Crayfish Fly

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

Decided to try and create a Crayfish fly from the materials I have laying around a few nights ago. At any rate, I combined a few images I saw of other patterns and tied this guy up. Basically, its a longer size 6 clouser hook, chenille, deer hair, grizzly marabou for claws, flash/rubber legs for antenna, Burnt tip line for eyes, and a grizzly hackle for legs.

 

For weight I tied a piece of lead free wire on top of the hook to the point. Then, I tied in another piece about 3/4 that length on top of the first one. Turned out well when I tested it as the fly sits claws up and also falls slow, too.

 

Overall, I don't like the grizzly hackle legs and the next one I make I'm going to use rubber legs. I'm also looking at changing the chenille to something else. Cactus chenille maybe. I dunno.

 

 

 

[vicente 0]

Cactus chenille could work, I don't use chenille very much any more I tend to just put some ftd dubbing in a loop for just about everything I used to use chenille for.

[Mark Knapp 0]

I bet something would eat that.

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

Cactus chenille could work, I don't use chenille very much any more I tend to just put some ftd dubbing in a loop for just about everything I used to use chenille for.

 

I have some dubbing so maybe the next version I make I'll try it out.

 

 

I bet something would eat that.

 

Thanks.

[feathers5 0]

That's very creative. Something will definitely eat that.

[DarrellP 0]

I like it. Maybe some hair or plastic for a shell back? Ot maybe a died mallard feather. I really like it as is, though.

[mikechell 0]

A while back, when I was reading bass master magazine, they did a "study" on plastic crayfish lures and their effectiveness. Not whether they were effective, that's a given. But how much do they need to look like a crayfish, and how does that mimicking affect the bite/hold/hook set.

 

Turns out, the tube jig

was more effective than the more realistic imitations. Less is more, it seems, when presenting a crayfish "profile to bass.

 

I really like your fly, IROC-Jeff, except the tail. When I see crayfish patterns with a tail, all I see is a huge weed collector. I believe it will fish better, and maybe catch more fish, if there's no "tail" to catch on weeds and other structure.

[tidewaterfly 0]

A while back, when I was reading bass master magazine, they did a "study" on plastic crayfish lures and their effectiveness. Not whether they were effective, that's a given. But how much do they need to look like a crayfish, and how does that mimicking affect the bite/hold/hook set.

 

Turns out, the tube jig

was more effective than the more realistic imitations. Less is more, it seems, when presenting a crayfish "profile to bass.

 

I really like your fly, IROC-Jeff, except the tail. When I see crayfish patterns with a tail, all I see is a huge weed collector. I believe it will fish better, and maybe catch more fish, if there's no "tail" to catch on weeds and other structure.

 

Mike, that's a great point. I've gotten away from tying craw patterns with much of the usual detail, because simpler flies work just as well for me. I tie a lot of hair jigs, which are nothing more than a clump of hair on a jig head and folks catch a lot of fish on them.

 

My "craw" flies now are primarily a hair jig in a fly version. I don't feel that "flies" match plastics, or vice versa, but simple can be just as productive as complex and takes a lot less time to tie.

 

I like to see the many versions of craw, crab, or shrimp patterns that folks devise. There are some great looking patterns around now, and they seem to work, but the older I get, the less inclined I am to spend a lot of time tying them.

 

I know I've mentioned it before, but there are various "flats" types of fly patterns, typically tied for Bonefish, Permit, Redfish and other shallow water fish species, simple designs that are intended to imitate crabs or shrimp, that work great as crawfish patterns. I adjust the colors or sizes to fit the local water, and many of them are very easy to tie.

 

This is one of the hair jigs I tie, about as complex as I get, and some of the flies I use for crawfish patterns.

[Philly 0]

I don't use them that much, but these are a bit closer to the tube fly that Mike showed. They're weighted with either a worm weight or rattle(s) so they ride hook up. I found the claws on the middle one when I was going through my tying supplies. After I tied it up, I read an article in one of my fishing magazines that bass are less likely to go after a crayfish with large claws. So I may trim them before I head up to Ontario in June.

 

 

 

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

I like it. Maybe some hair or plastic for a shell back? Ot maybe a died mallard feather. I really like it as is, though.

 

I had bug back or something a while ago but can't seem to find it. I'm leaning towards this stuff right now https://www.tridentflyfishing.com/hareline-variegatedchenille.html in the Olive/Black and Orange Black colors. Or, this version here https://www.tridentflyfishing.com/hareline-speckled-chenille.html since the flash will kinda be reminiscent of a shell.

 

 

A while back, when I was reading bass master magazine, they did a "study" on plastic crayfish lures and their effectiveness. Not whether they were effective, that's a given. But how much do they need to look like a crayfish, and how does that mimicking affect the bite/hold/hook set.

 

Turns out, the tube jig

 

was more effective than the more realistic imitations. Less is more, it seems, when presenting a crayfish "profile to bass.

 

I really like your fly, IROC-Jeff, except the tail. When I see crayfish patterns with a tail, all I see is a huge weed collector. I believe it will fish better, and maybe catch more fish, if there's no "tail" to catch on weeds and other structure.

 

I get you on the weeds/hangup tail design. I'm fortunate the Susquehanna doesn't have much in terms of vegetation where I fish but it is rocky. The next incarnation I'll leave it tailless or really cut down on the amount of hair I use. I'm partial to having something there, though

 

This is also going to be my first year using Tubes which should be fun. Another absolute killer lure in my neck of the woods is the Rebel Wee Craw in Chartreuse. Its a small mouth killer on the Susquehanna so one of my craw patters is going to be a chartreuse one.

[vicente 0]

Check out ftd and see if they have any chenille that you might like, I use the super kraken dubbings for a lot of things, I used once of the olive colors on my last set of crawdad flys.

[Brian314 0]

Nice. What do those marabou claws look like when wet ?

[Iroc_Jeff 0]

15 hours ago, Brian314 said:

Nice. What do those marabou claws look like when wet ?

They will kinda scrunch together when you strip it in and then once it stops they open up and ungulate and stuff. When the fly falls the claws rise and they get full. It actually looks pretty cool under water. I tested it Easter Sunday and was really impressed. However, the tail has to go in its current form. Too hard to tie a knot in that mess. Probably just going to leave it bare in the tail.

[TSMcDougald 0]

A couple of my crayfish flies.

 

 

[Kimo 0]

I would be concerned about the durability of the claws. Fetching that lure out of the mouth of
multiple bass that would be the weakest point in the lure.
Unfortunately, I don't have a fix and apologize. I think you have two directions. You can either make them strong enough
to fend off the use of hemos or or make them pliable enough so the hemos can't break them.

Kimo