I like it a lot.
I have to ask though…how realistic is a wet fly swing for a crawfish?
Good question; I dunno, but after giving it some thought, I have a guess. I cast it down and across just like a soft hackle for trout, and get most of my strikes at the end of the swing. A wet fly doesnt weigh much, and stays just under the water most of the swing. The PS crayfish weighs 1/32 oz plus the dressing, so it starts to sink soon after the fly hits the water. So, my guess is that by the end of the swing the fly is in “crawfish territory” and looks good to the fish. The way this “rides” with the hook up, it tends to get hung up less. I have had good luck letting it settle in grassy areas and it will pick up bluegil and red eye bass in this area. I found this out by accident while I was fiddling with my reel and the fly just settled in the grass after a swing. But I really had a ball with it under an indicator and with 6 to 8 foot of line below the indicator. When you get a strike you have to hit it for all youre worth to get a hook set with that much line, but it really seems to appeal to the big boys floating thru this way. I use a 3/4" dia thingamabobber as an indicator and it will float it nicely.
I would think letting it settle in a pond or a lake and then retrieving it back herky-jerky would be a winner. High sticking it along the bottom of a creek or river would make sense as well.
At the end of the swing though, assuming there’s some current, I’d think the fly would be up near the surface, even with the weight. Maybe I’m wrong.
Anyway, great looking fly. I have to find my way to a bait shop.
… flew in to Western Montana yesterday from Harrisonburg VA. Said something about having a look around.
Okay - look here …
OMG !!!
Not saying that fish was chubby or anything like that …
… but he looked like he had been chewing down on some locals lately.
John
Heheheheheheheh … I love it.
wow
the ps craw’s finest hour…
thanks John
All the thanks goes to you.
Very interesting experience. First time I have fished a crawfish pattern and a fly tied on a jig hook like that. First time I got it in the water and saw how it moved, I knew something good was going to happen. Gets down quickly and bounces along nicely on the bottom without hanging up ( until you do something really dumb and put it some place like where I put the last cast with it ).
I like the idea, but I have to admit to some general reservations about using the point up style hook with a large hook ( which has more potential to do damage to the fishy than a point down hook or a smaller hook ). Thinking I will look for some jig hooks with as much weight but a smaller gape.
Thanks much for the flies and the new experience. Looking forward to tying / trying some next summer over in Idaho.
John
I had a fun time with this fly today. I landed about 15 smallmouths. I caught two hogs and the rest were from 10 to 14 inches.
Pillcaster, have you ever fished this in an olive color?
Thanks again for posting the apttern.
Bruce
Im glad it worked for you. It just an EZ crayfish pattern that incorporates pine squirrel, which is fish catching stuff. Yes, I have tied it in black, olive, chartruse; I think each could work based on time of the year and location. I have tied a smaller version with a bead head that has worked well for me on the spring creek trout. I must say the fly has not been the greatest for me so far this year for smallies, but my log says it works better late in the year here and we have had loads of water this year. Shenks Streamer saved the day for me today. It seems fish are a puzzle and you have to “break the code” each time out… Thanks for the feedback.
I tie a lot of crappie/bream jigs and the squirrel zonker tyes are always some to have in the tackle box or fly box. I pour my own jigs using the sickle hooks and a 1/80 or 1/64 with a #10 hook works great with a 5 weight fly rod. Your crawfish looks a lot like a Slump Buster would in the water. The Slump Busters tied on a small jighead makes a very nice bait.
Good job on the tutorial and the jig.
today the ps cray was THE fly
I must say the size of this fly seems to be critical, I used a slightly shorter one today, if you tie them more than 1.5 to 1.75 inches for river fishing it seems to matter… The bigger ones in stillwater esp for largemouth seems to be OK
The ones I’ve been tying are no longer than 2 inches and I’ve been fishikng them in the river. Just for the heck of it I was going to tie some longer ones to see if it made a difference to the Pennsylvania smallmouths. I’ll let you know. It’s funny they like the orange color even though the crayfish are an olive color where I’m fishing.
