Crayfish Pattern

[Wayne SW/MO]

This one is easy once you have the claws. These were the first ones and I do add a highlight now.

The Clawdad

[Al Agnew]

Don't have pictures handy right now, but mine is exceedingly simple, and is almost exactly the same tie I use for hair jigs. Use a long shank streamer hook of whatever size you want, but keep in mind the whole craw should be about 2.5 inches long. Start by tying on a pair of red squirrel strips a bit over an inch long, right where the bend of the hook starts. Next tie on a dumbbell weight right in front of the base of the squirrel strips. Starting just in front of the weight, wind on cross cut rabbit up to near the eye, and finish off. If you want to add in a pair of antennae, just tie them in with whatever thin long hair or something between the squirrel strips and the weight. If you want to imitate the golden crayfish, which is the most common Ozark crayfish, use brown or olive for the squirrel strip "pincers", then alternating bands of light olive and dark brown rabbit strips.

Use the same tie to imitate a sculpin, same colors, but only use one squirrel strip, and tie in the dumbbell weight near the front of the hook, not the rear. It also imitates a young hogsucker.

[Buzz]

I'm with Wayne on this one. Clawdads are super easy to tie and they can be made in a variety of sizes, colors, and weights. They have been my go to fly this year. I use a couple of materials for the claws, but the best I've found is thin leather cut from work gloves. I use a permanent marker to color them. 2 strands of spinnerbait skirt for the antennae, your choice chenille color, I prefer variegated olive, and 3 strands of skirt material on each side for the legs placed right behind the dumbbell eyes. You will lose these flies if you are fishing in the right places. You better have a few on hand.

[Amery]

Clawdads look great. I've always been a crazydad kind of guy but that thing looks sweet! Does anyone ever put the spray on scent on your smallie flies? I was gonna this year but just keep forgetting to.