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Brush eyes


Premade eyes for shrimp, crab and damsel nymph patterns don't come cheap. I actually considered them so expensive that I never used them. Until I thought of hairbrushes.



By Martin Joergensen

The Long Shrimp
Read about hair brush eyes

Long Shrimp utilizing hair brush eyes - click to read article
Hook:
Partridge GRS12 2-6
Thread
White 6/0 or Monocord
Antennae:
White bucktail and silver flash
Shell:
White bucktail and silver flash
Eyes:
Black from a hair brush
Rib:
Silver tinsel
Body/legs:
White arctic fox wool

Tying instructions:
  • Start by covering the hook shank with thread
  • Take a small bunch of bucktail and tie in as antennae - approx. one hook length. Do not cover butts with thread and do not trim them!
  • Tie in 2-3 silver faslh straws folded over with the folded part towards the rear of the hook reaching to the tip of the bucktail tips. Again do not use more than a few turns of thread and do not trim the butts.
  • Clip the folded flash to open it
  • Fold the butts of bucktail and flash rearwards over the antennae to keep out of the way while continueing
  • Prepare two hair brush eyes by bending them slightly just under the 'pupil'
  • Tie in the eyes side by site on top of the hook shank
  • Cover the eye butts with tying thread
  • Varnish
  • Tie in ribbing pointing to the rear of the hook
  • Dub the hook shank to a tapered shape using coarse arctic fox fur
  • Fold the butts of bucktail and flash forwards over the body. Leave two straws of flash as longer antennae
  • Tie down the butts just behind the hook eye
  • Trim butts close to the hook eye
  • Rib tightly over the dubbing and bucktail/flash 'shell'
  • Trim ribbing
  • Whip finish and varnish
  • Tease out legs with a velcro teaser. Watch out for the 'shell'
  • Trim the legs and long flash antennae if needed


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