# Interesting idea for Tarpon fly...calling fly tie'ers



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I know guys who catch micro poons on dry flies. Whose to say they wouldn't work on grown ones...


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## rakeel (Apr 9, 2014)

I tie a crab pattern called a fiddlesticks crab that looks like this










It's weighted but I've always thought of tying it weightless and packing the deer hair on there more densely to make it float. Add some pearl UV dubbing to the underside or use some craft paint to cover up the bottom and maybe replace the back legs with some rubber flutter legs and I bet it'd make a decent swimming crab. With a big forged owner or gammie hook it may be hard to make it a true dry fly. May just sink or ride right under the surface. I'd also reverse it so the hook rides down and the material is on top.

This might also be an option









For this one, I'd replace the shell material shown here with foam and pretty much make the same changes mentioned above.

Just a couple of ideas. I'm sure there's plenty more options like this one that could be modified with some different materials like deer hair and other natural materials









I'd be willing to tie them for you bc I think it'd be interesting to try and come up with something like that however I'm in Texas. I'm sure there's plenty of accomplished tiers much closer to you that could easily tie these patterns and would be a lot more convenient for you.


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## Pourbaix22 (Jul 22, 2017)

rakeel said:


> I tie a crab pattern called a fiddlesticks crab that looks like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Man those are pretty cool, I was thinking foam as well. Maybe big chunk of crab sized foam with some paddle legs, eyes, and something for color and drift it through some of these bridge channels. A top water bite would be epic. If you want to tie some up and send em my way i'll gladly paypal you some $...travel for a living, had to get rid of so much stuff could never have a fly tying station unfortunately


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Floating foam crabs will work for red fish occasionally. Rakeel if you perfect a floating crab I would be in the market for some.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Pourbaix22 said:


> ..would love to talk to any of you serous fly guys about possibly doing up a few dry fly crab imitations, think there are some applications where it could be deadly on Miami tarpon. Let me know, would deffinately pay for time/supplies associated with producing a few I could try out.


PM sent


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## rakeel (Apr 9, 2014)

Pourbaix22 said:


> Man those are pretty cool, I was thinking foam as well. Maybe big chunk of crab sized foam with some paddle legs, eyes, and something for color and drift it through some of these bridge channels. A top water bite would be epic. If you want to tie some up and send em my way i'll gladly paypal you some $...travel for a living, had to get rid of so much stuff could never have a fly tying station unfortunately


How big are you wanting these crabs to be?



sjrobin said:


> Floating foam crabs will work for red fish occasionally. Rakeel if you perfect a floating crab I would be in the market for some.


I'll play around with it and see what I can come up with and keep you updated


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

Peter at SS Flies has been tying a floating Tarpon crab for a while. It's a complicated pattern, but I've heard good things. 

https://ssflies.com


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Tailer said:


> Peter at SS Flies has been tying a floating Tarpon crab for a while. It's a complicated pattern, but I've heard good things.
> 
> https://ssflies.com


If you are referring to the crab cake it doesn't float, but it is a good fly. I would like to have a crab fly that looked like the crab cake but floating.


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

sjrobin said:


> If you are referring to the crab cake it doesn't float, but it is a good fly. I would like to have a crab fly that looked like the crab cake but floating.


I was talking about the Floating Crab, but I'd also love to have a floating crab with the Crab Cake silhouette. I've been working on one for a while now, but I can't get it to do exactly what I need it to do. Maybe one day.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

I buy a lot of flies from SS Flies and Rainey. Ok you are talking about the tarpon fly that doesn't look like a crab. Good movement on that one. I had them tie the floating crab(a little large for shallow water small reds) on a size 2 hook but it doesn't really float. Good red fish fly.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Looks like Enrico Puglisi is already selling a floating crab pattern, but I've never seen one in real life.

http://www.orlandooutfitters.com/index.php/flies/crab-permit-flies/ep-floating-crab.html


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Lots of custom Tyer's are making some type of realistic crab patterns some are floating. Spend a little time looking around Instagram and you should find what you are after. A couple companies are making crab bodies that are simply glued to the hook and then you can add a piece or foam or whatever carpace you like to the crab.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

You can take adult Tarpon on surface/floating flies, and the eat is amazing, but your hookup rate will be tenfold on sub surface/mid water column flies.


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## SC Bill (Jul 22, 2017)

Pourbaix22 said:


> Hey ya'll been on this forum forever never really posted, moving back to Miami this week from Puerto Rico but have been out here in Wyoming fishing for the last few months. Been doing a lot of dry fly fishing out here and its so different from the techniques we use in SoFla/the caribbean....would love to talk to any of you serous fly guys about possibly doing up a few dry fly crab imitations, think there are some applications where it could be deadly on Miami tarpon. Let me know, would deffinately pay for time/supplies associated with producing a few I could try out. Cheers, also I need fishing buds, been out of the Miami scene for a while just picked up an older HPX-V and my 4 month offseason will involve a lot of weekday fishing let me know who's free!


Spent first week of June camping and fishing the Deschutes...a great time!

















I've experimented tying some foam crabs for SC reds, but, I never liked the resulting action of the fly tied directly to the tippet with knot or various loop knots. 

Not sure how many fiddlers get caught floating in turbulent water and if it is an aberration fish ignore?


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

MariettaMike said:


> Looks like Enrico Puglisi is already selling a floating crab pattern, but I've never seen one in real life.
> 
> http://www.orlandooutfitters.com/index.php/flies/crab-permit-flies/ep-floating-crab.html


That thing looks like a big tick not a crab. Maybe Tarpon eat big ticks
I experimented with some foam to make crab Tarpon flies and weighted them to get them down never thought about using them floating but that would be easy
I also tied some crease fly's to use top water so you might try that instead


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

rakeel said:


> I tie a crab pattern called a fiddlesticks crab that looks like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cool fly!!


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## 7WT (Feb 12, 2016)

Charlie Smith (crazy charlie fly bahamas) was working on a leaf fly. He used to watch tarpon sip bugs off of floating leaves often taking the whole leaf and then "exhaling" or spitting the leaf out.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

7WT said:


> Charlie Smith (crazy charlie fly bahamas) was working on a leaf fly. He used to watch tarpon sip bugs off of floating leaves often taking the whole leaf and then "exhaling" or spitting the leaf out.


Call me crazy but I’d want to imitate something they don’t spit out!


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## Barbless Bob (Apr 22, 2019)

I've observed permit and jacks feeding on small, greenish-blue crabs (with bodies a little smaller than quarters) that were floating/swimming on the surface in fast currents and eddies around bridge abutments in the Keys and Marco Island. Small Merkins with very little or no weight would be perfect imitations for what I saw. More to your point, I've witnessed small pods of juvenile tarpon surface feeding selectively (as selectively as spring creek trout!) under dock lights near Sarasota. Couldn't figure out exactly what they were taking, but I'm pretty sure a small "dry" fly floated dead drift over the top of them would have worked. I'd love to see any flies you come up with!


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