First Crab of the season

[SamRiley]

Started playing around with feathers after reading striblu's Crab Apple article in Fly Tyer. This one doesn't have the foam base but instead has three feathers stacked and fanned out for opacity. Any comments or suggestions?

[Ray]

Sam,

Looks good. I have a whole Pheasant skin if you want to try some feathers for the claws. Move the eyes closer to the body a bit. Other than that it looks good. Try a sinking line when fishing crabs. It helps get the fly down quickly.

Ray

[ruge13]

Looks good. No wieght? Reason I ask is the hook you used looks like a heavy stock, will sink well but will it sit right on the bottom? Looks like it may flip over on its side even with the leg feathers? Just a thought...

[SamRiley]

No wieght?

I hid the lead eyes under the back legs.

[Smcdermott]

Looks like a great green crab imitation. I might suggest some nail polish or something to dull the hook shine and maybe a little marabou instead of the flash for that purpose. Other than that looks like a killer. What type of feathers for the carapace?

Sean

[SamRiley]

What type of feathers for the carapace?

I have no clue. I bought this cape a few years ago and threw out the package. They have dark stripes and are more olive at the bottom and brown towards the top.

Thanks for the tips guys. I will try and tie up a new one tonight based on your suggestions.

[striblue]

Sam.. it looks like agreat job and I think you really did well with the eyes also... just be sure to tub test it and see how it drops and sits.. Also,In a dead drift those feathers will come alive. Also, for the flats try a matted finish hook like varivas or tiemco instead of the shinny one... try and keep the flash to a minimum.

[tyguy]

Sam,
Great crab pattern! Nicely proportioned and nice colors. Just curious, what size/brand hook did you use?

[SamRiley]

what size/brand hook did you use?

#2 Gamakatsu Blue Water

Tough little hooks but a bit too bright I guess. I'll try another with an Owner Aki next.

[ruge13]

could you use a file and dull the finish up a bit?

[striblue]

Sam, please don't misunderstand me... that fly WILL work.... I think it is only my habit to keep the flash down as much as possible on the flats...that is not to say that it will not work with the hook you have, that's for sure, and in estuaries it would be great.

[dcobbett]

I really like it and its a real fly for a change!
I fooled around with a similar idea several years ago, but I started with a horizontal base of flaired deer hair, then laid the three feathers on top of that. Was trying to prevent th feathers from loosing their shape once the got wet. Didn't work ile I thought it would, and I dropped the idea.

[Punchshot]

dcobbett, what do you mean " a real fly for a change "?

[SamRiley]

Hit the bench again last night. This time I scaled it up to a 2/O Owner Aki, switched the mouth flash for olive rabbit fur with a little copper flash and reworked the shell so that it isn't as flat on the top. In order to keep the shape I used some Hard as Nails (sorry if this isn't a fly now).

Did a limited tank test. Sometimes it landed on it's feet, sometimes not. I'm wondering if a strip would right it.

Any thoughts or comments?

[striblue]

Punchshot..it maybe that any use of epoxy is not considered a fly by some schools of thought.

[striblue]

Sam... really great!... can not even see the hook...perfect.

[MKDeceiver]

Nice pattern...

How do you think it will hold up? Have you run any tests yet?

Just as a heads up, I would try to tie some lighter ones...Not sure where you plan on using it, but in my experience, dark crab patterns scare Stripers out on the Cape Cod sandy flats or similar type flats. At least if your tugging them over a light sandy bottom...

I use light crab patterns primarily on sandy bottoms, and when I initially tested the crabs that I tie, the fish would run for the hills when I used crabs colored with a brown/olive color. When I went to a lighter color, sandy/tan, the spooks went down ten fold. A little glitter on the top tends to work pretty good also.

I second the tub test...Crabs tied to be fished on the flats should sink very fast, well I guess that's how I find them to work the most effective.

All depends on where you plan on using it, estuaries with that color would probably work well...Good luck!!

[SamRiley]

For the record, I have never fished a Crab fly and have only made a couple. I have absolutely no idea how they will fish or hold up but I plan on trying them out this season. Cape flats would be one of the main testing areas so MKDeceiver's suggestions on color and brightness are much appreciated :)

[striblue]

I agree that light crabs are key...but I have had luck with brown crabs on the Monomoy flats...

