Crab fly with floating claws

[Primal Influence 0]

G'day all!

 

I'm in the process of creating a crab fly that has floating claws made out of foam. The problem i am having is working out the best way to attach them to the main body of the fly so it doesn't look too messy. At the moment I am cutting one part of a cross line swivel off to make the rest of the swivel 90 deg from there i am trying to attach the claws, I have tried to attach them via lure clips and then tying the claws on to this but its a bit to fiddly, I have also tried using braid and trying it straight on like that but it just doesn't look right. Any suggestions on how to attach the claws would be appreciated. The reason I am trying this design is I am trying to tie a crab in a defensive position with its claws up. I would like to add i'm a very amateur tier but am enjoying creating this. Pictures attached

 

Cheers

Clint

[flytire 0]

they do seem to be a bit out of proportion but hey fish them and see what happens

[Piker20 0]

If you have the claws on a seperate leash so they float upwards, be careful you dont obscure the hook. I would try tying the claws direct to the hook and if you want them to be up, glue or tie the far point of the claw with something buoyant and position your weight so the crab sits back and the claws face up and out.

[ditz2 0]

I am sure no expert but it seems to be a good idea to me. Keep us posted.

[mikechell 0]

I think they are great. If they sit on the bottom and hold those claws up ... it's exactly what you want. And just like most flies, you are imitating what a real crab does, not duplicating it. The fish probably won't care, they'll see the claws waving (I prefer the braid for this reason) and attack it.

[Stevester 0]

Agree with Mike on this, use the braid and just remember you are giving the suggestion of movement, not an exact imitation. Also, do you really want those swivels on a fly that is going to be down on the sandy bottom in a salt water environment? Stick with the braid.

 

Steve

[Primal Influence 0]

Tested the crab flies today. The one without the braid looked better to me in the water. Unfortunately I lost both of them. 1 to snags and the second to some mangrove trees behind me... I couldnt find it for the life of me! back to the vice to make some more. I have decided to tie a couple strands of mono out the back to stop them turning face down. Will send some photos when finished! Stevester, The black crabs are for muddy mangrove creeks so the black swivel is unseen.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys

Clint

[Primal Influence 0]

Here is my latest efforts, Im very happy with the way the tan one goes. Just wondering if the lack of legs would make a difference.

 

Clint

[mikechell 0]

Lack of legs will probably only matter to fishermen ... not to fish.

[Stevester 0]

Primal, you know your fishing environment much better than I do. I still think that you would want to limit the amount of complexity and potential corrosion. Especially if you are making up flies that are easily lost in a tangle of mangrove roots. We all tend to overdue the amount of detail in flies that we are modifying or designing. Try to give the fish as little to find fault with as possible within the design you are working on. Now if you are trying to sell them, that is a different story, then you need to convince fisherman more than fish.

 

 

Steve

[Dzura 0]

Sorry if I missed it in a previous comment but what size are you tying those up in?

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Here is my latest efforts, Im very happy with the way the tan one goes. Just wondering if the lack of legs would make a difference.

 

Clint

Did you tie the claws onto small hooks that time?