I have noticed a preference here to the orange color pine squirrel as well. (Using Slumpbusters)
ronnie mckee stated:
I tie a lot of crappie/bream jigs and the squirrel zonker tyes are always some to have in the tackle box or fly box. I pour my own jigs using the sickle hooks and a 1/80 or 1/64 with a #10 hook works great with a 5 weight fly rod. Your crawfish looks a lot like a Slump Buster would in the water. The Slump Busters tied on a small jighead makes a very nice bait.
Good job on the tutorial and the jig.
ronnie and I made a bartering deal and he sent me some of his jigs he pours in 1/80th with a #10 hook with no skirt collar just a ball head. He pours some great jig heads on these sickle hooks and the 1/80th on a #10 hook casts beautifully with a 5wt fly rod. I tied up the pine squirrel claw from pillcaster’s instructions and had a great time on my river today catching rainbows and many brookies. The brookies really seemed to like them a lot.
Thank you pillcaster for the claw pattern and thank you ronnie for some great jig heads on sickle hooks. Here are a few pictures from today:
I love this time of the day on the river…
This brookie came on my Guacamole Stick Bug pattern I shared here a couple weeks ago with an orange floss body instead of the green.
Warren,
Pretty photos and nice fish. There’s not a place in my area I can fish for brookies that size, it appears they are approaching 10 to 12 inches long. I never thought of tying those pine squirrel craws small enough for trout. I’m going to give it a try.
Bruce
Thanks Warren, I am glad you had success and thanks for the feedback.
Bruce,
I may need to go back to the river again today and if I do, I plan to use the Pine Squirrel Claw more. I fished the orange body Guacamole Stick Bug tied on a #14 streamer hook most of the day. The original Stick Bug calls for a olive floss body, which has worked great for me, but, I decided to try the orange floss body just for the heck of it and because the color orange has been a good producer/hot spot for me on other patterns. The last couple hours of the day is when I decided to try the Pine Squirrel Claw and wish I had used it more. Out of 22 fish brought to hand yesterday, I had 7 brookies and most of them came on the Pine Squirrel Claw plus a couple more rainbows. The “bite” was different using the PS Claw in that they did not “slam” the fly. They would just suck it in and attempt to swim off with it. I fished it accross and down using slow tugs with the rod tip. I tried to give it the same action as the real claw trying to “back swim” away and it seemed work good. I also let it drift with slow 6" pulls/pumps with the rod and that also worked well.
Here is what I came up with and I know it is not as pretty as “pillcasters” but the fish did not know that! The #10 sickle hooked jig head in 1/80th is very easy to cast with a 5wt. “ronnie mckee” pours a really nice jig head and I owe him big time for “bartering” with me and sending me some. I may just have to contact him and see if he will allow me to purchase more! : ) With using the 1/80th jig with the sickle hook, I discovered that I can pierce the narrow rawhide strip on the Pine Squirrel Micro Zonker with the hook and slide it onto the hook before tying it down making John Scott’s Pine Squirrel Cheater and that gives me a straighter body and a more durable Pine Squirrel Cheater. In case you cannot tell, I am having fun experimenting with the sickle hook jigs.
Here is my Pine Squirrel Claw:
Beautiful trout Warren, congrats on your catch. What a great time of the day to be on a river and your picture with the fly line laying on the surface is very nice.
Ronnie
ronnie,
The “thanks” goes to you for sending me your poured sickle hook jigs. I really am enjoying them and we need to talk about purchasing some if you are into selling them. : ) They are really good looking and are working great for me.
You have an open invitation to come fish with me anytime you want to. I, for one, will look forward to it.
Thank you for sharing.
“pillcaster” - Thank you for sharing your great claw pattern and you also have an open invitation to come fish with me. I am thinking about making a trip to Townsend, TN. in September and I feel your claw and ronnie’s jig head will work great there.
Warren your crawfish looks great. Tying with a jighead can be very rewarding and thanks for the details on how you worked the fly. Next time I’m pouring I’ll keep you in mind 
Ronnie
PS, I’ll take you up on a fishing trip at some time.