Bodkin / Patterns

Contraband Crab

Crab · Permit · Redfish · Bonefish · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Gamakatsu SL11-3H or similar heavy saltwater hook, 6
  • Thread Olive 210 denier

Materials

  • Eyes Black-nickel brass dumbbell (one pair (5/32 or 1/8 in))
  • Claws Olive micro Ultra Chenille (two, singed to points)
  • Legs Large gray barred square rubber legs (3 pairs)
  • Body Olive/tan Scotch-Brite or scouring pad (one trimmed carapace)
  • Weed guard Hard mono (optional) (one loop)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook and start thread. Figure-8 the brass dumbbell eyes near the bend on top so the fly rides hook-point-up.
  2. At the rear, tie in two lengths of olive Ultra Chenille as claws, singeing the tips to taper them, splayed in a V.
  3. Add three pairs of gray barred rubber legs across the shank, splayed to the sides.
  4. Cut an oval crab carapace from a Scotch-Brite pad and bind it flat over the shank so it sandwiches the legs, locking it with cross wraps.
  5. Trim the pad to a neat crab-shell oval and tint the top with marker if you want a mottled look.
  6. Add a hard-mono weed guard if fishing grass, build a small head, and whip finish. Lead cruising permit and redfish, let it sink to the bottom, and give it short strips to hop like a crab.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns