This is my twist on the scud. I use this pattern when I fish for trout in my local Missouri waters.
I tie it in sizes from 32 to 8. My go-to sizes are 16 and 18; however, during May and October I may switch it up to a 12 or 10.
My top two favorite colors are medium grey and light tan. I normally do not add extra weight to this pattern at the vise. I like to fish it just off the bottom, so I normally fish it with a strike indicator and a small split shot about halfway between the indicator and the fly.
When do I fish it? When fish aren’t rising I will usually start out with the scud because they are plentiful in my waters and are active all year long.
The scud may be one of the easiest patterns to fish and tie. Scuds are a staple in the trout’s food chain; sometimes up to 25% of their food source. For the most part, other than size and color, there are very few stages in its life cycle. Their life is basically spent moving around the bottom, eating, breeding and becoming a hungry trout’s next meal.
Side note: The average life span of a scud is about one year. During that time an adult scud may produce in excess of 14,000 offspring.
