From: johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira)
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing
Subject: Re: Crayfish Immitation
Keywords: crayfish pattern
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:27:07 GMT
Organization: Auspex Systems, Inc.

In article <1992Aug25.044010.7488@coe.montana.edu> ketchum@cs.montana.edu (Steve White) writes:
|
|Ken,
|
|I did find a good looking crayfish imitation fly awhile back. I haven't 
|used it much though. I'll try to describe how I tie it. First of all let
|me tell you that I can't remember the name of the material that is used 
|for the body. It's called something "straw". Its kind of like a shiney,
|fairly stiff, rust colored paper.

The stuff is basically a replacement for "swedish straw".  It's available
in a variety of colors.

 I got it at the local fly tieing shop.
|Second,  you tie the thing upside down. Meaning that you have to put the 
|hook upside down in your vise to be looking at the top (back) of the crayfish. 
|Third, remember that these things "swim backwards" so the tail of the critter
|is at the eye of the hook.
 
You've pretty much described the crawfish pattern Kaufmann describes his
"Nymph" book.  I tied a different pattern (much easier) last night. A couple
of comments on this pattern though.

|	1. long shanked hook
|	2. weight the shank as desired, concentrating the lead near the 
|	   bend will help it to ride upside down and kinda weedless
|	3. At the bend tie in two antenna (two moose mane hairs?)

Moose is recommended in Kaufmanns book.

|	4.  "  "   "   "   "  "   partridge (or pheasant) breast feathers
|	   so that they look like claws

Kaufmann suggested that two feathers (four needed for both claws)  be glued
together (concave sides together), and then both claws tied to the hook.

|	5. tie in a strip of straw about 1.5 to 2.0 times the length of the 
|	   shank. Tie it "on top" and let it stick out away from the eye.
|	5.5tie in some copper wire for "ribbing" 
|	6. now tie in some yarn (whatever color you want the thing to be)

Kaufmann suggested olive.

|	7. Now take a short piece (one inch or so) of heavy (20lb) monofilament 	   line and melt each end with a lighter or something 
|	   leaving a little ball on each end. These are the eyes.
|	8. make a base with some thread close to the bend and tie on the eyes
|	   across the shank. 
|	9. now you make several wraps with the yarn to just behind the eyes
|	   and tie in some brown hackle (the legs)
|	10.wrap the yarn several more wraps moving towards the eye .5 inches
|	   or so and tie off but don't cut the yarn
|	11.now palmer the hackle for the legs and tie it off
|	12.finish covering the rest of the shank with the yarn and tie 
|	   off and cut it
|	13.now fold the straw towards the eye on top of the yarn and hackle 
|	   and over and past the eye
|	14.take a wrap with the wire ribbing behind the eyes to tie down the
|	   straw and then palmer the ribbing thru the hackle underneath the
|	   straw so that it can't be seen on top. then after you are thru the
|	   hackle with the wire then wrap it back on top of the straw to 
|	   segment the lond tail
|	15.tie of the wire ribbing and

Seems like it would be easier to tie the ribbing before the palmered hackle
and folding the straw.  When tieing off the straw near the tail it would
seem that the thread by itself should be sufficient.  

|	16.tie off the straw behind the eye leaving .25 inches or so sticking 
|   	   out past the eye for the tail
|
|Gee, it's kind of hard to describe this accurately. Probably almost as 
|difficult as it is to understand it. Sorry for the roughness. If you really 
|can't find a pattern or can't tie one then get in touch with me and I'll 
|mail you a sample. With it and my great directions you can tie one.

I followed it pretty well.  However I've seen the tying instruction in
the book.

Another pattern (easy crawfish).

I just got this from a picture and list of materials.  First the fly isn't
tied upside down,  although it could be.  I could see where that might be
an advantage since the crawfish should be fished on the bottom.  A monofiliment
weed guard be added as an alternative however.  Fashion the monofiliment
eyes as described above and tie just above the point of the hook near the
bend.  Get some light colored red squirells tail and tie then so the splay
out beyond the bend so that about they extent to 3/4 of length of the 
shank of the hook.  Tie on a 1/4" wide laquered turkey feather long enough
so that when it is folded over it extends beyond the eye of the hook to form
a tail.  Tie on some dark olive yarn and a brown hackle feather.  Wrap the
yarn towards the eye stopping about a third of the way.  Palmer the hackle 
over the yarn to this point, tie off, and finish wrapping the yarn to the
eye of the hook.  Fold the turkey feather (or straw) over the body and tie
off, and finish just before the eye of the hook.  Clip the turkey feather
just beyond the hook so that the tail is proportional to the rest of the
fly.  I tied this pattern last night and it came out pretty good and was
quite easy to tie.

-- 
+============================================================================++
| John Fereira            "Is that all you ever think about?"                |
| johnf@auspex.com                                                           |
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-- 
+============================================================================++
| John Fereira            "Is that all you ever think about?"                |
| johnf@auspex.com                                                           |
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-- 
+============================================================================++
| John Fereira            "Is that all you ever think about?"                |
| johnf@auspex.com                                                           |
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