Project Crayfish

[salmobytes 0]

I killed one (non reservoir stocker) fish this year. One all year long. Wacked it yesterday. I got curious and had to take a look at its stomach.

 

I found 5 small crayfish in its stomach. These three all about 1-1/2" inch long with extended tail and pincers. And two smaller ones that were too digested to make a good photograph. I'm not happy with any of my crayfish imitations. And most of the good looking ones I see out there on the net are either too time consuming for me or they're more like crayfish cartoons, rather than real ones.

 

It's interesting to note they fold their pincers together when they swim away in panic mode. So it's not clear going to a lot of trouble to make widely splayed claws really matters. Maybe. Maybe not.

 

I'm going to make crayfish my first priority this year. Good looking, catches fish, sinks well, casts well. Easy to tie. Those are the goals anyway. Crayfish colors seem to vary from light tan to brown to olive and even maroon red at times. They're all almost white on bottom.

 

 

[FlaFly 0]

Really interesting! You sure you didn't buy those at Red Lobster?

[eastern fly 0]

I to have looked at a lot of crayfish patterns. I have not been happy with mine also. Most I see are way to big for what I have seen eaten. I tried something a few years ago. I fished with large and small ones with both claws and then took one side off. Most worked better with small claws or none at all.

Kevin

[mikechell 0]

I fish a soft plastic stick bait with conventional gear. I read in a bass magazine that is probably resembles a fleeing crayfish. To emphasize the point, they fish a realistic soft plastic crayfish, then peeled off all the legs and superglued the claws together, and fished back through the same area.

They did this in several places. They also went through with the legless version first in a few places, to verify that the first pass wasn't just "exciting" the fish for the second pass. Without fail, the legless version outfished the unaltered one.

 

It used to be one of the pro's secrets. They almost always fish crayfish imitations with the legs stripped off.

 

I don't know if it matters, but if you're trying to imitate a crayfish, you're probably going too far and complicated.

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Lil drift cdads for trout

[Guest]

Craft fur....swimming dads

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Rabbit strip claws

[JSzymczyk 0]

Depends on if you are going to dead drift them like a nymph, or strip them like a fleeing animal.

 

Dead drifted, use a Clouser Crayfish. Not simple to tie, but the best there is. Stripped, a woollly bugger, tied full, on a standard length hook like a Mustad 3366 is the best swimming crayfish representation there is.

 

Almost ALL of our crayfish imitation patterns are way too skinny to look like real crayfish. So, at best, we're just being suggestive anyhow. Just about all of the crayfish patterns with a "tail" sticking out over the hook eye spin like a sonofab**** when cast and retrieved, unless the tail is made of a very soft material.

[salmobytes 0]

....some good patterns and ideas above. One more goal or criteria: "rides with the hook up" seems important to me.

[NoSlack 0]

I tie mine on a jig hook. I'lltry to upload a picture

[heavynets 0]

 

I made this one with white foam over plenty of lead wraps. I then colored with permanent markers and covered with Sally Hansen.

[salmobytes 0]

....like that one

[ditz2 0]

I have used a fly that is nothing more than Fox squirrel tail hair for a tail, bead chain eyes and dubbed body. I seldom see any crawdads in the creeks that I fish but there are some there. I once stood in one spot and dead drifted one of these along a steep bank in 3' of water and medium current and caught at least a dozen rock bass. Some of them still had a real craw visable in its gullet. I also fish a 'blind squirrel' on size6, 8 and 10 hooks with good success on rock bass, sunfish, and SMB. Some are original pattern and some have bead chain eyes. I guess they are not so blind. I also usually use a bright orange dubbed body under the hackle. I am sure the fish take them for craws sometimes and bugs at other times. I use both flies on the bottom. The blind squirrel works well on the soft bottom still water too.

[salmobytes 0]

The following are old experimental patterns of my own I'm not happy with.

 

I'm working on crayfish now. Haven't come up with anything presentable yet. If you Google "crawfish+crayfish+fly" there are a lot of nifty patterns out there. But most of good ones are too time consuming for lazy tiers like myself. That's what I'm working on. Easy and good at the same time. It may not be possible.

 

 

 

[Fletchfishes 0]

The Spring, 2013 issue of Fly Tyer Magazine had an article on Crayfish that included 6-8 different patterns. I'll see if I can dig it up when I get home tonight and possibly share it via PM if you are interested.