On the August 1988 issue of Trout and Salmon Alastair Gowans revealed his latest creation — the Ally’s Shrimp — to the salmon fishing world.
Little did he realise, then, what an impact it would have.
In his article Alastair wrote: “It is worth a try any time from late spring to late autumn, and fish have been taken on it from the Dee, Tay, Tummel, Tweed and Esks.” Since then the Ally’s Shrimp has probably taken fish from every salmon producing river in the world.
Alastair Gowans’s intention was to produce an illusion of something “shrimpy” and semitranslucent, like the creatures he had caught while on board a trawler fishing the Minch.
As with any fly (particularly a salmon fly) it is a fact that the more people who fish a particular pattern, the greater the number of fish that will be caught on it, but the Ally’s Shrimp does seem to be something special, and few fishers would admit to never having fished the fly at one time or another.
The original shown here has spawned a host of colour variants, perhaps the most successful among them the Yellow Ally’s Shrimp.
Hook To suit conditions Thread Red
Tail Small bunch of hot-orange bucktail
Rib Oval silver tinsel Body Rear half red
floss; front half black floss Underwing
Natural grey squirrel tail Overwing
Golden-pheasant tippets Beard hackle
Natural grey squirrel tail Hackle Long
hot-orange cock Head Red varnish
WHERE, WHEN & HOW TO FISH
W H E R E
The Ally’s Shrimp is such a versatile fly that it can be fished with confidence on rivers worldwide.
W H E N
Perhaps at its most effective after the water has warmed up in late spring and early summer.
H O W
Fish it on floating, sink-tip and intermediate lines. In autumn’s colder water, an Ally’s Shrimp tied on a Waddington and fished on a full sinking line can be deadly.
T Y I N G T I P
Make sure the tail is about twice the length of the hook shank.
In sizes for trout and salmon and with looks to match its performance, Sage’s new fly reel is the perfect match for spey casts.