# EP Crab



## Laguna Freak (Nov 15, 2006)

I've only been tying since last winter and have enjoyed catching on my own flies. I decided to try an ep crab so I tied up this one in a marsh crab pattern with red bucktail claws as an attractor.

What do you old salts think? Any ideas for improvement?


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## Backcast (Jul 22, 2005)

Have to try it out and report back. Looks good to me.

I copied on of Fred Hannie's crabs thinking I would use it for Sheephead but have not caught one. It really hits with a splat.

the other are some crab flies using some foam rope in the Merkin style also thinking of using for sheephead.

Joe


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## Laguna Freak (Nov 15, 2006)

*Hannie crab*

Backcast

The Hannie crab looks real great! Does the build up of mono & head cement make those flies heavy...for a fly I mean?


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## Joe T (Dec 13, 2012)

nice crabs LF. you could easily tie in two grizzly hackles for the claws splayed out.i would rather use a fly that has alot of movement like with artic fox or marabou somewhere on the fly rather than one that looks real but has no movement.just my 2c.


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## Backcast (Jul 22, 2005)

I fished it once for sheepies and it did hit hard and loud. I think maybe get it down in front of them and then wait. I have had sheephead follow fly right up to the boat and no strike. Tough bite to get for me.

Joe


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## Laguna Freak (Nov 15, 2006)

Joe T said:


> nice crabs LF. you could easily tie in two grizzly hackles for the claws splayed out.i would rather use a fly that has alot of movement like with artic fox or marabou somewhere on the fly rather than one that looks real but has no movement.just my 2c.


I tend to agree with you Joe. I've got a couple spun deer hair and hackle flies that I've tied and their claws have good action. I was looking for a material that is more durable than feathers but I don't think my buck tail claws are going to have much action either.


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## easoutdoors (Jun 4, 2004)

*crabs*

I found a few different crab patterns hoping to figure out how to recreate them myself ( first pic is top, second is bottom view). The one on the right ( in first two pics) is easier to tie and shows a lot more action in the water, and the fish seem to like it just fine. The last pic is some variations of the one on the right.


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## Mattyvac (Jul 30, 2013)

Looks good! how did you do the pincers?


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## Laguna Freak (Nov 15, 2006)

*Pincers*

I stacked small bunches of bucktail in a hair stacker, butt-end down and trimmed off the tips straight. Then I tied the trimmed tip ends to the hook, made a few wraps with 10 lb mono around the hair bunch about 1/4" from the butt-ends and tied it off to pull the hairs together. Added a couple drops of medium thick super glue to the mono and after it cured I trimmed the butt-ends to give a little shape to the pincers.


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## crockerag (Nov 9, 2007)

Make your claws out of EP. Take a long, thin, bunch and tie a knot near the end. Several commercial EP flies make their claws using this approach. Another is to do something similar but with Chenille


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