I have only been tying for about 8 months, and i am getting better everyday, but i have trouble with crayfish patterns. i can tie them ok, but i neet to find one that really works. up here in NW montana, almost all of the lakes have crayfish, and it is a big time died to the big bass. IF you could help me out that would be great, i will try to post on some of my new creations sometime soon.
thnx
Jz
It’s a different world :roll:
Having said that ,JZ, I really admire that you are doing new creations and look forward to seeing them…keep it up 8) 8) 8)
Welcome aboard JZ.
I live just up the street from you in Eureka.
There are some really knowledgable fly chuckers in Troy ask around town a little.There are a couple of local tiers that would be a good to bounce tying questions off of also.
PM.Me and i’ll give you a couple of other avenues to answer your questions.
Here is a good pattern. That is easy, but works well.
http://mcflyshop.com/articles/index.php?targetID=11
Its what I use for white bass in the spring. I tie it in that color and purple with pink.
gon fishn
AH. eurika, we played football against you this year this year(Junior high) and we got slaughtered,but anyway, i am pretty close freinds with most of the guides around here, and next year i will be old enough to work for Tim Linahan, and he is pretty excited about me tying for him. i know half of the outdoorsman around our area because of my dad. he is a pro photargepher, named don jones, he has a really cool/new site and i will try to get it posted back on here.
ckjacks- thnkz, i am going to go tie it right now!
JZ,
Designing a crawfish fly isn’t difficult, but if you want to actually catch fish with it, consider this:
For crawfish patterns for bass, disregard how the fly ‘looks’ and concentrate on how it ‘moves’.
Bass are more attracted to the action of a bait than they are to it’s ‘looks’.
In other words, your crawfish flies need not resemble an actual crawfish.
Bass are instinctually attracted to two things that a crawfish does. First, alarmed crawfish will ‘flee’ by darting quickly backwards. Bass see this and are attracted by this flight response.
When the crawfish does this, the legs are tucked in and the claws stream out behind them, the tail is used for propulsion, but as they ‘glide’ they tuck it underneath. The tail has the heaviest muscle in the crawfishes body, so that part is denser than the rest, so that part sinks first. So, to ‘imitate’ this you need a fly that is weighted at the hook eye, has a relatively bulky silhouette, and has some legs/claws/antennae trailing behind all clumped together. (sort of a fat wooly bugger with dense tail and maybe some rubber hackle there as well).
To fish it, work the fly in short, fast strips. The fly will dart upwards then glide back down.
The other thing that many crawfish do that attract bass is ‘fall’ vertically through the water column. This happens when a crawfish that is feeding on/in underwater brush and vegetation becomes dislodged and ‘drops’ to the bottom. Bass are attracted to what they see as a helpless prey.
While ‘falling’ a crawfish will fully extend it’s legs, tails, antennae, and claws. They tend to fall with a horizontal atitude. To ‘imitate’ this, a fly should have long protruding legs, at right angles to the body, stiff antennae, and somewhat rigid claws. You want a fly that’s centrally weighted, so it stays horizontal as it falls. Use stiffer materials for this presentation, as you don’t want them to tail behind the fly, but hold their shape as the fly falls. Again, a bugger based fly with stiff saddle hackle for the legs, bucktail lashed together for the claws, and peccary for the antennae would work well.
To present this fly, cast it right next to submerged vegetation using a puddle or ‘pile’ cast so that it can sink vertically. Strikes come on the fall, so watch the line closely.
Taking the time to make it actually ‘look’ like a crawfish will be wasted unless it ASLO moves like one. Making a fly that ‘moves’ like a crawfish but doesn’t really look like one will still catch lots of fish.
Good Luck!
Buddy
JZ,
I’m going to give you a fly pattern that is deadly.
I have come to believe that fish take this fly for a small crayfish.
Cascade Special (woolybugger)
Hook; Long Shank Size 12
Bead; Copper Metal. (pinch barb down and slide to head)
Tail; Burnt Orange Marabou and TWO copper color reflective fibers.
Hackle; Burnt Orange Grizzly.
Body; J. FAIR Short Shuck (burnt orange)Chenile.
The J. Fair company of Eagle Lake California is where I purchased the special color marabou, hackle and chenile. Hopefully this is their phone # (916) 825-3401. Look them up on the Internet also.
In early season cold water, a SLOW jerk retrieve can catch fish. When the water warms up the fish should be all over it!
Good Luck!
Doug P.S. Use a SA Intermediate Sink or for deeper water a Fast Sink Fly Line.
Here’s another one that looks more realistic, the first one has a better action too it though.
This is the one I use a lot. John
Olive Crawdad
Hook: Mustad 9575 #6
6-10 wraps of .015 lead at tail
Thread: UTC 140 Olive
Antenia: Olive Round Rubber
Secondary Antenia: Black Wig Hair
Claws: Olive Indian Cock Saddle
Shell Back: Olive Swiss Straw
Eyes: Med Black Plastic
Body: Med Green Chennile
Legs: Olive Rabbit Dubbing
Rib: UTC 140 Olive
Tail: Swiss Staw coated with SHHAN
You might try some of these for inspiration:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ghileman@sb … 2317307994
If any of them interested you, you can contact the tyer for details if you need to. There should be a user name on each photo. They are all from a swap here on FAOL. If not, drop me a line and I will give you the best info I have on them.
I agree with Buddy. Most crawfish patterns that you see in the catalogs or shops were designed to catch fishermen not fish. It’s the action that matters.
Try tying a rust colored whooly bugger with an extra thick marabou tail (actually the claws), some rubber legs and lead eyes clouser style by the hook eye (actually the tail). You don’t need anything fancier.
Kevin
I haven’t done it yet but have been planning to… only I plan on splitting the marabou to look a little more like claws.
Here is a good source for some reading material:
http://www.flyfisherman.com/toc
Go to the Feb 2006 and there is a artical on crayfish patterns.
I am a new to tying, and have found this pattern pretty easy and quite effective. I have caught several bass with it. It was my go-to fly my last outing. I out-fished my buddies the first day, so that night we were tying some more of these for them.
http://www.flyfishohio.com/Skip’s_Dad.htm
Be sure to watch the video on that page. It’s great.
Tyler
Thanks, i have tied just about all of those patterns, and made one of my own, i can’t wait to go to my seceret bass spot!
Tight lines
JZ
JZ
Here is a pattern I came up with last year. It was an idea I had to use the primary materials of a woolly bugger. Although it is not as good a representation as some others here it has produced fish for me.
http://members.cox.net/dwest6/CB.htm
Dan
i like that fly ozark, fairly simple and it looks good
Great looking fly,I do believe that I’m going to tie it. Did you put any lead on the body portion of the fly or are the eyes enough to keep it on the bottom?
Lobwedg
I did not add any additional weight but you could do so. I think the lead eyes are enough for water 4 to 5 foot deep. If you want it deeper than that I would probably weight it more but it will be a bear to cast.
I fish it one of two ways, stripping it like a normal bugger and then jigging it along the bottom. I have tried this in a large bowel and the marabou does come together and looks more like pincher’s.
If any of you folks tie this and have success I would like to know about it.
Dan