A Rollover Scud

A Killer in High Sierra Lakes

by Mike McGuire

October 2006

I got the inspiration for this fly from Gary LaFonaine's book, Fishing the Mountain Lakes. It's essential feature is that it is tied with weight  along the top of the hook shank., it's turned over point up, but when it is stripped, it turns right side up. This action seems to be pretty enticing to fish.

Materials
Thread : Olive
Hook :  14 to 18  straight nymph hook, e.g Tiemco 3761
Weight: 0.035" lead or non-lead wire
Tail: Hen hackle fibers
Back:  Scud back--see comment below.
Body: Olive Ostrich Herls (Orange is sometime good too)
Rib: Copper Wire

The scud back is a strip of plastic 1.8--3/16 " wide. A piece of plastic baggie, something fancy for the fly shop. Most anything will do.  I  have been using the metallize plastic packaging that static sensitive electronic components come in these days.

The first step is start the thread at the eye of the hook and take it a third of the way down the shank.  Cut off the end of the weighting wire with a diagaonal cut and tie it to the shank as shown here


Cut off the weighting wire  with another diagonal cut about opposite the barb..



Cover the weight with thread and tie in some hen hackle fibers for a tail.. Tie in the wire, the scud back and two ostrich herls.



Wrap the herls closely to the eye and tie them off.



Fold the scud back over the top and tie it off at the eye, wrapt the rib in spaced  turns, tie it off, whip finish, and  you're done.