Deneki Outdoors Fishing Lodges

Alaska | The Bahamas | Chile

Tying The Spawning Mantis Shrimp

How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Mmm, shrimpy.. Photos: Kyle Shea.

A little over a week ago, we ran a post unveiling one of our most productive bonefish patterns at Andros South, the Spawning Mantis Shrimp, a variation of Bob Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp.

Today, we’re coming at you with step by step instructions on how to tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp, including our own little spin on the original that we feel has made it exceptionally productive here on South Andros.

Think of it as an early Christmas gift!

Tying The Spawning Mantis Shrimp

Materials:

  • Hook: Tiemco 811S – sz. 2-6
  • Thread: 6/0 Uni Thread – Fire Orange
  • Tail: Single Strand of Pearl Krystal Flash, Over Tan Craft Fur, Over tuft of Flame Orange Rabbit Fur.
  • Legs: Rootbeer/Orange Tipped Crazy Legs
  • Body: Dubbed Tan Craft Fur
  • Eyes: Medium Black Bead Chain Eyes
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 1: Secure thread just behind the eye of the hook.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 2: Catch in bead chain eyes using figure eight wraps. Advance thread to just behind the hook point.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 3: Cut a small tuft of flame orange rabbit fur from a zonker strip, and catch in at the hook point.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 4: Trim off a healthy clump of tan Craft Fur and catch in on top of rabbit. The tail should extend roughly 1-1.5 the length of the hook shank. Cover butt ends with thread wraps and trim off at bead chain eyes. This will help in creating bulk to the body of the fly.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 5: Catch in a single strand of Pearl Krystal Flash and double over creating a single strand on each side of the tail.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 6: Tie in first pair of rubber legs. We prefer to tie in both sides at once by doubling a single strand over, but some find it easier to add each leg individually. Both ways work great!  Tip: If using hot tipped legs, trim legs appropriately to create great looking orange tips to the legs of the fly. 
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 7: Dub Craft Fur onto your thread and cover the tie in point of the legs with dubbing. Tip: The used up portion of your Craft Fur patch makes for great dubbing!
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 8: Tie in second pair of legs and cover tie in point with dubbing using the same method as before. Trim legs slightly shorter than the first set of legs.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 9: Tie in third pair of legs and cover tie in point with dubbing using the same method as before. Trim legs slightly shorter than the second set of legs.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 10: Dub body with a healthy amount of craft fur, creating a nice cigar shape.
How to Tie the Spawning Mantis Shrimp Fly
Step 11: Using figure eight wraps, cover the tying thread above and below bead chain eyes with dubbing. Build up a clean head, whip finish, and cement.

More on Bonefish Flies

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Hi Matt,

    You’re right. With most size 2 hooks, the medium bead chain eyes are not always enough to turn the hook point over. However, most of our flats are pretty clean, so we don’t have don’t tend to have much of an issue of the hook snagging up. If you’re fishing in an area where the hook point riding up is necessary, try adding some heavier brass or lead eyes instead. Thanks for reading!

    Kyle

  7. I know this is an old post, but I notice that most other shrimp patterns have melted mono style eyes. Any reason that they are omitted on this fly?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.