# Pattern thoughts



## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

With smallie season approaching and talk of crayfish patterns....I thought I would throw out some options......Many people have tied live like crayfish patterns that didn't produce.....My thought is soft and buggy .... rabbit , marabou , rubber legs ...and give it a life like retrieve and you will be in there........easy to tie , hook point up , jigging action .......if your interested ...look up the John Barrs Meat Whistle .....keep it in the smaller sizes ....like a std 2 or 4 and my guess is you will have a perfect craw pattern that will hunt.....I myself will be using this pattern but will substitute the copper flashabu for lightly used crystal flash in brown or olive......tie them in olive and brown....and you should have a craw pattern that will be just fine.


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Conehead buggers were my favorite smallmouth fly for a long long time...... but don't always do well with a slow retrieve bumping bottom. Buggers can mimic quite a few different forage options. Gotta keep the hook point up though if you want to work it down in the rocks and junk. How does everyone else go about it?

I have some very light weight jigs, custom poured out of tin on long shank #4 hooks that work great and not too dangerous to sling on my 5wt buggy whip. They keep the point up really good, but the head still gets wedged depending on the bottom.

Best method i've found so far is to use a beaded keel, but they are a pain to tie in.

Any other options?


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

AtticaFish said:


> Conehead buggers were my favorite smallmouth fly for a long long time...... but don't always do well with a slow retrieve bumping bottom. Buggers can mimic quite a few different forage options. Gotta keep the hook point up though if you want to work it down in the rocks and junk. How does everyone else go about it?
> 
> I have some very light weight jigs, custom poured out of tin on long shank #4 hooks that work great and not too dangerous to sling on my 5wt buggy whip. They keep the point up really good, but the head still gets wedged depending on the bottom.
> 
> ...



I normally use a bugger with rubber legs and clouser eyes .......so its hook point up and has been great......I really only fish 4 patterns for smallies .....clouser minnows , deceivers , rubber leg buggers and sculpins ....I will also throw in some hollow ties and low fat minnows ..but this meat whistle pattern has my interest.....should be good for LM as well in purple , olive and black in like a 1/0 .


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

If you want a good "hybrid bugger" kind of pattern that works great on smallies, look into the Bronze Goddess. It's very bugger-esque, easy tie, and very effective. I'm not the type of fisherman who thinks a craw pattern has to have two claws and antennae and crab-style eyes, etc... I think those flies look really cool, but don't need that much detail to fool Mr. Smalljaws.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

They take a little longer to tie, but I love the Clouser Crayfish. Sizes 8 - 4. If you weight them and bend the hook, you can get them to ride hook point up. I tie them in olive and brown. No other streamers outfish them for me and smallies on smaller lakes and streams. I usually use it as a dropper off a grasshopper or titanic fly. 
Rickerd


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## V Fisher (Nov 28, 2009)

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Skip's_Dad.htm


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

V Fisher said:


> http://www.flyfishohio.com/Skip's_Dad.htm


That looks to be a great pattern for on the mad , I will try it . But on the Stillwater River which has a slight stain may not be enough . I will most definitely try these on the mad this coming season....


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

TheCream said:


> If you want a good "hybrid bugger" kind of pattern that works great on smallies, look into the Bronze Goddess. It's very bugger-esque, easy tie, and very effective. I'm not the type of fisherman who thinks a craw pattern has to have two claws and antennae and crab-style eyes, etc... I think those flies look really cool, but don't need that much detail to fool Mr. Smalljaws.


I with you on your thoughts ...Ive been using a rubber legged bugger for yrs for smallmouth and have been very successful with it....I tie it with 2 shades of marabou in the tail and use schlappen feather for hackle and dumbbell eyes ....most often in a dark brown light brown color mix .... I fished some goddess last yr a few times and had good results as well ...


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## jmotyka50 (May 25, 2014)

Two colors of marabou is a great trick I try to use multiple colors or shades a craw fish is never a solid color.


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## Brad45005 (Oct 11, 2013)

That meat weasel is a awful nice pattern, I will tie a few before smallies season..thanks keep the ideas coming!..

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## Brad45005 (Oct 11, 2013)

Lol, whistle not weasel sometimes spell check takes over.

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## wannabflyguy (Aug 21, 2014)

Last fall was my first time really trying to get after the smallies on the fly. I tied on the Near Nuff Crayfish and it never failed. Im hoping it will continue to produce this spring but will surely have some (if not all) of the patterns mentioned in this thread ready to go in my box. Do you guys ever have days when the crawdad or baitfish patterns won't get the smallies to bite and if so what is your next go to of fly. Do you try nymphing. San Juan worms? Hellgrammites or any type of nymph. Or do you just stick it out on the tough days with crawfish and baitfish patterns looking for the the right color and size until the bite picks up?


