of red varnish to finish it off.
There you have it! Tied on sizes 6 – 14 this is a good pattern for salmon and grilse.
Happy tying!
Claretbumbler 