Tying (and fishing) the funky Georgia Crawdad Streamer

This impressionistic crayfish pattern is tied small and heavy to get deep quickly.
Hook: #6-8 3x long
Weight: 0.025", several wraps
Thread: Black or body color
Claws: Squirrel or micro rabbit zonker strips
Body: Fur dubbing
Rib: Diamond braid
Flash: Thin Crystal flash (optional)
Legs/feelers: Rubber silly legs
Eyes: Dumbell
** Some of the popular books used on this channel: **
Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: amzn.to/34U0rUe
Mike Valla's "Tying the Founding Flies," 2015, amzn.to/354oSir
Valla's "Tying and Fishing Bucktails..." 2016, amzn.to/3Jg2Mys
Valla's "Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3DmYOjJ
Valla's "Classic Streamer Fly Box," 2020, amzn.to/3n3Vakf
Dave Hughes, "Essential Trout Flies," 2017, amzn.to/3lbCZYX
Hughes, "Nymphs for Streams and Stillwaters," amzn.to/3HC2jpc
Hughes, "Wet Flies," 2015, amzn.to/33ac3lQ
David Klausmeyer's "Favorite Flies," 2020, amzn.to/3oeSNMa
Randle Scott Stetzer's "Flies, the Best One Thousand," amzn.to/34Q15mp
Terry Hellekson's "Popular Fly Patterns," 1976, amzn.to/2L4IyvS
Dick Stewart's, "Flies for Bass and Panfish," 1992, amzn.to/3aGpFs1
Savage Flies is a project with the mission of encouraging and teaching fly tying to as many people as possible. The channel is named after one of my western Maryland homewaters, the Savage River. Thanks for stopping by.

[@ybarrajc]

Another nice one Matt, definitely adding this one to my list. Have a blessed day, my friend.

[@richardandrews7232]

Great job Matt. I like seeing you fish the flys you make. Can’t wait to try this in Texas.

[@brianferguson9483]

It is always good to learn different techniques to tie crab flies 😊

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Brian! I could see zonker strips like this going into an effective saltwater flats crab pattern too. Though I've never fished any saltwater flats, I have seen them in some of my books. :-)

[@diecastrejuvenation7779]

Oddly, I've never tied with zonker. I will be now! Crazy looking fly, but I'm looking forward to trying it out. I really like you showing the flies in action. You "Back Easter" have some beautiful waters to fish. Keep the fishing segments coming!

[@jimholland1592]

🤣🤣🤣Good morning Matt☕️☕️ You made my morning, thanks that was fun. And nicely done to yours. Have an awesome day 😉👍

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Jim! I've got to head out of town for work in the morning but I just finished Wednesday's video. You'll like it. A super simple flashback marabou nymph. One I used up in Pennsylvania last week. In more fast and deep water. :-)

[@vrich3733]

Hey Matt! Happy to see that you got a chance to get out on the water! Enjoy and thanks for the vid.

[@joeduca8582]

Cool hybrid pattern Matt 😎 👌 Awesome looking catch on that roaring river.😮 Thanks for sharing!

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Joe! Hope you've been well my friend. Heading out of town in the morning, but I've got a little more fishing footage for my next two videos. :-)

[@dalelinton7716]

Thanks for adding a much simplified crawfish pattern to my video library. I was planning to tie some crayfish this week.

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Dale! You could even tie it simpler by skipping the flash or rib. I would keep the silly legs though. I think they definitely add some movement to it.

[@ZacharyBobbie1611]

This looks like a unique fly! Thanks for sharing Matt! Tight lines! 😎🎣

[@SavageFlies]

You bet my friend! Always appreciate the comments. :-)

[@mitchbain3338]

That looks awesome, nice fly!

[@davehall2160]

This is something that I have always wanted to try tying I just need to go ahead and get it done Thanks for the video, Matt, and I hope that you had a great weekend

[@SavageFlies]

Appreciate it Dave! It was a good week of fishing, now a week of travel for work. :-(

[@Jd-yc3gw]

Good morning Matt. Enjoyed the crayfish pattern. Nice fish on it too! River was definitely higher than I recall it from other videos. Take care Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks John! And oh yeah, there weren't many places I could even wade that night. Two days later it had settled down and had a good morning on some dry flies. I just finished Wednesday's tie (I'm heading out of town for work in the morning). It's a simple marabou nymph that got me a couple fish on some Pennsylvania waters. Next Sunday I should have a decent video with a nice Savage River brown on a tiny dry fly. :-)

[@jeffjackson5331]

Neat looking fly Matt.

[@tompeterson559]

Definitely one to add to my box. Good for trout and saltwater where the tide runs fast (12-15 knots in some parts of Puget Sound)! Thanks for the "impressionistic" crawdad!