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## Brad45005 (Oct 11, 2013)

That was gonna be my next question for all u experienced smallie slayers,,.1st. Puck threw 5th.pick...actually I was gonna ask if anyone throws low fat minnows and there experienced advice on them..

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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

wannabflyguy said:


> Last fall was my first time really trying to get after the smallies on the fly. I tied on the Near Nuff Crayfish and it never failed. Im hoping it will continue to produce this spring but will surely have some (if not all) of the patterns mentioned in this thread ready to go in my box. Do you guys ever have days when the crawdad or baitfish patterns won't get the smallies to bite and if so what is your next go to of fly. Do you try nymphing. San Juan worms? Hellgrammites or any type of nymph. Or do you just stick it out on the tough days with crawfish and baitfish patterns looking for the the right color and size until the bite picks up?



Yeah Ive had days where things get slow ....My goto for that is most often a cone head bugger ...fished on a dead stick with small rod tip twitches ...let it just tick off the bottom...or you can find a good ripple and do the same with a wool head sculpin...


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## Flymaker (Jan 24, 2013)

Brad45005 said:


> That was gonna be my next question for all u experienced smallie slayers,,.1st. Puck threw 5th.pick...actually I was gonna ask if anyone throws low fat minnows and there experienced advice on them..
> 
> Sent from my LG-E980 using Ohub Campfire mobile app



I have some of those tied ..and will try them this season..On the Stillwater most often you can see these small pearl white bait fish just jumping out of the water along weed beds...you just know a smallmouth is on the hunt . I have tied some low fats just for that type situation....I believe they will work nicely....Throw it in and move it slowly at first then use quick short strips with a few rod tip twitches and it should be fish on....there simple to tie ..keep them kinda sparse ..using the right hook is a factor on that pattern....if the hook shank is to long , you'll have to use more marabou and they just don't come out as nice ..I have some tied on size 4 tiemco special purpose hooks .....got'um at field & stream....the size 4 makes for a pattern just about the right length....I used a pale grey Lazer dub white the white marabou...pearl palmering chenille and pearl crystal flash....silver and black eyes...colored the throat in red with a red sharpie ....that way they can be used as rosy faced darters as well....they don't look like much till you get them wet...


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

TheCream said:


> If you want a good "hybrid bugger" kind of pattern that works great on smallies, look into the Bronze Goddess. It's very bugger-esque, easy tie, and very effective. I'm not the type of fisherman who thinks a craw pattern has to have two claws and antennae and crab-style eyes, etc... I think those flies look really cool, but don't need that much detail to fool Mr. Smalljaws.


Although I haven't seen this Bronze Goddess fly. I am with you that having actual claws on the fly is not all that important to catch fish but the attention of fish but merely human eyes.  Nothing against it but it sure has the coolness factor.

I have Clouser pattern with fox that has out fished every single craw patterns to date. Very easy to tie and effective. I used to spend over an hour tying nice patterns only to lose them in matter of seconds. Woolybuggers with silicone legs is great pattern also.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Yakphisher said:


> Although I haven't seen this Bronze Goddess fly. I am with you that having actual claws on the fly is not all that important to catch fish but the attention of fish but merely human eyes.  Nothing against it but it sure has the coolness factor.
> 
> I have Clouser pattern with fox that has out fished every single craw patterns to date. Very easy to tie and effective. I used to spend over an hour tying nice patterns only to lose them in matter of seconds. Woolybuggers with silicone legs is great pattern also.


This is a pic I just snagged off the web:










I tie it on a DaiRiki 20* bent shank "craw" hook. I have used size 10's on carp with some success, usually size 6 and up for smallies.


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Very interesting, will check it out.


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## brodg (Sep 6, 2010)

I like tie them with the hook up and between the pincers. My "secret", not that I was the first to do this by any means, is to use dumbbell eyes but not in the eye position. Rather than placing them where a crayfish's eyes are, I bury the small dumbbell eyes in its tail by the hook eye. The fly will then mimic a defensive crayfish position both while sinking and swaying with the current. It will also better mimic a crayfish swimming when being stripped as crayfish swim backwards. Another key, CDC makes for very active pincer movements.


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I am just as guilty of over thinking smallies when sitting at the vice and dreaming. If you want to keep it as KISS as possible......... black or brown chenille wrapped on the shank with silicone skirt material out the back end. Honestly looks like a turd but will catch fish all day long. It is essentially a tube jig turned fly. Weight it and work on the bottom, it is a craw. No weight and work it in the middle, it is a minnow.


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