Martyn White | Thursday, 8 October 2026
Squimps this week, aren't you lucky! Actually I might have written about squimps before, but even if I have, they're so good I don't mind doing them again.
I love squimps, and you should too. Everything eats them. I doubt there's a more versatile and effective flats fly out there. From little size 8s for Yucatan bones to 3/0 monsters for Indian ocean trevally, they all work well. Being a sort of prototypical pattern, You'll find all kinds of variant squimp patterns. This is good because there'a probably already a proven version that will suit your needs, or at the very leasy something close.
Using different matterials will obvoiusly affect how the fly behaves in the water. Slick, non-buoyant materials like craft fur will give you a fly that sinks faster for the same weight than one tied with natural materials. Brushed out dubbing and/or a hackle on the body will slow the sink compared to a body of pearly braid wrapped over wet head cement. Coyote, raccoon or fox has plenty of volume so can give you a wider looking fly without putting tons of material on it. Essentially the world is your molusc when it comes to squimp materials, just make sure the wing is mobile the length you're using and think about what you want from the fly when deciding what to use. If I could only have one, it'd probably be craft fur, but I'd not exactly be happy about it.
Here's a couple of recipes:
Simple squimp (POD)
Hook: SW 10-6
Thread: flat waxed nylon
Weight: Beadchain or dumbbells
Tail: Rabbit fur
Feelers/legs: Silli leg
Body:Chenille
Wing: Rabbit fur & a couple of strands of crystal flash
Scruffy squimp
Hook: SW 10-3/0
Thread: flat waxed nylon
Weight: Beadchain or dumbbells
Tail: Craft fur & crystal flash
Feelers/legs: Silli legs
Body:Craft fur underfur with a hot spot of orange/pink ice dub, well brushed
Wing: Craft fur
Bar the wing and tail with a brown marker.
Don't let this limit you though, whatever you like in the colours you like. Just make sure you put some squimps in your flats box. Everything on the flats eats them. Everything. I strongly suspect they'd be great for bass and carp too.