Bronze Butter Crayfish for Trout

Pete's small jig crayfish for trout and early-season sea-run cutthroat. Ahrex FW555 size 10, Spawn slotted tungsten football bead in crayfish brown, and Spawn Dub in bronze butter for mouth parts and body. Built to ride hook-point up and look like food on the strip.

Materials

Tools: Fly tying tools

Also see: Pink Changer Worm, Sea-Run Cutthroat Intruder

Steps

1. [0:13] Mount Ahrex FW555 #10. Seat Spawn 5.5 mm football bead (crayfish brown) with six wraps of .020 lead-free wire. Start thread.
2. [1:19] Tie in a small clump of Spawn Dub bronze butter as mouth parts. Pull remainder over for a short veil.
3. [2:01] Add X-small fl. electric yellow easy shrimp eyes on the underside. Trim tags flush to the wire wraps. Keep eyes flat.
4. [antennae] Tie in brown bucktail antennae (YT materials list). Keep sparse.
5. [3:11] Optionally stage Ultra Wire / rib if you use one on your version. Remember the fly rides upside down on a jig hook.
6. [3:45] Tie in MFC Barred Sexi Floss (copper) as legs. Leave a gap in front for later dubbing. Angle legs along the body.
7. [5:27] If using a darker dorsal clump, keep it small and spread fibers around the hook point with a bodkin. Trim butts.
8. [7:21] Tie Thin Skin (mottled oak natural) forward as the shellback. Hold it forward while you dub.
9. [8:02] Dub a bronze-butter body sized for a #10. Pull the shellback down and secure. Rib without trapping legs or slicing the Thin Skin.
10. [11:34] Pick out dubbing for movement. Whip finish. Trim Sexi Floss about two body lengths from the eye. Hard Head Clear.

FAQ

Why a football bead on a crayfish?
Pete wants the jig to sit and strip with weight up front. Crayfish brown matches the bronze-butter dubbing tones.

What is bronze butter?
A Spawn Dub color Pete features in this video. Confirm the live SKU name on the checklist.

Sea-run cutthroat too?
Pete frames it for trout and early cutthroat looking for small crayfish and fry. Same fly.

Where are beads and dubbing?
Beads: Fly tying beads. Dubbing: Chenilles and dubbing.