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Current Tags for This Pattern
/ Black / crayfish / Dubbing / Flash / Foam / Golden Olive / Mallard Flank / olive / Pheasant / rabbit strip / Red /

Full Motion Crayfish

 
tied by christhemartin
Fly Type: General Freshwater,
Target Species: Freshwater Bass,
Imitation: Crayfish,
Material List: Hook: TMC 200R #4 - 8
Weight: Lead hour glass Eyes (plain, unpainted)
Eyes: Medium Mono Eyes - Black
Antennae: Peacock Crystal Flash (2-4 Strands); Pheasant tail fibers (4-6); Mallard flank (barred wood duck - small pinch)
Claws/Legs: Golden olive rabbit strips
Under body: Foam to build shape and bulk, covered in green Dubbing (for an olive crayfish I use damsel olive in Whitlock's Dubbing Blend #1)
Overbody: Light olive furry foam
Shell: Specks and Tan thin skin
Tail: Flap of furry foam with thin skin glued to it

Tying Instructions: 1. Tie in hour glass eyes behind hook eye on the top of the shank... this will cause fly to ride hook up. Add glue to ensure weight is secure
2. Tie in antennae material (flash, then pheasant tail, then mallard flank) and mono eyes. line up eyes with hook point
3. Tie in 2 rabbit strips just behind mono eyes- length to suit imitation size
4. Rotate or invert hook
5. Tie in foam the length of body and secure all the way down hook
6. Use additional foam to build up thorax
7. Cover all foam with dubbing.
8. Tie in furry foam and then thin skin. Thin skin should be slightly more narrow than furry foam... be sure that material extends beyond hook eye, to form tail. Thin skin should be slightly shorter than furry foam
9. Tie down furry foam and thin skin, using only 6-8 tie down points (Make these points very secure. 6-8 wraps)... tie down points should create a segmented shell effect. Make your final tie down point just in front of hour glass eyes, leaving extra material free to appear as a tail.
10. Whip finish at hook eye, under tail.
11. Cut tail to suit imitation size
12. Use Zap Gel to adhere thin skin to furry foam... very small amount!

Vary the size, bulk and color (Tan, brown, dark olive, rust, etc.)

You could also tie in rubber legs behind rabbit strip, to form legs

In gin clear water, the thin skin may cause fly to be too shiny... tie some without thin skin. This however, will dramatically reduce the life of your fly... smallies shred furry foam
Presentation Tips: Tug, tug, strip, pause... Tug, tug, strip, pause... Tug, tug, strip, WHAM!

Tug: 2-4"
Strip: 6-8"
Wham: 4-6 lb Smallies

Always stay in contact with the fly