Blue Crab

Blue Crab

Bugster Variant (Ken Abrames)

Blue Crab
(Callinectes sapidus)

Bugster Variant

HOOK	Eagle claw 254 #4/0
THREAD	Orange
TAIL	Long fl. orange bucktail surrounding shank under two white schlappen feathers with a 1-inch "V" cut out of the tip and tied in on the sides, splayed under a collar of long light blue bucktail (surround the claws) under 2 pieces of red flash tied on the sides
COLLAR 1	Cream marabou wound 4x
COLLAR 2	White schlappen palmered
THROAT	Orange marabou
WIING	Olive marabou tied in flat

Notes Time of Appearance: March through November, female with eggs: new moon in late May or early June.

On the new moon in late May or early June, at night, female blue crabs will drift out of the back waters in the surface. A swimming or floating pattern is necessary to keep the fly in the surface or at least in the upper 6 inches. A spun deer hair fly with some orange sculpin wool spun in as an egg sponge works very well as does the Bugster with orange marabou for the egg sponge.

How to fish these flies? Dead drift in the surface for as long as possible. The Bugster may need a small foam float added to the leader to stay high in the water column.

Crab Sponge (Mark Gustavson)

HOOK	Eagle claw 254 #3/0
THREAD	Orange
TAIL	Blue marabou with two white saddles with a "V" cut out of the tips, tied in on either side, splayed
BODY	Spun bleached elk hair or white deer hair with some orange sculpin wool added to the center on one side (sponge), trim body to be flat on the bottom
WIING	Two white saddles with a "V" cut out of the tips, tied in on either side, splayed

[ Saltwater Flies & the Naturals ]