[cornmuse]

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by cornmuse:

Crappie Killer

[cornmuse]

A while ago I was reminiscing with a childhood friend on-line. Lyndon was my fishing partner back when we were in grade school and high school and we learned to fish together. As my fly fishing capabilities progressed, and I learned how to tie flies I would occasionally try to find a pattern that was especially effective on our local waters - the South Shore of Massachusetts. I developed the "Crappie Killer" as a fly to take calico bass, and take them it did. This was circa 1972 and I was about 13. The fly was unique for the time, I don't think I'd seen any use of rabbit fur for tail and beard prior to this pattern. Anyway, I was looking for a pattern that would sink slowly, fish slowly and imitate a generic minnow. The original pattern used bucktail for the wing and chenille for the body, and it caught fish. After a couple years folks started noticing this kid showing up with heavy stringers or pics of decent fish (I was quite the jetty rat for stripers/blues/pollack on Scussett and along the Canal, too) and the fly was noticed by a few of the regulars. It ended up in the Tight Lines tackle shop - my first commercial tying success. I remember the day they asked me to tie 30 dozen like it was yesterday!



Well that fly faded from my fly books after marriage, moving and settling into the Ohio R. valley in Cincinnati, But my conversations with Lyn made me want to trot the old gal out. I think it will still catch a lot of fish. Just for fun I gave it a 2010 facelift, and that's the fly featured above.

Joe C.

[Cheri]

Nice will have to give this one a try in our lake. Lot's of Crappie and Blue Gill to play with and I always have good luck with white in windsor lake.

[Mickalo]

This is most definitely one of my "To do ties" for this spring. Gotta small pond that this will be a real killer for. Very nice crappie fly.


Mike

[oracle]

cornmuse ill take about a 10 or so i need them in about 2 weeks lol yea nice fly i would try to make a couple of these if i had the rabbit or the chenille. keep them coming

[smokinprice]

I love it. Well done indeed

[David Legg]

Nice! Looks like a great fly. I used to tie a hairwing that was it's dark twin in general appearance. I didn't use rabbit, but it pretty much looked the same, except black for the white. It was a great largemouth and white perch fly. That was also in New England.

[BigDaddyHub]

NICE TIE!! Puts me in the mood to tie for the white bass and the hybrids!! Spring's comin', boys!

[tidewaterfly]

Joe, I've browsed your website many, many times! All you're flies are great stuff!

I also tie a similar crappie fly, and have for many years. I add beads to most of them now, and a hackle collar, but the tail is always rabbit fur.

My favorite is just like the first fly posted in body & tail, but has a pearl flashabou wing, hackle collar & plastic nickel plated bead head. I started using a lot more wings of flashabou & polar flash as a result of seeing the success of the "Goldie" fly. I keep a few Goldies in my boxes too!

BTW, Anyone who wants to read an excellent book on warmwater river fishing should get a copy of Joe's book, "Fly Fishing Warmwater Rivers" I bought a copy from Joe a few years ago, and it's a great addition to any fly anglers book collection!

[smallieFanatic]

Neat fly! Thanks for sharing