Smallmouth bass, spotted bass, and shadow bass are my three favorite fly-fishing targets. I haven't decided if it is because of their voracious fighting ability or the niche in nature they choose to occupy. Which ever it is, even a bad day fishing for them is wonderful. One of my favorite flies I use to catch these miniature monsters are my Mudbugs. Mudbugs are the most effective large crayfish patterns I have ever used.
Crayfish are one of the preferred dietary delights of bass, walleye, muskie, trout, and other marauding species. They are high in protein and abundant in most streams, rivers, and lakes. Crayfish are tolerant of pollution. They are found in fast-moving to stagnant waters, from highlands to lowlands, in bedrock to mud, and occur worldwide--even in grassy pastures during the wet seasons.
Crayfish are omnivorous, eating everything that doesn't move--bacon, dead fish, dead animals, weeds, grass, and whatever other organic material they can find. All crayfish species are physically similar having a head with several antennae and bulging or stalked eyes, a thorax with ten legs (the forward pair enlarged), a segmented tail section with broad tail fan, and a hard shell over the entire body. They are related to spiders and they molt periodically regenerating lost limbs and a fresh, larger exoskeleton.
Depending upon the season, crayfish range in size from a fraction of an inch to several inches in length. The Longpincered Crayfish, Orconectes longidigitus, is the largest species I know of. This species inhabits the upland rivers and streams of the White River system in Arkansas and Missouri. The males of this species often grow to lengths of more than ten inches and weigh nearly two pounds. As their name suggests, they have extremely long, sharp-pointed pinchers. Rare is the bass or trout that tires to make a meal of one of these large males.
Many crayfish mate in the fall, but females do not generate the fertilized eggs until the following spring. The eggs stick to the underside of her abdomen and remain there even after hatching. In most species, young crayfish remain attached to the mother until two molts are accomplished, then they swim free. Some species grow to adulthood and reproduce in their first year, but the majority reproduce in their second year.
The colors of crayfish differ from drab--brown, tan, olive, or gray--to vibrant patterns of orange, blue-green, black, yellow, golden, and red. Some are striped, some spotted, some saddled, and still others are freckled. Cave species are nearly white or unpigmented. A few have small pinchers, more have fat pinchers, and most have long, sharp pinchers. Biologists say predators favor smaller-pincered crayfish.
Mudbugs are tied so the hook point rides up. I use large Spirit River I-Balz eyes and six to ten wraps of large (.30") lead wire to keep them on the bottom. My favorite tactic is to cast the Mudbug near the edge of the bank. I drop my line in the water, and let the current slowly pull the Mudbug along the bottom. Patience is the key to catching shadow bass. They are crevice creatures that will not move far from the bottom during the daylight hours. Shadows, smallies, and spots all love crayfish for supper.
What makes Mudbugs so effective is the clamor created by the large eyes as they bump into the rocks, gravel, and bedrock of the bottom. The clicking sounds get predators' attention well before the pattern is within striking range. One day in the clear Ozark stream near my home, I watched a smallie charge a Mudbug from 30 feet as it came clicking across the rubble rock bottom.
Mudbugs are marvelous in muddy water also. Again the commotion created by the eyes guides the predator to the pattern even though the visibility is reduced. I fish these patterns with a 9'6" 7-weight, fast-action rod, a Rio Clouser line, and 10-pound test Climax Bass Leader--in case I become entangled in debris or snag the bottom. I have created several color combinations and the variations are infinite. For the purpose of the tying instruction we will use my Chocolate Brown Mudbug recipe.
Tying Steps
I make a set of pinchers before I start assembling the Mudbug. This allows the pinchers time to dry before they are needed for the pattern. I make the pinchers for the next Mudbug while the Super Glue on the eyes is drying. The pinchers are cut from feathers of a pheasant. It really doesn't matter which pheasant feathers are used as long as they both come from the same general area of the skin. Use two neck feathers, two church-window feathers, two breast feathers, or two back feathers. It is also not important that the two pinchers are matched. I construct mine different sizes on purpose. Crayfish molt and grow new appendages when they are lost, so quite often the pinchers are different sizes. The most important thing about pinchers is to create them small enough not to frighten away the fish. No sense hurting yourself eating your dinner.
Step 1. These patterns are tied Clouser style with the eyes on the back of the hook shank. Put the hook in the vise; be sure to hide the hook point in the vise's jaws making the tying process easier and safer. Start the thread at the beginning of the hook bend. Tie in the Swiss Straw on the inside of the hook bend in the center with the excess straw away from the hook eye.
