Feeling Crabby

everytime i get my copy of Fly Fishing in Saltwater in the mail, i savor it like it was my last meal alive.  i wait until the end of the day, then devour it cover to cover.  i've added to this bimonthly ritual by reading Eastern Fly Fishing.  so far, these two magazines are the only print magazines i read, not only because they address the exact type of fishing i'm interested in, but the quality of their content remains consistently awesome. in the November/December 2011 issue of EFF, they profiled Colby Hane's Corona Crab fly.

Corona Crab

here's my feeble attempt at tying it.  i substituted the grizzly hackle collar with one made out of mallard flank.  i thought it looked cooler and will perhaps have a bit more movement.  the eyes were made using Aleene's Fabric Fusion, a la Casey Smartt.






the weed guard was tied following EP's nifty technique below.



once i got into the groove of tying, i decided to tie a few more flies...

Fly of the Trip

This River is Wild's Fly of the Trip.  here i ended up using Lion Brand's Velvet Spun pink chenille for the legs.  i didn't have the same color or size chenille as the recipe called for, but i think this works well.  the fly is incredibly light, so i'll be using this for the shallower flats.



 

Avalon Crab Variant

lastly, i tied the famous Avalon Crab permit fly using instructions from the Caddis Fly Shop and Erik Moncada.  again, i made a couple of substitutions.  i thought the recipe's lead eyes were much too heavy, so i downsized a bit and went with brass eyes.  to reduce the weight further, i used plastic beads instead of metal beads for the rattle (two beige/one orange).  i used large, 7mm beads to ensure a louder sound, as well as help the fly settle in the sand with some stability. the orange bead is in front to help simulate the egg sack.  i tested this fly out in my bathtub and the sink rate is still pretty quick.  however, the lighter beads causes the fly stand up almost vertically like a plastic worm on a jig head.  there is tons of movement, and the crab settles in the defensive position.