My Big Lake White Mountain Craw (Crawfish) shown here in Brown is also tied in Olive/Gold which is my favorite color. Big Lake in the Arizona White Mountains has Lobster size Craw Fish, and this is the Go-To Pattern when you are targeting the trophy sized Trout (especially Cutthroat) in this lake (along with using an Olive/Gold Beadhead Carey Bugger or John Rohmer’s Olive/Gold Simi Seal Leech.
Playing about with Nymph Skin recently I came up with this Crayfish pattern. Just need to get to test it now.
How do you go about fishing this lake? Looking at the photo the “Loch Style” we use here looks as though it could produce. Let the boat drift downwind side on to the wind and fish a team of flies over the downwind side on a short line.
Cheers,
A.
I usually fish Big Lake (Arizona White Mountains) via Float Tube; especially off the point around Railroad Cove, and in Railroad Cove (the most productive area). The Big Lake Craw has a barbell weight tied in at the bend of the hook. It rides hook point up and in such a way as making it look like the Craw is in defense mode and backing up with claws up. Also with hook point up, it will not get caught up (stuck) in weed, etc.
I will bounce this off bottom or drift on bottom. The Olive/Gold Carey Bugger and Olive/Gold Simi Seal Leech (Rohmer) is a search pattern that is drifted very slow (off float tube) and gets very hard strikes from your large Trout in this lake. The Olive/Gold Bead Head Carey Bugger I feel gets looked upon as a juvenile Craw.
From Bank, I fish a Pregnant Peacock (or a Peacock Whore/Big Lake Whore; also Reservation Whore) which is very productive. In Crescent Lake I use my Flex Tail Damsel Fly Nymph (off Float Tube). I also use Pregnant Peacock, Peacock Whore, Peacock Lady, and Reservation Whore. Give a holler if you want recipes to any of these.
BTW, the body on the Big Lake Craw is weaved Softex (it is a fishable realistic).
Sure, would be great to have those recipes, probably all takeoffs on the Peacock Lady?
No, the Pregnant Peacock is different in a much interesting way, and I have found much more productive then the PEacock Lady, Peacock Whore, & Reservation Whore. Though the funnyrule up there is if all else fails, anything with Peacock, and a Red Tail. The Pregnant Peacock is on a #14 or when on a #10 is weighted. The Tail is Golden Pheasant, Amber Glass Bead in the Middle, Peacock Body, Gold Wire Ribbed, Grizzly Rear Hackle, Brown Grizzly Fron Hackle. On the #10, I weight it.
That and the Gold Bead/Olive Carey Bugger (Olive/Gold Speckled Chenille Body & Olive Pheasant Rumph Legs) are the two productive aside from the Big Lake Craw. PM me and I can send a sample.
Fly of the Week candidate right here if an SBS is do-able.
John,
Nice Craw pattern.
I’ve had good luck in the same areas with this pattern which I originally tied up for Smallmouth on the Black River.
Buddy
I really like the Rabbit strips you used for the claws Buddy. This certainly will give the claws some nice movement action and is a great example of understanding what materials to use (how they act in water, refraction, etc.). You turned the claws into a strike trigger by using the Rabbit Strips !!!