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Thread: pine squirrel crawfish

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    shenandoah valley, va
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    638

    Default pine squirrel crawfish

    My fav smallmouth fly this year - FYI

    I posted this on another thread but thought someone may have suggestions on improving this if I posted here also.





    I plagiarized (er borrowed) from some other fly patterns for this, a zonker crawfish pattern I saw on youtube, the clawdad and kreel craw (for the legs), and I tie the squirrel strip body like John Scotts' pine sq cheater, cept I use 2 "tails" (claws) and tied on each side of the hook instead of on top - I tie a small clump of bucktail in the hook bend to make a "head" and also keep the claws separated. Also use a 1/32oz or 1/64 size 4 jig hook. The last step is to add some legs, i use the skirting material that has some flash on it. This rides hook up, but the round head seems to get caught in the rock crevices less than a clouser type. The pine sq is naturally bouyant so the claw end floats up, giving it a natural look in the water. The sq zonker is easier to cast and takes on less water than rabbit. It is also smaller, and overall is 1 3/4", which I read somewhere (I think Fly Fish Ohio) is the preferred size for smallies. It takes fish in the sculpin olive color, but the orange seems to be the sm fav.
    I fish it like a wet fly, down and across, and most strikes come on the swing. If no fish takes on the swing, I then strip it in in short quick strips and get many strikes on the retrieve.

    It is fun to fish and tie.
    "Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it"
    Ed Zern

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Ashburn, Virginia
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    7,867

    Default

    Nice crawdad; I bet browns would eat that up, too.

    Regards,
    Scott

  3. #3

    Default

    Nice jig! Sickle hooks are my favorite....sticky sticky sticky!
    The Green Hornet strikes again!!!

  4. #4

    Default

    Nice craw... that'll fish....
    Doug... a.k.a. 55dougie

    http://55onthefly.blogspot.com/

  5. #5
    AlanB Guest

    Default

    Like that Pillcaster. Here in the UK we have a problem with the non native signal crayfish in many of our rivers. It is under represented in the flies we use. Now I have seen this I would try it for browns. The only problem is I've moved too far north. The signals haven't got this far... yet. Still I think I'll tie some of those up for when I do get to fish further south.
    Cheers,
    A.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    Lincolnton, NC
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    Default

    I would love to see a step by step for this one. Very nice!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Northern California
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    1,076

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pillcaster View Post
    My fav smallmouth fly this year - FYI
    [SNIP]
    Very nice tie, Pillcaster. So how do you usually fish this pattern in your neck of the woods?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    shenandoah valley, va
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    Default

    Thanks for the replies -
    As far as fishin the fly, I fish it like a wet fly, down and across, then strip it back slowly, about 4" each strip. Most strikes happen on the swing...
    As far as a step by step, I copied JohnScott's pine squirrel cheater (go to the main page and type that in the search, it will pop up as a fly of the week and it is an awsome trout streamer btw) except I tie in a clump of bucktail in the hook bend, and tie on a second tail (claw), the tails are tied on the flanks or side of the hook instead of the top like the PSC. Add 6 legs at the end around the head.....
    As far as the hooks, I like the roundhead in a sickle hook, I think it helps with the look of the taper. But ball heads would be fine I'm sure (I use ball heads to tie nymph patterns), here is another source
    http://stores.crazyanglertackle.com/...IES/Detail.bok
    "Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it"
    Ed Zern

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Portage, PA
    Posts
    2,895

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pillcaster View Post
    My fav smallmouth fly this year - FYI

    I posted this on another thread but thought someone may have suggestions on improving this if I posted here also.





    I plagiarized (er borrowed) from some other fly patterns for this, a zonker crawfish pattern I saw on youtube, the clawdad and kreel craw (for the legs), and I tie the squirrel strip body like John Scotts' pine sq cheater, cept I use 2 "tails" (claws) and tied on each side of the hook instead of on top - I tie a small clump of bucktail in the hook bend to make a "head" and also keep the claws separated. Also use a 1/32oz or 1/64 size 4 jig hook. The last step is to add some legs, i use the skirting material that has some flash on it. This rides hook up, but the round head seems to get caught in the rock crevices less than a clouser type. The pine sq is naturally bouyant so the claw end floats up, giving it a natural look in the water. The sq zonker is easier to cast and takes on less water than rabbit. It is also smaller, and overall is 1 3/4", which I read somewhere (I think Fly Fish Ohio) is the preferred size for smallies. It takes fish in the sculpin olive color, but the orange seems to be the sm fav.
    I fish it like a wet fly, down and across, and most strikes come on the swing. If no fish takes on the swing, I then strip it in in short quick strips and get many strikes on the retrieve.

    It is fun to fish and tie.


    Great Crawdad. Can you post a tutorial? I just started fishing for smallies this year and I've been looking for a good and fast craw pattern.
    Thanks

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    shenandoah valley, va
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    Default

    I have had several folks ask me for a step by step, I will try....

    first, assemble the materials; if using a lead jig gives you heartburn, tie it with a streamer hook and dumbell eyes, or use a 60' jig hook and tie in a slotted tungsten bead or dumbell(see Rons crawfish in the FOTW archives). I use the lead jigs because they are cheap and work well for this. I usually get these in 1/32 weight.


    Next stack a pinch of bucktail and tie in toward the back of the hook - this serves as a "head" and also keeps the claws separated


    Trim the bucktail and tie in your first claw, a small piece of squirrel zonker. Shoot for an overall length on 1 3/4" TO 2 inches


    Now tie in a long strip of zonker on the opposite side of the hook (your second claw) and wrap the zonker toward the hook eye. The technique here is the same as the Pine Squirrel Cheater in the FOTW archives (a great trout streamer BTW). Moistening the fur as you turn aids this greatly...
    "Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it"
    Ed Zern

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