vices 0 Report post Posted June 17, 2005 This pic is super dark.. but it took 2 mins to tye and it turned out pretty nice.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JarrodRuggles 0 Report post Posted June 17, 2005 looks great to me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 Nice work, what do the claws do when it is stripped in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcflyguy 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 Nice looking tie fcflyguy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrustySpinnr 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 Very nice vices! Now what's the scoop? I think that would work good here at home for smallies and carp in the river. So give up the goods and nobody gets hurt! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vices 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 i will do a step by step this weekend.. crusty.. OLB good question.. I'm goin to test it, and adjust till I get the action I'm lookin for, before I put up the steps.. thanks guys Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duckydoty 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 Hey vices Good lookin craw. I like it a lot and cant belive it would only take 2 min Duckydoty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted June 18, 2005 2 minutes? Well done! I'm looking forward to the recipie. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted June 18, 2005 If the claws don't streamline by themselves you could just tie them in so that they were always streamlined Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cornmuse 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2005 This is a very nice looking fly. I'm looking forward to seeing the tying steps. One thought - it has been well established that smallmouth bass and other game fish select for smaller crayfish, and especially for those with smaller chelae (claws). A study done in NY and quoted in Will Ryan's excellent book on smallmouth fly fishing, determined that the largest smallmouth bass will select for crayfish between 1.5 and 2" long and with small chelae. The smaller chelae typically denote a female or juvenile. You might get a better response if you downsize the claws on your fly. Just my $0.02. Joe C. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2005 QUOTE bass will select for crayfish between 1.5 and 2" long I also read that somewhere, for the crawdad swap I want the crays I tie to be appealing to trout too, specifically trophy sized browns. Does anyone know what size they prefer? Hopefully I can find a happy medium Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steeldrifter 0 Report post Posted June 20, 2005 I can honestly say that I dont find any truth in a certian size that bass will seek out when it come's to crawdads. After 20+ years of fishing live crawdads (both soft and hard) I have found that a bass will take a softshell 10 to 1 over a hardshell...but the size does not seem to matter at all. I've caught tons of 20-22"ers on craws as small as 1.5" long as well as on one's that were 4" long. Also have caught 10" bass on the same sizes so I've never seen a size preference at all in my experiances just what I've noticed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Al Beatty 0 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Hi vises, I too am looking forward to the instructions. That is a good looking crayfish pattern. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
atroutbum2 0 Report post Posted June 22, 2005 QUOTE (steeldrifter @ Jun 20 2005, 01:55 PM) I can honestly say that I dont find any truth in a certian size that bass will seek out when it come's to crawdads. After 20+ years of fishing live crawdads (both soft and hard) I have found that a bass will take a softshell 10 to 1 over a hardshell...but the size does not seem to matter at all. Ok, it time for a dumb question. How does the bass know if its a hardshell or softshell crayfish before he eats it ? Inquiring minds want to know. Are softshells availible yearlong, or only during certain times of the year? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted June 22, 2005 Here is some info on soft shells QUOTE They grow by molting, that is they shed their carapace (shell) when they outgrow it, and form a new hard shell. When they first molt they are soft, and very vulnerable to attack by other crayfish or fish. It can take a couple days for the new shell to fully harden. Juveniles can molt every week or so. Adults may only molt a couple times a year, and only under the right conditions. Personally I believe that that soft shell rule only applies when fishing live bait. I fish a crawdad pattern all year long and take all of my big fish on it. When your stripping a fly for bass most of the time your getting a reaction strike, the movement of the fly is catching the fish's eye. So they don't waste the time to inspect it. I think they have more time to inspect the crawl if it's just sitting there on a hook. Also I personally don't believe in the size of the claw theory. The crawl that I use has two big rabbit strip claws and the entire fly is about 2 1/2" long on a size 4 4XL hook. I catch alot of 10 inch and under smallies using this fly so they are obviously not afraid of claws that big. All of my big fish(16"+) except for a handful have taken this fly. I take research with a grain of salt becuase of my experience on the waters that I fish would prove that theory is just a myth. It may be true in other areas but not on my waters. FWIW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites