Standing Yabby Crustacean Saltwater Article Hook : Mustard 34011 or other longer shank hook. Thread : Color to match main body chenille. Weight : Medium to small lead dumbbell depending on depth of sand/mud bank and the pace of sink rate desired also fly size dependant. Using size 4 34011 use medium. Weed Guard : 40lb mono. Antennae : Krystalflash (pearl, rainbow or pink, or combination of. Eyes : Black Plastic Beads super glued onto 40lb mono stalks. Feelers : Small bunch of white bucktail, plus a little white marabou if desired. Legs/collar : White hackle (optional to palmer hackle down to eye, trimming top where carapace would go). Body : White or pearldescent chenille or palest palest pink. Ice chenille works too. Egg case : Fluoro Orange/ Salmon egg chenille or egg yarn.
Tying Instructions 1) Start off thread at hook eye. 2) Tie in weight right at hook eye . 3) Add a drop of super glue to wraps around dumbbell for durability . 4) Using a length of 40-60lb mono (2.5 inches). Pinch it in the middle with a pair of longnose pliers. Tie in this weed guard at the middle point of the hook shank. 5) Tie in krystalflash for antenna. 6) Tie in some marabou for feelers. 7) Tie in eyes. 8) Tie in a few stands of white bucktail. 9) Tie in a white hackle. 10) Tie in main body chenille. 11) Wrap body chenille to weed guard. 12) Palmer hackle to this point tie off. 13) Wrap body chenille two more turns. 14) Tie in a short fluoro orange chenille loop. 15) Wrap chenille a few more turns. 16) Lay Fluoro orange chenille over body chenille tie off. 17) Wrap body chenille two more turns to dumbbell. 18) Optional : paint on a thin layer of thinned silicone (thin with Mineral Turps).
Fly Notes Originally tie with a pre-cut clear drinking straw as a carapace , I now use thinned silicone if anything at all.
Fishing Notes When sight fishing cast in front of and past a travelling school of whiting or trevally, strip line till in line with school (line of sight). Stop stripping. Fly will sink but first like the real thing. Then stand up (using hook eye and two mono stalks as touch down points) and wave its feelers around in defence - just like the real thing. Strike on pick up. When blind fishing, cast up tidal current, a few quick strips then lets settle to bottom, a few subtle twitches, then repeat. Floating line best as it brings your fly up off the bottom on the strip, use a longer leader and this helps it to sink back down on the pause and twitches. When allowed to sink, then stripped very slowly the two mono stalks flick up sand and puffs of mud that attracted predators. I really like this fly for lots of reasons - the work and time that went into its creation and the logical effectiveness of the design and the flies features. Up riding hook, egg cluster, swimming action and defensive posture at rest. A top all round estuary fly. Target species include whiting (sand, yellowfin, diver, spotted etc), bream, flathead, trevally species - Golden, giant, bluenose, Pumpkinhead trevally (oyster Crusher, snubnose dart, cousin to US Permit) and more. What fish don't enjoy a saltwater yabbie or two.
Location Notes Along weed beds, sand bars and mud banks where yabbies/nipper live.
Prey Notes Nipper, saltwater yabbie.
Tier Richard Carter

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