[MKDeceiver]

Fish the crab fly with confidence because many don't have faith...The big fish will eat them more than anything else, in late June through the summer...

Early in the season, there really is no reason to waste those flies. As most fish will pound anything that's flashy and swims...

[striblue]

Yes..I agree... I think they work best during the times you say, particularly during the dolldrums of deep summer.

[dcobbett]

dcobbett, what do you mean " a real fly for a change "?

It's tied with natural materials (well, almost). Today, that's unusual in saltwater tying.

[aws]

Fish the crab fly with confidence because many don't have faith...The big fish will eat them more than anything else, in late June through the summer...

Early in the season, there really is no reason to waste those flies. As most fish will pound anything that's flashy and swims...

I didn't have much faith, until I realized(based on advice from MK last season, thanks), that I was not really fishing the fly correctly. Adjusted my technique and was quite succesful in july and august on the northside w/ the crab fly. I've only tried light flies, but I've also only used the fly on the northside flats.

I'm headed down to Sanibel Island to visit my grandma next week, and might see how the crab works for snook, sea trout and reds, as I imagine crabs make up a component of their diet. This will be my frist time fishing for these species so it should be interesting. I'll post a report when I get back.

[PeterRoss]

Hi guys,
I am pretty new in the tropical water fly fishing and fly tying business, although I have been fishing with flies and tying them for a number of years.

In this thread there are 3 things I would like to comment and learn from your experience:

1) The flies - they look great to me. Somebody commented on the eyes and suggested that they are too long. Well, I think that they are perfect - even if they are much longer than the "original". The reason for that is that if you make them shorter they will disappear under the cover of the rest of the details and will not stick out. In my fly tying and fishing I exaggerate the "identifiers" of the insects/animals and in this manner try to "help" the fish.

2) Several of you commented the shiny hooks used. Is it your experience that this should be avoided? Do you mean that the fish will avoid the fly? How will coloured (red?) hooks work?

3) Weighted flies - I have experienced that the spooky fish runs like hell when confronted with a heavily weighted flies. Now, an obvious alternative is a sinking line. But fishing on the flats and wading I prefer a floater.... What do I do?

Peter Ross

[Smcdermott]

Peter,

I was looking at this crab from a striper fisherman's point of view when I commented on the hooks. I have found that all of the bottom prey, particularly green crabs as I was looking at this crab to imitate, do not have any shine or reflective characteristics. They survive by blending in with the grass they live in and around. Stripers key on the movement IMO which I think this fly would imitate well. I agree with your comment on exagerating the key strike indicators and didn't have a problem with the eyes. I don't think the color of the hook maters as much as it needs to be dull. I often paint the hook up to the point with a dull nail polish to achieve that effect. I am going on my first bonefish trip in May so I hope to have better comparisons after that, but from what I have read and heard we are talking about different feeding behaviors. Stripers (at least the big ones) are really the king of the flats when they are there to feed and therefore are in no rush. I have seen them push and prod an offering before inhaling it. In this regard I don't want anything to spook them. Whereas, my understanding of bonefish is that they are in a rush due to fear of predation so you want a light fly that won't spook them but at the same time attract. I think flash may be an attractor in that sense. I don't find stripers to be as sensitive to noise and big lead eyes are usually an asset not a hinderance.

Sean

[ChemFly]

Striblue,
Do you dead-drift your crab pattern with a floating or intermediate line?
I have always seen small/mid-sized Lady Crabs free floating in the current while fishing the jetties of Barnegat Inlet, but was unable to come up with a pattern, until I saw your design that is! --127-3-

[striblue]

It depends on the water conditions..I will do both... on Monomoy near the crib the water can be moving fast especially on a minus tide , as well as what time of tide you are in. If I can not hold the bottom..it drifts... if I can hold the bottom, I would let it settle in the path of the fish I am seeing. I do let it drift from the flat into a hole or channel. I have to fish the water as I find it.... I have better lucK with a stationary crab than a drifting one ON the flat, but have picked them up drfting into a hole.

[PeterRoss]

Sean,
Thank you very much for the clarification. As I told you, my saltwater experience in tropical waters is pretty limited, so there is why also my questions are not always on the level of competence that is common in this forum. I hope can bear with me. :brow

Regards
Peter