Green Crabs

[Fishidiot]

Tinkering around with crab flies has always been fun for me. Much of the challenge has been to keep the fly moving hook upright as it's stripped across the bottom. Flies with a wide, flat profile are often overturned by current. Dumbell weights and/or jig hooks are usually the way I try to get this affect. Here's a couple utilizing keel weights (slip sinkers on a mono loop under the fly's belly).
Green crabs are a favorite forage of many flats species including redfish, bonefish, and permit. Striped bass often cruise shallow sand flats in the northeast in summer and target crabs too.

 

[Kabutt]

Sounds like a personal problem bwahahaha

Those are cool. I've been contemplating doing something like this for a freshwater clam pattern for carp. I'm sure they'd dig the crabs as well.

 

[sandfly]

A green crab is good for striper and blackfish around the jettys. A calico crab pattern works on the flats/bars of NJ for bass.

 

[Kabutt]

That middle one looks more art than fly - really nice. How did make the eyes? I'm just guessing here, but it kinda looks like pins glued into the foam.

 

[ebroesicke]

was wishing I had something like this in Costa Rica last week. TONS of olive green crabs on the rocks. I know the fish were cruising along @ high tide picking them off. Tried a few baitfish flies, but a crab would have been the ticket. Nice ties!

 

[sandfly]

the eyes are melted mono. the top is foam bellys are E-Z Shape sparkle body..

 

[nealfish]

fishidiot, what do you use for the body part? i can never tell what it is or find it when im at a fly store

 

[Fredrick]

nealfish wrote:
fishidiot, what do you use for the body part? i can never tell what it is or find it when im at a fly store

My uneducated guess would be furry foam which is the same stuff used in the Clouser crawfish .

 

[Fishidiot]

Fredrick wrote:

nealfish wrote:
fishidiot, what do you use for the body part? i can never tell what it is or find it when im at a fly store

My uneducated guess would be furry foam which is the same stuff used in the Clouser crawfish .

Correct. I utilize a variety of materials for crab bodies but these are furry foam - the thicker stuff, about 5mm I think. It's tied at the eye of the hook and big drop of Shoe Goo keeps it pinned to the rest of the under body. If you tie in the keel, make sure you really cinch down the mono loop as the lead weights will really shift around during casting and this can pull the loop free.