Craw baby

[salmobytes 0]

Craw Baby

Just try'na keep it fast and simple. The Craw Baby is a modified woolly bugger with barbell eyes. Easy to tie. Sinks like a stone. I did notice--at Montana's Wade Lake a month ago, while watching two kids catching crayfish in shallow water--that crayfish fold their big pincers together when swimming away in panic mode. The two claws looks like one big pear-shaped appendage, so working hard at tying two visually distinguishable pincer-legs isn't required.

 

You need to be able to walk a crawfish slowly along the bottom. And then, periodically, to twitch it away in panic mode, somehow with minimal snagging tribulations.

 

The Craw Baby's Crazy Charlie-like barbell eyes force the hook to ride up. Lots of tiers make Clousers that way (with hook forced to ride pointing up). I'm beginning to think most or even all medium to large size wet flies should be made that way. An upward pointing hook snags less and hooks better. That's hard to argue with. With a little less weight I have a hunch this would be a darned good bonefish fly.

[MVHagey 0]

Looks great man! Another simple crayfish fly to add to my arsenal. Getting sick of patterns that call for ridiculous materials... When the fly stops the marabou should fan out like a crayfish in defensive posture too.

[poksal 0]

Nice thinking on your feet. I like crayfish so I will most certainly be working up some of my own.

Is that midge flash I see as an attractor?

 

The salt water guys might try this pattern as a squid, too.

[Markbob 0]

I've been thinking about tying a crawfish pattern too. One thing I do when fishing plastic crawfish patterns on spinning gear is to use a bullet weight put on backwards. The cup shape kicks up mud like a real fleeing crawfish. Maybe if I put a cone on backwards it would have a similar effect.

 

Cool looking fly by the way.

[salmobytes 0]

Nice thinking on your feet. I like crayfish so I will most certainly be working up some of my own.

Is that midge flash I see as an attractor?

 

The salt water guys might try this pattern as a squid, too.

 

#8 down eye, curved shank hopper hook.

Barbell eyes

double-wrapped metalic-gold, loosely-woven thread of some kind--for the tail. I have a bag with no label.

tail is over-wrapped with a long thin gray saddle

flashabou tuft at the head.

wide fluffy hen saddle wound around the eyes.

mount barbels with thread and CA glue.

mount crystal flash tuft.

mount but don't wind big hackle

wrap gilded body thread out to the eye

mount but don't wrap long gray saddle (at the eye)

wind second body layer back to the back the barbell eyes

 

wind gray saddle back to the eyes

wind fluffy saddle.

Whip finish with a few wraps behind the eye.

Put a drop of thin (ZapCA) glue on one barbell.....the glue will soak down to the thread and secure it all.

[poksal 0]

Here is my craw pattern that I've been using with success in the hot weather for bass and cats. I call it Setter Crawl.

 

Hook 3X #14,

.02 lead,

Irish Setter tail hair,

black plastic barbells painted with "Flirt" (black cherry) nail polish,

yellow/green saddle hackle,

stretch skin,

black ultra thread,

midge flash (fine).

 

You tie this fly to run barb up.

Start by the standard prepping of the hook, then lead wrap heavy towards the eye.

Fold a strand of midge flash and tie it with a loop or two hanging past the barbed end of the hook about 1/2".

Take a hank of Setter hair and tie a thread around the middle. Then figure eight the hair hank down some on the hook curve so it faces towards the vise and down to assure the fly runs barb up.

Turn the hook over in the vise and figure eight the eyes on above the hair (will be under the hair & hook shank if you don't flip the hook -- don't flip the hook in the vise if you like impossible tasks).

Then wind the hackle around the thread and wrap it from the hair and eyes to just behind the hook eye.

Double a length of 1/4 wide stretch skin and tie in with the fold hanging over the hook eye to form the tail.

Wrap it back tight to form sections, and whip finish just behind the hair and eyes.

Trim away the remaining stretch skin.

Trim the dog’s hair to suit.

Apply your favorite head cement or nail polish to lock things in place on the under side only.

 

 

 

If this looks like something someone would like me to tie up for a swap, PM me and mentor me into my first swap. I think it is time I got my feet wet in swaps.