Welcome to Country Kids on the Fly - Fly Tying Page. Here you will find fly tying instructions for trout, steelhead, salmon, bass, carp, and other warmwater fly patterns. This page will be updated weekly, so check back regulary for new patterns. If you do not see a fly pattern you would like to tie, and would like me to put the pattern on this page, or if you have any questions about the fly patterns regarding tying, fishing, etc., please email me at countrykidsonthefly@gmail.com.
All the flies featured in this Fly Tying page are avaiable custom tied from Autumn Siren Flies.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Art's Fighting Crayfish


Here is another great multispecies fly pattern from warmwater expert and CKOF instructor Art Estus. This fly has caught bass, carp, steelhead, and trout.  Crayfish are a common forage food for smallmouth bass, catfish, carp, and trout in the western New York/NW Pennsylvania area.  This pattern is designed to sit vertically when at rest and darts when stripped, imitating the swimming position of a crayfish.  Art's Fighting Crayfish is best fished while a long, quick strips with long pauses in between strips.  Tie some up and be ready for some warmwater action.
Note: This is a more complicated fly. 

Hook: Daiichi  or MFC   size 8
Thread: rusty 3/0
Weight: gold conehead, leadwire, and medium black beadchain eyes
Antennae: moose mane
Legs: rusty brown (red) squirrel tail
Body: rusty hares ear dubbing
Rib: large gold wire
Wingcase: turkey

STEP 1: Take a a heavy wire streamer hook, slip on a gold brass conehead, and wrap 10 wraps of .030 leadwire onto the hook shank. Attach your rusty 3/0 thread. (Picture 1A)

Picture 1A

 At the tie in point attach approx. 4-6 strands of moose mane that extend approx. 1 1/2 in beyond the hook bend to form antennae. (Picture 1B)

Photo 1B
 
 Dub a small ball of rusty brown dubbing at the tie in point. (Photo 1C)

Photo 1C

STEP 2: Cut a clump of rusty brown (red) squirrel  tail approx. the size of a pencil. Hold the clump in your fingers and with approx. 1" extending from the hook shank tie in the squirrel tail so that the hair covers all 360 degrees of the hook shank. Trim off the butts and secure with many thread wraps. Be sure to wrap your thread far enough down the shank that the hair begins to flair (this is why you dubbed a small ball of dubbing earlier).

Photo 2


STEP 3: To form the pincers, wet your fingers and pull the clump of hair apart and twist to form 2 pincers.  Figure 8 wrap between the pincers to secure them.  Place a drop of head cement on the pincers.



STEP 3: Directly in front of the pincers tie in a black medium beadchain eye using figure 8 wraps on the top of the shank.  (Photo 3A)


Flip the fly upside down in your vise with the hook point pointing up. (Photo 3B)



STEP 4: Tie in a piece of turkey and a length of gold wire behind the beadchain eyes.




STEP 5: Dub a large body of rusty colored hares ear or wool dubbing.



STEP 6: Pull the turkey over the body to form the wingcase. Trim off.



STEP 7: Finally, rib the body with the copper wire, trim off.  Whip finish off your thread and apply a drop of head cement.




A finished Art's Fighting Crayfish.
 
Channel Catfish on the Art's Fighting Crayfish.
A smallmouth bass from a float on the Allegheny.

 
Tyler Straight
Custom Tied Steelhead Flies
CKOF Website Design
All the flies shown in CKOF Fly Tying are avaiable from Autumn Siren Flies.