Step 2. On the back of the hook, tie in the two strands of Tarantu-Leggs used for the antennae. Letting them hang off the hook bend away from the hook eye. Tie in these strands about two inches from one end making four antennae; two antennae two inches long and two antennae one inch long.
Step 3. On the back of the hook, tie in the two pinchers so that they hang off the hook bend angling away from the hook on each side.
Step 4. Wrap six wraps of the appropriate size lead wire on to the hook shank. This is the body portion of the pattern. Slide the lead down to the hook eye out of the way for the moment.
Step 5. Tie in the appropriate size I-Balz at the base of the pinchers. Be sure to use the suggested size eye or one size larger for the hook that is being used. This will insure the upright stability of the fly. Use a “Xing pattern when securing the eyes. Before super gluing the eyes, move the lead wire up against the eyes and secure in position with several wraps of thread. Remove the pattern from the vise, lay it on a flat surface with the hook point up and adjust the hook so that it is perpendicular to the eyes. Return the pattern to the vise. This little adjustment will insure that the pattern runs hook point up.
Step 6. Super-glue the eyes and lead wire into position. While the super-glue is drying make another set of pinchers for the next Mudbug. I often use two vises and begin another pattern while the first one is drying.
Step 7. Tie in the Sparkle Yarn just behind the lead wire, then wrap the thread to the hook eye.
Step 8. Tie in the tail on the back of the hook at the hook eye. I use the dangling end of the swiss straw that is tied in at the hook bend or a separate piece.
Step 9. Wrap the Sparkle Yarn over the lead wire, around the eyes, the base of the pinchers, then reverse directions and wrap the yarn to the hook eye. Tie off and trim.
Step 10. Wrap the thread forward until just in front of the eyes of the pattern. Rotate the vise so that the hook point is on top. Tie in the four medium strands of Tarantu-Leggs material centered over the eyes. Use a “Xing” pattern to secure the legs making four legs of equal lengths on each side of the hook. The thread should end up just behind the eyes of the pattern.
Step 11. Open the Swiss Straw so that it will cover the back of the pattern completely making the outside shell of the Mudbug. Bring the straw over the back of the pattern place the first wrap of thread over the straw just behind the eyes of the Mudbug. Advance the thread so the second wrap of the thread over the straw is at the end of the lead wire. Then continue wrapping the thread over the straw segmenting the remainder of the body and tail of the Mudbug. Trim the straw off at the hook eye and whip finish between the tail and the hook eye.
Step 12. Open the tail of the Mudbug forming a wide flapper tail. Coat all of the straw with a good coat of glue, don't forget the tail.
Fishing the Mudbug
The I-Balz eyes plus the lead wire on these patterns make them extremely heavy. I suggest a 7-weight or larger rod to cast the 1/4-inch eyed patterns. The Rio Clouser Line is a must for handling these patterns with perfection. The 1/4-inch-eyed patterns can easily be cast with a spinning rig and the 3/16-inch eyed patterns can be cast with an Ultra-light spinning rig. Spirit River also makes a much heavier, silver, 5/16-inch I-Balz which I didn't include a pattern for. A Mudbug tied with this eye could easily be cast with any rig.
Mudbugs excel when fished slowly on rocky to gravel bottoms. They rarely hang up, because they rarely invert. Mudbugs climb over large rocks the size of basketballs with ease. Patience is the key to fishing them, let them slowly climb up the rocks and fall down the other side. Most strikes are violent.
When drifting downstream in moving water try these tactics. Position the canoe or boat so you are facing upriver, this seems awkward at first--especially in a canoe. If you are in a boat with a motor, don't turn the motor off. Running into a "dead-head" backwards in fast current can be a disaster--the motor will hang up and the boat will barrel-roll as it turns sideways. Hang about 2 feet of log-chain on three foot of rope from the bow. This slows the canoe and boat slightly in the fast water and keeps them facing upstream. You will find that one person paddling in the back of the canoe can negotiate the most treacherous current with this method. Now that you are facing the correct direction, cast toward the bank behind boulders, logs, and other objects. Don't work the Mudbug; let the drifting boat pull it slowly from behind the object. Let the Mudbug ride the bottom and follow its contour. Your job is to feel every move the Mudbug makes---trying to detect the strike. I have caught three smallmouth Bass over 6 pounds in the Ozarks using this tactic.
In fast gravel raceways and runs, cast the Mudbug upstream of the boat and let it ride the gravel bottom. Feel for the strike. The chain banging on the bottom scares the crayfish from their hiding places. When they begin to swim, the current catches them and washes them downstream. The bass wait in the deeper pockets and the drop-off at the end of the run to eat them.
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