Movement under the carapace is something that has always bugged me about my previous Jam flies, and after seeing Jannies version 1889218 of his famous jam with a sub carapace made using a craft fur brush got me thinking.
I don’t have a brush maker, and thats a whole new angle I need to learn, but I figured there was a step in the newish Jam designs that had presented the perfect opportunity.
The final few steps involves layering felt and a strip of pre moulded silicon using either polar fibre or (more recently) craft ribbon. So, why not put some polar fibre or craft fur in between the felt and pre moulded silicon, using some RTV silicon to hold it in?
Of course this makes the final step of wrapping the carapace in mono even tougher, but with some trial and error I got it right. The result is phenomenal. Im busy making a few crabs using this exact method with the polar fibre around the entire carapace for more movement. May I present, peters JAM sandwich:
Why a mud prawn not a sand prawn imitation? From personal experience the Grunts prefer the sandies. Great ties and silicon work Pete btw! Wish we had better environments here in KZN to target them in.
Arno I find the sand prawn flies are go-to fly in the garden route, however down here they seem to prefer mud prawn imitations…why I don’t know. Don’t you guys still get good grunter numbers in Kosi?
Pete,
I have been following your Grunter odyssey for a couple of years now and have watched your flytying evolve over this time. You are really trailblazing the realistic patterns used on these notoriously tricky quarry.
Could you share with a relative SW flyfishing newbie your thoughts on how you would best fish these and also offer up some advice on how to approach a completely new piece of water.
Where do you start? How do you fish the JAM and variations? When do you use a floating prawn and how? What line, leader set up do you use?
I would really appreciate you sharing a little of your hard earned experience if you don’t mind.
Cheers
Bryan
Hi Bryan,
thank you for your response and kind words. Thats actually a good idea for a post. A “where to start” series. Ill post something soon so keep your eyes out!
Hi guys, I have been targeting grunter for the past 4 years, whenever we go down on holiday to Buffelsbaai area, fishing Goukamma , Sedgefield and keurbooms.(with limited success ). I believe that there are no mud prawns in these systems, but a beige coloured specimen, with orange egg sacs ? Is this in fact correct ?
Pieter, I am not a very experienced as a fly tyer, can I purchase some flies from you ? I am going down to the erea again at the end of February.
regards
Hi Pete,
Like some of the other chaps replies, I must agree that the prawn flies look like the real deal, must have taken a lot of time, and patients to get to the final result. Now the big question, do you tie for the market, or can your arm be turned to tie a few for a guy that desperately would like to catch a granter on a prawn fly, regards Derick.
Any of you gents going to be in Knysna, Sedgefield or Witsand in Dec/Jan and keen to wet a line ?