Fishing Crawfish Imitations For SmallMouth's ?

Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

"Robert11" wrote ...
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?


I've had great luck with this pattern:

http://dupageriversflytyers.org/DRIF...?In_fly_nbr=57

It's a fairly simple crayfish imitator. Pretty sure it was developed for use
in various Illernoise rivers, so I can't speak to its efficacy out east. I
have used it in northern Minnie-soda with pretty good results -- I've pulled
in many a smallie, a bunch of pike, and quite a few largemouths, too.

I fish it on a sink-tip line. Cast it at shorelines and weedlines, let it
sink a bit, then I do a jerk-and-stop retrieve.

I don't know if it's available commercially, but it's a fairly simple tie.
Alter the color of the bunny fur to match the local crayfish.

If you want to target smallies, look into the Sneaky Pete, too. A great fly,
and almost certainly available commercially. Hard to go wrong with a good
old Dahlberg diver, too.

-Dan

On Jan 25, 10:44*am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. *Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. *True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? *Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: *haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

Woolybugger in the darker colors in size 1 or 2. Since the are
generally tied weighted, fish on or near the bottom, preferably near
rocky structure.

On Jan 25, 11:44*am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. *Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. *True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? *Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: *haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Bob,

I live in Western MA, and even though I am close to Quabbin, I am not
much of a stillwater fisherman, so I don't have much experience there.
Regarding your questions on crawfish, I have usually done well with an
Olive Wooly Bugger where crawfish are present. Just about any fish
that is big enough will eat a crawfish if it gets the chance. I don't
purchase flies, but I saw an outfit at the Marlboro show that sells
them for $0.79 and up. Try online at www.flyshack.com.

wrote in message
...
On Jan 25, 10:44 am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

Woolybugger in the darker colors in size 1 or 2. Since the are
generally tied weighted, fish on or near the bottom, preferably near
rocky structure.


I tie my woolies to imitate the local crawfish...works great...

john

"george9219" wrote in message
...
On Jan 25, 11:44 am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Bob,

I live in Western MA, and even though I am close to Quabbin, I am not
much of a stillwater fisherman, so I don't have much experience there.
Regarding your questions on crawfish, I have usually done well with an
Olive Wooly Bugger where crawfish are present. Just about any fish
that is big enough will eat a crawfish if it gets the chance. I don't
purchase flies, but I saw an outfit at the Marlboro show that sells
them for $0.79 and up. Try online at www.flyshack.com.

..I tie a cone head wooly and they are absolutely the easiest...the messier
the better...and you can vary the colors to match an existing crawdad...a
newly molted crawdad..and of any size...I usually add a little flash in the
tail.

I just bump them along the bottom, varying the speed until I find what
works.

Early in the year I will tie them is light colors...while chartreuse with a
light head and fish them streamer style...I've caught my share of steelhead
and trout on buggers...far and a away my favorite fly - but then my home
waters are smallmouth...

size, color and retrieve...

john

Though I'm partial to my "Frank's Fightin' Craw," for smallies in
rivers, I've never seen a fly that works as well as a giant Murrays
Hellgrammite. I tie them on a #2 streamer hook and use a lot of
ostrich for the tail. The thing represents both a helgrammite, a
crawfish and a leech. Its just flat out good.
Frank Reid
(who would also try a Calcascieu Pig Boat in your situation)
http://www.warmwaterflyfisher.com/fl...FOTM052002.htm

On Jan 25, 11:44 am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

I tie an unweighted tan woolly bugger with two long peacock herls as
antennae. I fish them at a dead drift. It's about as basic a tie as
you can get, and if you flip over a few rocks at your local river, you
can get an idea of the color and match the local hatch for added
lethality. A little orange or green might suit better than all tan.

On Jan 25, 10:44*am, "Robert11" wrote:
Hello,

Have a few months to go yet, but fun looking forward to it.
Live in Eastern Mass. *Like to fish the Quabbin Reservoir and Deerfied.

Read that Crawfish are good for Smallmouth Bass. *True ?
What other species like them ?

If so, how are they fished ?
On the botton ?
Do they come weighted if this is the way to fish them ?
What sizes ? *Styles ?

Any hints or thoughts would be most appreciated.

BTW: *haven't been flyfishing for quite a while.
What's a "good" low cost source for mail order flies these days ?

Thanks,
Bob

IMO the patern isn't as important as getting it down. Smallmouth
don't seem to like the light. If youwant to fish the early morning or
evening the be up close to the top.
I use a muddler like pattern tied on a keel hook with some wire wound
aroun the shank. It makes for pretty poor casting but I can get down
where they are. I have used them to dredge deep holes in the Umpqua
adn catch fish in the middle of the day in July and August.