Crayfish are direct relatives to marine crabs, lobsters and shrimp! There are more than 200 species residing in North America alone! Crayfish usually hide in burrows or under objects during the day and primarily feed on plant life and small critters at night. They can be found in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams…and predator gamefish find them very tasty to say the least!
You have probably not seem many crayfish tube flies but they’re out there especially in the fly boxes of those anglers pursuing smallmouth bass and carp on the tube fly. A good friend of mine, Steve May, from across the border impressed the heck out of me with his crayfish creation in tubular form! Steve May resides in Ontario, Canada and works for Grand River Troutfitters where he guides and ties all sorts of fly patterns even tubes! Mr. May is a wealth of talent and his creations with feathers and fur are first class!
I’ve tied a variation of May’s Cray using some realistic “Craw Claws” cut out of microfibre cloth or Bug Skin material. This gives my imitation a larger silhouette when it’s slowly pulled along the bottom of the water column. You can also use a fabric marker to add color markings to the claws too! Many years ago, I designed a deer hair spun crayfish called the “MC²” which stands for “Mini Carp Crayfish” for my carp addiction.
This hollow haired critter makes a soft landing/entry into shallow water areas when I am putting on the stalk for river common carp. Because it is semi-buoyant, the crayfish imitation gently falls in front of a feeding or slowly cruising carp. And, if not spooked, they usually approach the fly for a taste! Having a crayfish pattern in your arsenal is essential during the warmer part of the fly fishing season when these crustaceans are the most active! Try tying your favorite in tubular form…you won’t be disappointed!





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