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Thread: I need help with a Crayfish Pattern

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  1. #1

    Default I need help with a Crayfish Pattern

    I was watching a(n) (Orvis-sponsored?) video about Smallmouth Bass flies. The crayfish pattern they showed caught my eye (the orange & brown on the right in the screen capture below):


    On the same webpage was a link to each of the flies shown, and the links led back to products on the Orvis website. The crayfish link was to a May's Clearwater Crayfish:


    The two don't look identical, but similar.
    I attempted to duplicate (with some substitutions...like one with brown Furry Foam carapace and one with Turkey carapace), and came up with something that looks even less similar:


    I kind of like what I came up with...but I'd still like to get something to look like what I saw in the video...and I'm certain some of you can probably duplicate the pattern better than I was able to. Can you give it a shot and tell me how you did it?
    David Merical
    St. Louis, MO

  2. #2
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    Dave I am positive yours will work just fine

  3. #3

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    There's something about the one that caught my eye...it looks like maybe it would be SIMPLER to tie...if I could figure it out?
    David Merical
    St. Louis, MO

  4. #4
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    It looks like mono eyes an orange flexi- floss tied in at the back, with a body of orange marabou (or soft synthetic) spun in a dubbing loop with a couple more flexi floss legs tied in at the front. It probably has bead chain eyes with some lead wrapped on the front third. the back looks like a soft synthetic tied in at the front. It looks like they spread out the tie in point to make it lay flat. You might be to substitute red fox squirrel tail althought everything on the fly looks softer, possibly polarfibre.
    Last edited by okflyfisher; 03-04-2013 at 09:41 PM.

  5. #5
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    I like yours also, how about an SBS?
    Mike

  6. #6
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    Dave, a few years back I was in a fly swap on here and a couple of guys tyed crayfish patterns that were pretty nifty. Yours looks as good as theirs did. Fish it and see what happens.
    I'm either going to, coming from or thinking about fishing. Jim

  7. #7
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    Hard to tell from the picture, but it looks similar to one I tie which is a take off of Stalcup's Crazy Dad and Gierach's Mudbug (from his book "Good Flies"). This is certainly a simpler, more impressionistic pattern.
    Hook: straight eye streamer hook
    Thread: 3/0 brown
    Weight: 1/30 oz lead eyes
    Tail / antenna: 4 strands root beer Krystal Flash, approximately shank length
    Body: amber Polar Chenile
    Legs / claws: 2 strands rubber hackle, approximately shank length
    Wing / back: brown bucktail

    Mudbug.jpg

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