This perfect salmon fly was designed by myself on the River Tay 20 years ago and is an absolute salmon magnet when fished properly. Many experienced salmon anglers swear by the effectiveness of this pattern and it's sometimes wrongly referred to as the Newtyle Shrimp however it's proper registered name is the Jock's Shrimp as a credit to its creator. Here are the exact dressings for this deadly Scottish salmon fly pattern;
Hook / Tube: as required
Thread / Silk: Uni Thread 6/0 or 8/0, Red
Tag / Butt: Oval silver as for Rib
Tail: Orange Arctic Fox or equivalent with pearl flashabou accent or mirage over, just 2 or perhaps 3 strands max.
Tying note: it's important to set the Tag / Butt in place first, this helps lift the Fox tail slightly, increases movement and helps avoid

Here's a shot of a team of Copperass & Jock's Shrimp salmon flies that have just come off the fly tying vice. These 2 patterns are highly effective at all times of the Scottish salmon fishing season in varying sizes to cover all water & temperature conditions.

Look at this perfectly tied Jock's Shrimp salmon fly that's been tied with soft 'movement inducing' materials like Arctic fox. When a fly like this is swum in the stream these fine fibres come alive and make the fly move like a live creature therefore making them much more effective than other stiffer fly tying materials.

I caught this fine 16lbs specimen Spring salmon in February on the River Tay near Dunkeld as hard proof that early run Scottish salmon certainly do exist. Look at the caliber of this perfect fish which is exceptional and easily caught too for those who know how & where to fish during the early Spring months in Scotland.

Here's my own trusted silver friend of 20 years. This is a Van Staal C-vex 9-11 salmon fly reel with the 9/10 spool fitted paired up with the brilliant Monteith 9/10 Speycaster Multi System fly line. These 2 items fished of my bespoke built Bruce & Walker 16ft 9/10 Spey rod is Spey casting perfection and that's my firm professional opinion. As a professional Scottish salmon fishing guide you need to have quality salmon fishing equipment like this fly reel.

Here's a salmon with a mouthful of the deadly Jock's Shrimp salmon fly. This fish was caught near Dunkeld on the River Tay during July and is a good evidence of just how effective this salmon fly pattern can be. Tie one of these salmon flies onto your leader and watch what happens!

Lifelike Salmon Fly Movement

By Jock Monteith 1st June 2026

When you're fishing your salmon fly in most river streams there will be a certain amount of natural movement as the fly arcs around from it's initial casting angle starting point to the riverside edge downstream of you.

Salmon flies that are tied with materials like buck tail or arctic fox will react in the stream very differently from one another and it's important you develop an awareness of this.

Here's a lovely well stocked salmon fly box containing a few highly effective salmon flies. It's good practice to sort out your fly boxes a few times every season and get your fly stock in good order like this. The predominant fly pattern that you see in this big fly box is the Monteith 'Copperass' pattern which is a particularly effective salmon fly which I designed while working on the Tay as a professional salmon guide.

Salmon Fly Tying Materials

Personally I like to take the salmon fly movement concept to the next level and choose the fly tying materials that offer the most attractive movement of all and even in the slowest moving salmon pools they still move in an optimal 'lifelike' manner. I rarely will fish a buck tail fly these days and will always choose the much more mobile and attractive fox tail equivalent as the wing or tail material. The irresistible 'waggle' from a nicely shaped fox tail wing or tail adds a different dimension to the stream movement of any salmon fly.

Soft Long Salmon Fly Hackles

For the salmon fly hackle on larger flies I'll choose the softer and longer schlappen hackle over regular hen hackle as what I'm always looking to create is an absolute 'live bait' of a salmon fly that even the most educated salmon in the pool just has to come off its lie to investigate. Anyone can catch the 'easy fish' and although always a challenge I get a much bigger thrill out of catching the older resident salmon that has seen it all before. A longer softer fibered schlappen hackle will 'pulse' and move far better in the stream than any normal hackled salmon fly will ever do.

A Few Salmon Flies Is All You Need

As salmon fishers we tend to carry around hundreds of salmon flies in our fishing bags but the reality of the situation is that you only need a few to choose from for the vast majority of salmon fishing scenarios. This reminds me of my youth on the Tay when out with my mentor the late Willie Laird who only ever kept 4 or 5 flies in his tweed jacket and those flies caught many salmon each season. In many cases the salmon flies in mass production these days are far better at catching fisherman than they are at catching salmon!

Lifelike Salmon Fly Movement

Tie your flies with these softer more mobile tying materials and before you use them 'tank test' them at the side of the river and only fish with the one that moves naturally and in the desired 'lifelike' manner. Don't worry about anything else and have faith in that natural 'waggle' and movement when you see a fly that's got it. I cannot over emphasis this enough as when a fly's wing and hackle are sexy enough in the stream to make you think how on earth will a salmon be able to ignore it then that's the fly to fish with. What you've now got is a 'live bait' and if you stick with it via strategically sensible water column depth, good fly swing spacings and speed of fly consideration you will at some point be receiving the perfect endorsement from the underworld!