I once snagged a crane fly larva on a nymph I was fishing and after I unhooked it tossed it down stream and watched a fish move 15 feet out of it's lane to gobble it up. I use a # 8 2xl Gold ribbed hares ear for an imitation in my town for the under water fishing. It's a rough looking tie but a pretty good match : a clump of hare for the tail, a normal but fat body of fur without guard hairs and a tinsel rib, and a spun thorax with the guard hairs up by the hooks eye. I would describe the style of the hares ear as tied by "Anglers All" and sold by Jim Poor and Co. when Jim had the reigns.These "wrigglers" can go from a half an inch long too 2 inches or more locally in the larva stage and the trout love them all year long.

The dry fly imitations of any the commercial crane fly imitations never got me excited with the long knotted legs and big hyaline wings. Some look so real but rarely produced for me ( I tied and tried only a few). What did produce was any fly that was skated like you never skated a fly before. Here there and everywhere, jerked and drifted with a lot of commotion. It was only occasionally that I got to use the technique but it was some kinda fishin'.