Crawfish Pattern for Bass

[ames11b4]

I have been a hardcore bass fisherman for several years using normal baitcast/spinning gear. The most consistent producer for me has been a smallish jig with a crawfish trailer. I am transitioning to fly fishing for bass this year, and I really want to replicate a good crawfish fly. I have about everything figured out material and design-wise except for the pincers. Here is where I could use some help:

What do you guys use to make your pincers? I really would like them to be fairly prominent, and splaying out a little bit from the hook. For scale reference, I am using size 1 and 1/0 long shank hooks.

I know it may seem like pincers may not be a make or break issue, but over the years, I have noticed that my strike ratio plummets when even one pincer is torn off my jig trailer. It drops further still if I fish the jig without any pincers at all. Not scientific by any means, but over thousands of bass caught on that pattern I have learned a great deal about the bass' preferences, at least here. I welcome any ideas or pictures, thanks.

 

[bigjim5589]

I make jigs in addition to tying flies, and my experience has been different than yours. Yes, I have caught plenty of bass on jigs with craw trailers & two claws, and same with fly patterns, but have gone to patterns with one or no pincers which are much easier to tie & can be tied faster. However, I'm also not adding shell backs & other features popular with craw patterns. So, generally the flies I use are more like a hair jig. I tie a Clouser Minnow style fly in a crawfish pattern & have done very well with it as have some other folks that I've shared the pattern with.

I have had very good success with patterns in the past using fur strips, and even a pair splayed out like claws. Rabbit is what I've used most, but other fur can work as well.

In numerous observations, I've seen bass targeting crawfish and sometimes they're successful eating them, despite the claws & the craw fighting back, and sometimes they're not. I much prefer patterns that might mimic craws in a soft shell form. Very seldom will I get a refusal.

Here's a few other flies I use as crawfish imitations for bass. You may notice that some are tied on saltwater type hooks. I also use them as Shrimp patterns for Redfish & other saltwater species.

 

[bigjim5589]

A few more. The first one is a Clouser Half & Half style pattern.

 

[bigjim5589]

This is a typical jig that I'll tie & use for bass.

 

[bigjim5589]

Another of my bass jigs.

 

[rando]

YouTube

in this video you can see what bass think about pincers. Realistically made pincers from natural materials flutter a lot more than soft plastics and in my opinion actually discourage bass from eating.

 

[danmarino]

I am interested in an easy to tie crayfish fly pattern for smallmouth bass. I’ve caught a ton of fish using small soft plastic tubes on spinning gear and those tubes sure don’t have claws. So I can see how a crayfish pattern without claws would work and probably be easier to cast on the fly rod.

 

[kentuckysteve]

Here is a simple small crayfish i tie.This one is on a size 6 hook but can be tied on a larger size for big bass. Chenille,hackle,hair,weight and swiss straw for the back.I run the swiss straw through the hair claws to keep them separated.

 

[philly]

I don't really fish crayfish patterns that much. The last few I've tied have been based on the Calcasieu Pig Boat. For the first two I used spinner bait skirt layers(sili legs) for the claws. The first one is weedless and I wrapped rattles on the side of the hook to form the head on the second one.





The last two are tied on jig hooks and I use d synthetic claws. Can't remember the brand. Definitely more durable than spinner bait skirt claws. I think I'll tie up a couple of more on jig hooks and add rattles.

 

[karstopo]

I’ve done a few, although, I’m still working on improving them. Which really means maybe something will come along as an idea to make them better and then I’ll maybe eventually get to trying the idea at the vise.

I’ve fished them with trimmed hackle feathers as the claws (one bought at BPS) and then tied and fished them with wild Turkey flank feathers as the claws (see first photo tied on size 8 JStockard jig hook) or with marabou as the claws (second photo on size one Gamakatsu 90 degree jig hook).

I couldn’t say which one I like the best or least. They’ve all caught bass, catfish and a Crappie or two. They don’t seem to be the most productive pattern on my local little lake, but they do work well enough to fish once in a while.

The BPS was weighted with wire and a little lead dumbbell as far as I could tell. I weight mine with a tungsten bead. I did the size one as a balanced type tie with the tungsten bead forward on a pin. I used the whole turkey feather to make the small one. I used Arizona Simi Seal and the marabou on the big one. Eyes are glass seed beads burned into 60 mono.

 

[Rip Tide]

in this video you can see what bass thinks about pincers. Realistically made pincers from natural materials flutter a lot more than soft plastics and in my opinion actually discourage bass from eating.

One thing that I know for sure is that bass do not like their throats to be pinched by crayfish pinchers!
While crayfish are a bass' favorite food, what they'd rather find is recently moulted crayfish with small soft underdeveloped claws.

