Beady Eyed Crawdad - Youtube Video

[JackM]

I put a link in another thread for the full size AVI video of this, but just loaded it to Youtube and am displaying the video here just for fun:

 

[shultzy501]

Jack,
Nice fly and video work. I'll have to tie a couple of those this winter.

I especially enjoyed listening to Bobby D. Haven't heard him in a while! He sounded better on your video than I remember!

 

[JackM]

The music was from a recording at the Concert For Bangladesh (1971) if I'm not mistaken. After a motorcycle accident in 1967, Bob didn't tour until 1974. He did play two short sets in 1969 at the Isle of Wight in England and again in 1971 at the George Harrison-organized funraiser for relief of Bangladesh in NYC.

 

[David]

I thought you were a dry fly fisherman Jack... I've never seen a crayfish fished on top. :-0

 

[JackM]

I have never claimed to be purely a dry fly angler, just that I'd rather catch them on top 3 or 4-to-1. I am eager to try these out in Erie or at the Yough if I can ever get back on the water. I have a feeling these may be lethal for smallmouth.

 

[David]

JackM wrote:
I have a feeling these may be lethal for smallmouth.

My first thought was to take to Slippery Rock and fish 'em while waiting for the white fly hatch to begin!!!

 

[JackM]

By the way, I think I once read that crayfish shed their exoskeleton periodically and have a phase where they are soft and that the fish really dig them at that time. When they shed, they are a lighter color, maybe even pink. This all said, a dark brown may not be the most effective color to tie this. I will probably try a few in a lighter color to see if there is a difference.

 

[MKern]

Jack is right. The molt is a prized time for fish to take crayfish. The downside is that crayfish usually shed in their burrows and don't surface again until the next shell hardens.

We used to di the small ones up and they were always bright pink.

I have talked to anglers who keep fish to eat, and the larger trout always have multiple crayfish in their guts, especially small ones.

 

[LigonierA1]

Tie lots of these for the Jam because you can almost guarantee that a hard rain is gonna fall.....

 

[Woolybugger]

Wonderful tie.
I've seen some tiers use sparse bucktail for the claws..... the rest is pretty much the same.
That would be a killer for smallmouth in the river.

 

[PaulG]

I once watch a guy catch over 30 trout on Clarks using a crawfish pattern!

PaulG

 

[Fishidiot]

I love crayfish flies for both bass and trout. A small craw, about an inch in length, is excellent fished dead drift like a nymph. Summer trout love 'em, esp in the morning hours for some reason.