Nymphs: Step-by-step fly tying instructions. 

Rainbow Scud created by Anthony Giaquinto.

The Rainbow Scud is a must have for any angler that fishes with scud patterns. A key to the effectiveness of the fly is the blend of different color materials used in the fly, plus the use of a Nymph-Head Heavy Metal tungsten bead that gets the scud down quickly into the feeding zone. The Rainbow Scud can be tied in a number of different colors and sizes. The typical scud shades of grey, olive and tan are always effective, but you can also use some of the newer, attractor colors like blue that anglers are finding great fishing success with. In the example below, we are using a Steelhead Blue bead and matching with a dark body. So plan ahead and make sure your fly box is always well stocked with different variations of the Rainbow Scud.

Fly tying materials

Hook: Gamakatsu C12U Caddis hook, #12 thru #16.
Thread: Uni-Thread Light Cahill 8/0.
Head: Steelhead Blue Nymph-Head Heavy Metal™ tungsten fly tying bead with the 3D eyes painted powder blue.
Body: Krystal Dubbing: Dark Hares ear and black.
Rib: Blue Ultrawire – size small.
Shellback: Clear 1/8” Scud back.

Use Prismacolor markers to color the scud-back:

1. Blue ultramarine for thread.
2. Spring green and orange for the top of scud-back.
3. Blue ultra marine for coloring the sides of scud-back.
4. Sally Hansen's Hard-as-Nails for coating scud-back.
5. Powder blue Deco-Color paint pen for eyes.

Fly tying instructions

Step 1

Start your thread directly behind the bead and wrap 3/4 of the way around the bend of the hook. Color the wrapped thread with blue ultramarine marker.

Step 2

Attach the blue ultrawire to the top of the hook shank and cover completely, ending where you stopped your thread base.

Step 3

Tie in scud-back on top at the front of the hook and cover to the rear stopping point.

Step 4

Start dubbing hook from the rear moving forward with dark hare's ear Krystal dubbing and finish dubbing with black Krystal dubbing right behind the bead. The black dubbing should be about the size of the bead.

Step 5

Pull the scud-back over the top of the hook, covering the dubbing completely and tie off right behind the bead. Now wrap your ultrawire forward and tie down right behind the bead.

Step 6

Proceed to pick out dubbing for legs.

Step 7

Color the sides of the scud-back with blue marker and proceed to color the top with the green marker. Then proceed to color the whole scud-back with the orange marker, over the green (back) and blue (sides), blending the colors. When finished with the markers cover the colored scud-back with Sally Hansen's Hard-as-Nails.

Step 8

Paint the 3D eyes on the bead with powder blue Deco-Color marker paint. Allow to dry for a few minutes and finish off with a light covering of Sally Hansen's Hard-as-Nails over the eyes to make the fly more durable.