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Tom! This one got deep surprisingly fast for all the fluff it has on it. I guess squirrel or rabbit fur doesn't have much buoyancy.

[@BeyerOutdoors]

I haven't tied that pattern before. I'll give it a try. And thanks for sharing the fishing portion.

[@BeyerOutdoors]

Also, I have a question for you. Is there an email or some way I can contact you?

[@edwardmlotkiewicz2343]

Nice fly. The purposes of the eyes are to have the fly ride hook up as well as allow the "claws" to point upward in the defensive position of a crayfish. As for the crystals flash as antennae and the legs, tie them on the other side since the fly rides hook point up. Thanks, Matt for another great video.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Ed! And that's a good tip on the flash. I'm not sure the color or flash even mattered in the water that day though. It was at least eight feet deep and not much light down there. :-)

[@martyrothman3933]

Thank you Matt for everything

[@SavageFlies]

You bet Marty! Always appreciate you watching my friend. :-)

[@bigdaddy99929]

Cool looking pattern. Not sure I’ll be tying it. Course, if I’m in TX again maybe. Thx Matt

[@jeffreystone7327]

Thanks for this addition Matt. Nice fly. If a person didn’t have the dumbbell eyes on hand, could your bring your wire a bit closer to the hook eye and maybe even add a bead? That was some fast water. But very nice fish in the net. Job well done my friend.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Looks workable. I don’t know crawfish colors further south, but you would want to tie them in black, brown or another dark color. I finally got to try eating them for the first time this winter from a crab boil restaurant and they were really good eating. Yum. Definitely chuck and duck with that much weight on the fly and a 2 weight rod. Nice fish and good job, Matt.

[@SavageFlies]

Thanks Bob! As for the colors down here, I've seen them all. From almost black, to bright orange, to a light tan. I'm not sure if it depends on the bottom color of the water they live in, or on what they eat. I know they all turn a pretty bright orange when boiled. :-)

[@ralphnicosia-rusin966]

I haven't try tying any crawfish patterns. Good to know this one worked. Might try scaling and coloring to imitate a baby lobster for stripers. Thinking of tying in two strands of peacock herl to ride above and between the claws to represent "antennae". Also may tie in some bucktail or synthetic extending below the eye of a jig hook to provide tail movement when stripped. But for freshwater your simpler pattern has clear merit. Thanks

[@SavageFlies]

Great points Ralph! I've only tried a couple other crawfish patterns and they had bucktail or squirrel tail claws. They probably looked even less realistic than this one. :-)

[@leapingsilver6112]

Chernobyl Claw Craw is what I would call that Mutant 😂

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! It is indeed a mutant looking monster. But it got pretty deep in some really fast water that day. :-)

[@theinvasivespecies1119]

I like this alot. Going to tie for here in the root river in rushford Minnesota

[@SavageFlies]

Outstanding! Good luck with it. :-)

[@richardjones2129]

Thanks matt for sharing a new and unique variation on a crawdad pattern. I thinking that this would work on a local I'mpound that is loaded with crawdads and is stocked with steelhead that quickly grow big due to abundant food sources. I plan to tie this pattern up in various colors till I find the right combination. A crawdad pattern has been on my mind as a go to pattern. So I'll see what happens with I get busy. I just recently started trying again and look 2wrd to this challenge. God Bless n Fish on!

[@SavageFlies]

Thank you for this kind comment Richard! Good luck with your adventures and let me know how you do!

[@toddslichter7831]

Nice 'dad and nice fish.

[@SavageFlies]

Well thank you Todd! I guess this proves yet again that fish aren't that picky and anything that looks enough like food has a good chance of getting eaten. :-)

[@tdknucklehead9416]

Thanks Matt. Great fun. Quick question: What does the term “PhD Pool” mean? I’ve heard it in a number of videos. Thanks again.

[@DarrellOlson]

Great job with a heavy fly on a 2wt.

[@SavageFlies]

Haha! I was just flinging it and letting it drift. :-)

[@wahipple]

What fly rod it that you are using and what line do you have on it I am looking for a glass 2wt they're simply none around my area but it's most 8wt and bigger around here

[@SavageFlies]

I got this 2-wt from Moonlit Fly Fishing. I've actually been quite pleased with it for such an economical rod. And Brandon Moon who runs that outfit is a great guy. Check it out here: moonlitflyfishing.com/collections/fiberglass-fly-fishing-rods-glass-rods/products/moonlit-lunarglass I've got a Redington Butterstick in a 3-wt and that's a sweet rod too. I think the line was Scientific Anglers Mastery. It's a floating line and does a great job with tiny dry flies so I had no business throwing a heavy streamer with it, but then again, I wasn't really casting in that water. Just chucking it. :-)

[@evilmothericebearkillerbir6016]

the eyes will give it bulk like its tail

[@evilmothericebearkillerbir6016]

ga bass will hit that