Major Dad "claws" The Big Craw

[esox niger]

Some guys at the St. Louis Feather Craft are organizing a Carp trip to the great lakes in early June...I've seen some of the flies those guys tout and they are pretty large in deed. This fly's been on my brain for a while now and I just spit him out finaly. Probably not a bad fly for some of you guys going for larger bass. I know this will produce on a number of species like hybrid bass, drum and catfish....more that likely great lakes carp (I hope) Might also be a good frog pattern as well.

Hook: Dai-Riki #930 size 4

Thread: 210

Eyes: XL bead chain

Claws: Squirrel Tail (fox color)

Under Body: red/orange/light green dub

Over Body: Crayfish Orange Magnum Rabbit strip

Guard: 16 lb Mason Hard Mono

[Wayne SW/MO]

Interesting thought. There is a crawdad in the Niangua that has black stripes across it. I could see where a barred rabbit strip might mimic that.

I see that you use a lot of bead chain rather than barbells. Bead chains don't offer much weight so how do you compensate?

[esox niger]

Weight Is seldom an issue. I find the sink rate to be close to 1 ft per second...I think it provides a natural sink, if I need to go deep I can put on a sink tip; and or add a split shot. or i tie up lead eye flies, but I don't often fish too deep. and when I do I usually go pretty slow so the bead chain works just fine usually.

[fishinwrench]

I've wondered that about the bead chain too, especially with the heavier tippet you are using. I would think you'd need a bit more weight to maintain bottom contact. I'm guessing that a sinking leader would spook carp for 1/8 mile.

[esox niger]

yes and no....to really crawl bottom in 8ft of water yes lead, or current ..otherwise this is good for 3-4 ft deep which is as deep as I would plan to go with this guy...it all depends on your needs...for what I would use this for ...hybrids and cats off rock piles you don't really need to be all that deep and sight fishing im usually not going very deep. but you guys are sorta right, to have a well rounded arsenal you would want some lead.

For most of my fishing this gets the job done....best choice for me under most conditions

[fishinwrench]

You really got my interest in a big way when you said "hybrids" ! Do you get them to eat craw type flys along the bottom very often?

[esox niger]

Oh man....hybrids!!!!!! dude I been gettin em (last year and the year before) at like 20-22-24 inches usually off one particular rock pile with water between 5-11 ft deep depending on river conditions (and at other random spots but rocky banks are best, my best spot has a water overflow discharge pump which blasts water into the creek every so often)....which backs up the creek causing height variations. IMO they hear the fly hit the water and track it from there ....hits usually at 2-4 ft deep...its not critical to go deep with them in my experience a bead chain eye is all I need..... this is one of my favorite big Hybrid and Freshwater drum flies....the legs are new...never fished with the legs before.(im lying yes i have)...just spicing things up. the fly i've been using for a couple of years has a weed guard like the second image. and i don't fish it fast just a slow bump bump settle bump bump...kinda like a craw(though it never hurts to try all speed...even blazing fast but med slow tends to work). this rabbit strip fly could be a craw, tallywag, baitfish or leech. the 3rd one is the one I've been using for a couple of years....and then the fish...these things are awesome beasts!!!!...i didn't even know about them till a few years back. that one laying across my vest almost looks like a stripper as its bars don't seem to be broken (im probably wrong)

So your question....i do get them on baby craws and then i switch over to something more substantial if only minorly more substantial...and not typically on bottom...I have no doubt they would slam this "Major DAD" fly if present...typically any fly will do when the hybrids are pressent.(in my neck of the woods) Im pretty sure your conditions are slightly different than mine.

[fishinwrench]

If it wasn't for the shape of that fish I'd swear it was a striper.

This is really interesting to me, cuz I don't think the Hybrids around here key on crawdads that often..... or maybe they do and I am missing out on it. Are there shad in that area?

Where do you think those hybrids are coming from? Is there somewhere upstream from there that they are periodically stocked ?

[esox niger]

If it wasn't for the shape of that fish I'd swear it was a striper.

This is really interesting to me, cuz I don't think the Hybrids around here key on crawdads that often..... or maybe they do and I am missing out on it. Are there shad in that area?

Where do you think those hybrids are coming from? Is there somewhere upstream from there that they are periodically stocked ?

Id bet money theres plenty of bait fish...and I doubt they key the crawdads (i said crawdad) I just think they are top predators and when they hear or see anything under 5 inches long its on. The dad...between the bead eyes (have you ever heard them whistle when you cast? probably do the same under the water) the weed guard and the claws....probably would throw out some nice vibrations for any predator to key in on. (NO self respecting fish turns down a crawdad IMO)

They are all comin from the Missouri River....I don't catch them hand over fist but every so often I will catch 2 or three nice ones in a given spot . They may even be coming from the Mississippi but id guess they come from the Missouri in that creek.

[esox niger]

Onther favorite fly that I fish in the meramec as well looks like this....tied in brown or white usually very simple dubbed bugger with no hackle...first one standard on the slim side, next one fat with side fins...and a few more that have produced cats and hybrids