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Fool’s Gold Crab Step-by-Step:
I’m a creature of habit when it comes to most facets of my life, and fly fishing is no exception. I know what works for me and will often adhere to it with dogmatic conviction. In the marsh, that generally equates to a Redfish Ritalin beginning and ending the day knotted to the end of my shock tippet. It is my go-to pattern in those situations and one that I often struggle to move away from. That said, I still find myself constantly scouring books and the internet for new patterns to try. And, every once in a blue moon, I manage to force myself out of my comfort zone as I tie a new creation onto my line. Such is the case with this week’s Step-by-Step, the Fool’s Gold Crab.
While I first stumbled across this pattern on a Top 10 Redfish flies list a few years ago, it was a recent forum post by an angler in Texas that reignited my interest in the fly. I had been inventorying my materials and had recently stumbled across a few spools Mylar Tubing gifted to me two-plus decades ago. As I had yet to utilize the material in the intervening decades, I made note of the simple, flashy crab and decided to tie up a batch before my first marsh trip of 2024.
| Materials: | ||
|---|---|---|
 Gamakatsu SC15 (#2) |  140-Denier (Red or Black) |  Raccoon or Arctic Fox (Natural/Tan) |
 Strung Hackle (Tan or Chartreuse) |  Mylar Tubing (Small, Gold) |  Dumbell Eyes (Small, Black) |
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Fool’s Gold Crab Step-by-Step Tying Instructions:
(Mobile Viewers: Click images to enlarge or rotate phone to landscape)
Tips and Tricks
- Substitutions – Of note, the original pattern called for a Raccoon fur. As I was lacking this particular material, I elected to substitute Arctic Fox for the fly’s tail.
- Thread Color – Given the amount of exposed thread in this pattern, it is worth considering thread color when designing this fly. I utilized red in the example above, but have come across versions online that utilize Black, Tan or even Chartreuse thread when tying this pattern.
Proof of Concept
While the Fool’s Gold Crab has only graced my line once, it has quickly proven its worth. On that day, it produced numerous slot and rat reds including a handful that were caught blind casting deeper holes.
Tight Line!
Chris
Species Caught on the Fool’s Gold Crab to Date:
- Redfish
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