Tying
an Estuary Critter
By Richard
Carter
The Laguna Critter is a widely
used prawn fly in the US particularly the Texas Coast area of
Laguna Padre. The original Estuary Critter fly was based on this
Laguna Critter. Toned down a little with more subtle colourings
than the US version.
(ref Vol6No4, 1999, Jul/Aug, Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, p26,
John Fails, Tying the Laguna Critter)
I was after a very light thus
slowly sinking prawn imitation as some of the estuaries I fished
at the time had extensive weed beds and the patterns I knew of
at time which were too heavy and were constantly getting fouled
with pieces of weed or had to be retrieved too quickly to avoid
the weeds. After reading the magazine article on the fly I knew
the Estuary Critter could fill this role quite admirably. I use
short shank hook types for this pattern mainly Tiemco 811s. There
may be better lighter gauged hooks out there, but this hook style
more readily available. As always all hooks debarded for ease
of catch and release.
The main materials of the fly
are the body material of chenille, legs of a palmered cock hackle,
antennae of bucktail, calf tail, marabou or synthetic hair, silk
flower stamen for eyes and an appropriate coloured feather for
the carapace. Plus a little nail polish for hardening the carapace.
According to my fishing diaries
the Estuary Critter fly has proven itself on saltwater species
such as bream, flounder, whiting, trevally, dart, flathead and
mangrove jack (even a couple of toadfish). The key to this pattern
is its lightness. Cast past and retrieved over a weed bed, it
entices even the most careful or passive predator. All white/pearl,
light pink and slightly olive versions are good in smaller sizes
for native freshwater species as a imitation of a freshwater
shrimp. This is a light fly that is meant to sink very slowly,
to cast further and land more quietly than epoxy style shrimp
flies. Save this one for those skittish fish in the very shallow
flats.
It can be tied in a variety of
sizes, shapes, and carapace material colours. Examples include
using a blue budgie breast or back feather for the carapace to
represent soldier crabs, white for prawn/shrimp imitations or
dark feathers for crabs. A purple dyed guinea fowl feathers as
the carapace makes a good rock crab imitation. Contrasting chenille
and feather combinations also can be used to further match the
hatch. Or place the fly in attractor fly mode by the use of hot
pink, chartreuse and other fluoro colourings for body and carapace
materials
Now to tying the fly.
Materials List
Thread : 6/0 to 3/0 White Thread.
Hook : Tiemco 811s - sizes 8 to 6.
Eyes : Silk Flower Stamens or plastic beads on mono stalks.
Claws : Two grizzly dry fly hackle tips.
Antennae : White Calftail Flashabou.
Body : Brown Medium chenille.
Legs : Grizzle or white cock neck or genetic saddle hackle.
Carapace : Olive Mallard Flank Feather covered with nail
polish or head cement
or any other feather to suit - tip of dyed or natural guinea
fowl feather.
Weed Guard : Weed Guard: Single 15 pound Mason mono (optional).
Tying Sequence
1) Lay down a bed of thread, advancing thread the hook bend and
then past the bend form a lump of thread which will help splay
the hackle tips in the next step
2) Tie in 2 grizzly dry fly hackle tips at the hook bend. Splay
the feathers in a slightly down and at an outward angle.
3) Tie in eyes on the shaft of the hook. Splay the eyes upward
and outward with appropriate thread placement.
4) Tie in white calftail extending from the center of the head.
5) Add a few strands of Flashabou on top of the calftail.
6) Starting near the eyes, tie in the end of a piece of brown
medium chenille that will be the base of the body.
7) Tie in the butt of a white, grey or natural grizzle cock hackle
feather.
8) Wind chenille towards the hook eye. Tie off and trim excess
9) Palmer cock hackle tip with you hackle pliers attached to
the tip of the feather on top of the chenille base all the way
to the eye of the hook. Tie it off and trim excess hackle.
10) Using scissors, clip the top half of the palmered hackle,
leaving only the hackle barbules pointing down at the hook point.
11) Apply a generous amount of quick drying cement or fingernail
polish to the top of the fly over the chenille. Let the cement
dry till tacky.
12) While waiting for the cement to dry a little, coat the underside
of your carapace feather with head cement.
13) When tacky, tie in the first of one or two carapace feathers
by the stem near the eye. Add additional carapace feathers as
required depending on thickness or density of the feather of
choice. Duck breast feathers, Partridge or crow feathers work
well
14) Coat the feather on the top of the fly once attached with
a little more head cement or nail polish and let dry.
If desired tie in a single piece
of hard mono as a weed guard and trim it near the point of the
hook. This can be tied in first and bent with the tips of long
nose pliers heated in a candle or cigarette lighter.
As for their use - floating lines, longish leaders cast over
weed, sand and mud banks. Retrieved slowly with pauses between
strips. Great fly for shallow estuaries.
Finished Patterns
images
- White Prawn version
White Prawn version
images -
Olive FW Shrimp version
Olive FW Shrimp version
images -
Blue Crab version
Blue Crab version
