Overview

The Scud Bomb is a Hans Mylant pattern, tied by Umpqua, that puts a heavy bead on top of a classic scud. Mylant is an Umpqua signature tyer from the Southern Rockies.

Mylant secures the bead to the top of the hook shank, a method he calls posting the bead. That makes the fly ride hook point up so it drifts over rocks and logs, and the heavy bead sinks faster than countersunk or slotted beads. The fly keeps a classic curved scud profile. Scuds are small freshwater crustaceans that live in tailwaters, spring creeks and lakes, and where they are common they are a big part of a trout's diet.

Euro Specs

• Hook: Curved scud profile, rides point up because of the posted bead. Sold barbed by the maker.
• Role: Anchor or attractor point fly; designed to be the main weight on a nymph rig.

How to Fish It

• No split shot: use it as the main weight on your nymph rig and trail a smaller midge or mayfly nymph behind it.
• Tight-line: fish it as the point fly on 5X or 6X fluorocarbon.
• Where: tailwaters, spring creeks and weedy riffles where scuds live.
• All year: scuds are available every month, which makes this a dependable winter fly.

Choosing Color and Size

Olive matches the most common living scuds. Orange imitates scuds that have died or are molting, a color trout know well. Rainbow adds flash as an attractor. All come in size 16.