Summary of Postings for Am. River Shad Fly Patterns
It started with a search on this forum for the pattern recipes of a few shad flies
mentioned by Jeff C: Badder Santa, Purple Murple, Too Sexy.
It turned into a summary collection of forum postings on Am. River Shad fly patterns.
I found it interesting to see the faint development traces of the now famous Bloody Maria shad fly.
Starting with Jeff's posting in May '05 of a "size 10 nymph type shad fly", to the June '08 pattern
publication and naming.
But, in the end I still don't know what a Badder Santa or Purple Murple is.
Mark H.
List of all Shad Flies Mentioned on Kiene's Shad Forum
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Badder Santa No pattern found
Purple Murple No pattern found
Too Sexy Bloody Maria with orange floss body and copper or chartreuse wire rib
Johnny Winter Ed Tiger No pattern found
Bloody Maria Jeff Ching See pattern below
or http://cffu.org/CFFU/Fly_of_the_Mont...loodyMaria.pdf
Wet Pinky Dave Howard see pattern below
Surf Candy web search Surf Candy fly pattern
Green Stink No pattern found
Shad Dart web search Shad Dart fly pattern
Green Weenie web search Green Weenie fly pattern
Blushing Bride No shad pattern found, steelhead pattern exist by the same name.
UV Shad fly No pattern found
Pink Shandy No pattern found
Golden Bowstring Terry Thomas see pic Kiene Forum "Shad Fly Exhange" 4/16/06
Dirty Bruce Jeff Ching see pattern below
Prince Nymph with gold ice dub
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Jeff C May '05:
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All were caught with a size 10 nymph type shad fly. I've tied tons of size 6 shad flies but none seem to work.
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andanb Help! What flies for shad? May '05
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Bill K:
Very bright flies work for shad like white, pink, chartreuse, yellow, orange and red or a combination of these colors.
Most use nickel, chrome or even gold hooks but they are not a complete necessity. We like heavier wire hooks to help sink the flies. Shad flies can run from
#4 to #10 depending on water clarity, depth and sun light.
We use nickel bead chane eyes or chrome dumbbell eyes to help sink the flies and to turn the flies over so we can hook the fish in the roof of the mouth.
The american Shad has a very thin lower jaw that a hook can pull right through.
We use larger darker contrasting colored flies in the early season with darker water. As the season progresses we use smaller light colored flies.
The Sacramento River above Colusa has a very large run of Shad and we use larger flies there because the water is never real clear up there. On the lower
American River and especially the lower Yuba River the water can get very clear.
In the past few years many have gone to putting a #12 green caddis larva trailer off the back of their shad flies.
Darian:
All of the above are good suggestions... . Most of the succesfull Shad flies are simple in nature. (e.g. the Wet Pinky) Try the simple patterns using
different colors. Such as chartreuse, orange (flourescent), etc. One of the simplest of all Shad flies I've ever used was one dressed by Mike monroe . It
used chartreuse or hot orange floss (tapered) and Bead chain or bumbell eyes for weight. No hackle or tail. Simple but deadly pattern.... .
Dave Howard's Wet Pinky '80's
Tying Instructions:
Bill Lowe http://www.americanflyfishing.com/re...8&store_id=212
Hook 8 or 6 Eagle Claw 1197 or TMC 3769
Thread Florescent Hot Orange Flat Waxed Nylon
Tail White Marabou (original pattern)
Under Body Florescent Orange Flat Waxed Nylon
Body Fine or Medium White Chenille
Rib Copper Wire (original pattern)
Eyes Gold Barbell eyes – 1/8” and 3/16” respectively
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Jeff C. Hey Andy! July '05
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The size 8 BH Prince worked better than any other shad fly I tried yesterday. In the morning, I used a size 10 as a dropper under a regular shad fly and got
3 fat hens on the dropper. After stopping by the shop and picking up some size 8's, I went back out and landed 4 and LDR'ed 4. Thanks for the tip. The
Prince nymph is going to a regular in my shad fly box.
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Another Day on the "A" July '05
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BigBuddha:
I got out on Saturday late and hooked fifteen. I only landed 8 however. The first few were on Wet Pinkies, but the majority were on Chartreuse colored
flies. The bite was very late probably didn't pick up until after 8 PM.
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Bill K. shad flies Aug '05
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The size fly can vary depending on the river/water conditions.
Early season on the Sacramento River up towards Colusa they use size 4 and 6 with heavy dumbbell eyes. Orange/Chartreuse is a standard combo. Very flashy
materials are popular.
Late season on the Lower American River in June we use a small #6/8 "Wet Pinky" which was developed by the 'shad master' Dave Howard. This works good in
shallow clear water.
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Jeff C. Went out last night.... Aug '06
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Jeff C.
A Dirty Bird variation I call the Dirty Bruce (Size 8 nymph hook, tungsten bead head, lead wire underbody, pearl crystal flash tail, black dubbed abdomen,
copper wire ribbing, pearl crystal flash wing, brown hackle, and a bright pink thread head). I'll probably go out a few more times for shad but I'm going to
start concentrating on stripers, half pounders and salmon.
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Skunked Shad Fly Color May '08
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Bill K:
I think people are using very small (#10) and sparse Shad flies now.
Jeff C:
Lately, its been a size 10 nymph hook, red floss body with white head and tail. Two weeks ago, it was a size 8-10 surf candy. Forget the size 4 and 6 flies.
As Bill said "Forty years ago, you could throw a beer can at them".
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Jeff C. Bloody Mary Recipe June '08
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Here's the recipe I cooked up for the Bloody Mary:
Size 10 scud hook
3.2 mm gold bead
White antron tail (single strand) with 2 strands of pearl flashabou (~3/8" long)
Dark red floss body
Lime green wire rib
Large white thread head behind the bead.
Tied up it looks like a Ice Cream Cone Chironomid with a tail
Other combos that work: Orange floss/black wire, pink floss/black wire
and chartreuse floss/red wire but the orginal is the most productive.
Terry T:
Interesting shad fly. As is the case in fly fishing--few things are really new. The name "Blood Mary" has been around a long time; used as a steelhead
pattern. How about a "Bloody Maria?"
Terry
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Bill K. Trend towards smaller Shad flies locally June '10
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Jeff Ching was by visiting with Andy Guibord and myself at the shop yesterday.
He left us one of his latest versions of the "Bloody Maria" Shad fly for everyone to see.
Bloody Maria" Shad fly #10 nymph hook with a tuft of pearl UV dub for a tail now.
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Jeff C March '11
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I started tying shad flies already (Bloody Marias, Johnny Winters, Too Sexy, and Wet Pinkies). They should start showing up next month.
Charlie G.:
Ed, Tiger invented the Johnny Winter.
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Jaybinder What's in your shad fly box? April '12
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Dabalone:
Hear mostly about traditional brightly collored shad patterns but a few years ago my son and I found something they just ate up even when people around us
were not hooking up. Not normally thought of as a shad pattern I tied up some prince nymphs in a flashy pattern, gold ice dub seemed to be the color of
choice, I think they are attracted by the overall flash of the fly but key in on the white wings, worked both in the American and Feather rivers.
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Jeff C. Jeff's 2014 AR Shad Update '14
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Jeff C. 6/18/14
6 this evening. The Purple Murple out fished the Maria 3 to 1. Had the Maria as a dropper .
