Keith Finlayson "Bill Miller's  Crayfish"

Hook DAI-RIKI 700B, DAIICHI 1730  Sizes 2 - 8
Thread Light brown or tan 6/0 or 3/0
Weight Lead-wire .020 to .035
Antenna Fibers from a pheasant tail
Carapace Swiss Straw tan, or clear that can be colored with a waterproof marker
Body Aunt Lydia's Sparkle Yarn cream
Claws Brown hair from top center portion of natural bucktail
Leg Barred ginger or grizzly hackle
Rib Fine copper wire

Tying Directions

This fly is tied with the hook upside down in the vice, but when I talk about the bottom of the hook, I mean the actual bottom of the hook.

  1. Start thread at the eye of the hook and wrap to the bend at the end of the shank. Wrap 9-11 turns of lead wire from the 20 degree bend near the front of hook shank to the eye.
  2. Tie in two pheasant tail fibers at the hook bend, one on each side of shank.
  3. Cut off a piece of Swiss Straw, measure it first on the hook, a little more than 2 inches. Push it through the hook point and tie it on the bottom of the hook shank, right on top of the pheasant tail thread wraps. Then tie in the Aunt Lydia's Yarn on the top of the hook shank in the same place.
  4. Advance thread to a point immediately below (perpendicular to) the hook point. Twist the yarn a couple of times, make two wraps right beside each other, then one wrap between the first two. This will make the head. Secure it with thread wraps.
  5. Cut off a clump of bucktail, remove underfur and align tips. Tie it in on the bottom of hook shank directly below the point. Divide it with figure eight wraps, trim excess and cover butt ends with thread.
  6. Select a hackle feather and tie it in by the tip. (same tie in point as bucktail)
  7. Advance thread to 20 degree bend. Wrap yarn to the bend, back to head, and then back to the 20 degree bend again. Secure and cut away thread, leaving a 4 inch piece.
  8. Wrap hackle forward to the bend. Secure and cut away excess.
  9. Pull Swiss Straw forward to the bend and tie down, leave the excess.
  10. Wrap thread to hook eye and create a thread dam in front of lead wire. Tie in copper wire on top of hook shank. Wrap thread back to 20 degree bend, tying down the wire as you go, and then back to hook eye.
  11. Separate and cut off one of the three strands of yarn. Wrap the remaining two to the hook eye, tie down, and cut off excess.
  12. Pull Swiss Straw forward and tie down. Cut away excess with curved scissors.
  13. Wrap copper wire to the hook eye with equal wraps, about 5 turns. Tie off, cut away excess and finish fly head.

Fly Information

This fly was designed by Bill Miller. It has been featured in American Angler magazine. The pattern sheet, complete with more specific directions and great illustrations is available for marginal cost from Feather-Craft as are all of the materials.

Bluegill Adaptations:

This fly works great for big gills. The only change that I make is on the amount of yarn. Aunt Lydia's yarn has three strands. For the bigger flies, I use all three for the body and cut one off and use two for the tail. For the bluegill flies, sizes 8 and 10, I use two strands for the body and 1 for the tail. (Sometimes I will also substitute the Mustad 79580 hook and simply put a bend in it too.)

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