Foam-Backed Crawfish

Hook: Gold Aberdeen
Underbody: Spun deer hair trimmed to desired shape
Antennae: Optional
Eyes: Melted 20# mono or small floral anthers painted black
Shellback & Claws: Fun foam cut to desired shape (may be coated with light coat of epoxy)
Weight: Lead eyes tied in near eye of hook, painted to match body & shell color
Tail: Feather to approximate crawfish tail of color to match body and shell
Segment wrap: Copper wire

The lead eyes are attached to the hook near the eye and secured with a drop of epoxy. After the epoxy cures the eyes are painted to a color to match the color shceme. The mono or anther eyes are then tied in near the bend of the hook. The dear hair is spun between the mono eyes and the lead eyes and trimmed to the desired shape. The feathers for the tail are tied in in front of the lead eyes so that they point forward. Take the thread to about the middle of the fly and tie in a lenght of copper wire. The shell back and claws (one unit) are then tied on, secured with several wraps near the eye of the hook. The segment wrap for the abdomen is copper wire which is advanced toward the eye of the hook and secured with the tying thread there. Any excess copper wire is trimmed off. The shellback may be colored with pemanent markers and then given a light coat of epoxy to make a more realistic fly. A last step is to paint the claw tips with a paint pen to give a contrast at the claws.

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