Thank you for visiting our fly tying blog! Here you will find free step-by-step instructions for fly patterns that we have found to be very successful while fishing on the Tributaries of Lake Erie known as " Steelhead Alley." You will also be able to see step-by-step instructions for warm water, tube, trout, and destinational fly patterns. If you would like to request a pattern tutorial that you do not see, please send requests to team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com



Friday, May 15, 2009

Tube Fly: Senyo's Elk Creek Craw

Step 1: Assemble a 22mm Eumer tear drop tube and attach tan 6/0 thread at the junction of the large tubing and brass tear drop.

Step 2: Tie in 6 to 8 three inch long strands of rubber legs, Here I use a metallic black. second tie in a 4 inch piece of Blood red large vinyl ribbing.

Step 3: Secure a piece of large red plastic bead chain eyes at the junction point where you secured your thread to start the pattern. second tie in a single brown schlappen feather.

Step 4: Palmer the hackle over the brass tear drop tube body and secure onto the plastic tube liner. Trim all hackles off the top and bottom of the pattern so that hackles only protrude from the sides.

Step 5: Attach a clump of three inch long Finn Raccoon fur over the top of the tube body. Secure the fur leaving about 1/4 inch of the base of the fur sticking out from tie down point, just pull back the raccoon fur and secure with thread wraps underneath. This will become the cray fishes tail.

Step 6: Wrap the blood red lace through the hackle and over the fur to create body segments. secure the vinyl lace under the fur tail.

Step 7: Apply an even coat of epoxy over the back of the fly to the eyes. Here I use Loon's UV Knot sense and a curing light to speed up the process.

Step 8: Place a large orange Eumer cone head onto the liner tube and slide up under the tail.

Step 9: Trim off extra liner tubing, leaving just enough to melt flush with the cone.

Several color combinations can be created to match several different water sheds and water conditions.
This is a simple Cray Fish Tube pattern that has just enough weight to get you down, yet is still small enough and easy to cast. Pattern was originally created for targeting Small Mouth Bass on Elk Creek, PA and surrounding tributaries.