The Big Sur Shrimp ~ A Fly for the California Surf

    All of the fly patterns I fish are baits. I tie flies out of necessity, because I need good baits. It is not the act of tying that I relish, rather, it is the trial and error creative process that evolves the idea for a new pattern to utilitarian realization. The fly proves out to be a reliable workhorse bait, my friends and I are consistently catching fish with it, I tie up a bunch, take them to the beach and wear them out.

I admit it, I’m a saltwater junkie. Wintering on the Central California coast where steelhead are ghosts, I spend most of my fishing time on the beaches casting for barred surfperch. This is a happy circumstance, as it contains all of the elements that stack up to world class fishing (by my own standards): Bold, inspiring scenery; relative solitude; moving water that requires reading; a reliable quantity of sporty barred perch willing to eat a fly. As a fighter, pound for pound, Cali barred surfperch will go head to head with anything. The world record, at close to 5 pounds, came from the area I fish. 

Though the primary menu item on the beach is mole crab, the teardrop shaped sand crabs are difficult to imitate, and I’ve yet to try a crab pattern that works to my complete satisfaction. Surfperch see a lot of sand crabs, they are sand crab experts, and can be very selective on them, and usually won’t eat one that does not look and act exactly right. Fortunately, barred perch are also fond of shrimp, sea worms and small baitfish, and aren't as picky about the imitations of these. 

Barred surfperch will also hit trigger flies, 'lures' bearing little resemblance to anything in nature, yet composed of colors perch can't resist putting their lips on. There is a preference for red, pink, orange, purple, rootbeer, and also color combinations of olive & vermillion, common to many sea critters, notably seaworms and shrimp.

Nowadays, bonefish and Clouser type flies rule the surf. But it serves us well to remember, back in the day, pioneer California surf fly fishers did well on 'Comet' style patterns, and this type still has a place in the arsenal of canny beach casters. Of course, the Big Sur Shrimp can be tied with a barbell, beadchain, bead or cone head, though I prefer to tie this one with a bit of lead wound under the body. Most often, I fish it as a trailer behind a Krystal Shrimp, though, fished alone, the section of T-14 attached to the tip of my shooting head takes it right down to hunt and tickle the bottom. I suspect this presentation drifts and scoots the fly in the surf, like a worm or swimming shrimp.       

Big Sur Shrimp

Hook: #2 Dai-Riki 930 or choice

Thread: Red or orange

Tailing: In order: pinch of pearl olive flash; olive marabou; red-dyed barred mallard flank feather wound forward, then tied back & down; olive-dyed mallard flank feather tied back & down; top with a couple strands of pearl olive flash (I start building the tail at about even with the hook point.)

Body: ‘Peacock’ Estaz

Hackle: Red-dyed & olive-dyed mallard flank feathers wound as a collar - & finish.