A short pinch of soft rabbit hair as a tail, split in two, on your favorite fly (woolybugger) covers this very well.
Over exaggerated pinchers that some folks really like to make their flies look more (to them) like crayfish are actually detrimental.

 

[desmobob]

I know it may seem like pincers may not be a make or break issue, but over the years, I have noticed that my strike ratio plummets when even one pincer is torn off my jig trailer. It drops further still if I fish the jig without any pincers at all. Not scientific by any means, but over thousands of bass caught on that pattern I have learned a great deal about the bass' preferences, at least here. I welcome any ideas or pictures, thanks.

Berkley/Pure Fishing did a study at their fish lab with crawfish imitations. They started with a lifelike pattern and began removing appendages one at a time and recorded strike results. Their results showed bass reacted best to the crawfish imitation that had no pincers, no legs, and no antennae; just a head, body and tail!

My favorite smallmouth pattern is a conehead wooly bugger in crawfish colors. I sure like the looks of some of the crawfish patterns out there, and have tied a bunch of them, but I honestly think it's unnecessary to take the time.

Tight lines,
Bob

 

[cab]

John Barr noodled this out, and did extensive testing on his ponds. Look up the Meat Whistle.

Too lazy to include a link, sorry...

HTH,
CAB

 

[bmbailes]

I have a few different size craws that I tie for anything from bass to brookies. in all the size I use a dubbing ball in front of the pincers to keep them splayed when they are stopped on the retrieve.....heres a handful of size 6 Fetal craws and the tiny size 12 Hatchling craw.
babycraw by brandon bailes, on Flickr
hatchling by brandon bailes, on Flickr

 

[nevadanstig]

Almost anything can be used. Fur, hackles, rubber, etc.
This is a small pattern I tie for trout and panfish. Has no name, sorry, it's something I designed and came up with own my own. I've used fur, hackles, and maribou for the pincers, probably prefer maribou:

This is a much larger pattern for bass. It's called the Meat Whistle:

 

[joe_strummer]

This is a small crawfish pattern a friend of mine originated. Very nice, very simple.

 

[fredaevans]

Great ties!

Fishing for bass is very limited here in my part of Southern Oregon. Only time I got to really fish for them was in a Subdivision 'viewing pond.' One of my neighbor's told me they had stocked same with small mouth bass!! No one fished the thing save for the odd couple of us.

Fishing during the day was a total 'bust,' at least for me .... now after dark .... GAME ON. Would crank up a Coleman Lantern and have at the 3/4 acre pond. Standing in a small circle of light casting into total dark was a hoot. :thumbsup:

 

[MickT]

I fish smaller rivers for smallmouth and crawfish are a staple forage in these systems. I’m generally fishing heavy lead eye patterns on a floating line so I don’t have to buy an extra line or swap them out on the water. It takes a heavy fly to get a realistic scooting action.

I tie all mine hook up- point down means more hangs and a beat up hook point. I’ll have to snap some pics, but my flies are more abstract, movement-based, instead of realistic imitations. Smallmouth are primarily ambush predators that chase larger prey items, so moving like food is better than looking like food, ie dries for picky trout. I use sili legs, estaz, marabou, rabbit/squirrel strips, krystal flash etc. mostly.

I think my fly philosophy is rooted in that I’m a spin fisherman first and I’ll often take both, bottom fishing with a spinning rod, and fishing topwater with the fly rod.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tcorfey]

This thread got me thinking. I read that crayfish spawn in spring and again in the fall. Most active periods for spawn is water temp at around 50 degrees. Baby crayfish leave the protection of their mom when they reach about a half inch in length. I have usually fished larger adult crayfish patterns but I wonder if baby crayfish patterns might be better.

So looking at my various flies I noticed that Wooly buggers with a big tail and jimmy legs and even large pheasant tail nymphs could easily be mistaken for a baby crayfish. Something to keep in mind when fishing these flies and determining what your depth, retrieve or drift pattern will be.

I am also considering tying up some of these patterns on jig hooks but on the jimmy legs having fewer legs near the eye of the hook and more legs towards the bend of the hook and on the pheasant tail making a fuller and longer tail maybe even add some longer rubber legs facing back to serve as antenna.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[Fly2bTied]

I have a few different size craws that I tie for anything from bass to brookies. in all the size I use a dubbing ball in front of the pincers to keep them splayed when they are stopped on the retrieve.....heres a handful of size 6 Fetal craws and the tiny size 12 Hatchling craw.
babycraw by brandon bailes, on Flickr
hatchling by brandon bailes, on Flickr

Those are really cool !