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Near Nuff Crawdad – the art of realism and movement
Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crawdad, Tan
Tying Instructions
1. Attach the thread about one eye length behind the eye.
2. Lay a thread foundation to the bend of the hook and back to where you secured the thread.
3. Attach the Dumbell Eye at the location you secured the thread, one eye length behind the eye. Use 5 cross wraps in one direction and then, 5 cross wraps in the other direction.
4. Place 5 wraps under the eyes but above the shank to draw the thread wraps tight.
5.Repeat Step 3 & 4 one more time and finish the thread wraps behind the eye.
6. Cut a piece of 50 Lb. Mono that extends from the base of the eye to the bend of the hook. Secure the piece to one side of the shank with thread wraps. I tend to use firm wraps to position the mono with one layer of thread and apply a second layer of thread much tighter.
7. Cut a second section of 50 Lb. Mono and attach the section to the other side of the shank. This will build a flat foundation that will make the placement of the wings much easier. It also builds a broader body for the crustacean.
8. Apply 2-3 full wraps of thread around the shank and the two sections of Mono bringing the thread bobbin hanging between the point and the barb.
9. Apply a coating of Zap-a gap to the body wraps.
10. Use a Copic Pen to color the dumbbell eyes similar to the body color. I apply some zap-a gap over the eyes, once colored.
11. Tie in the two Mono-eyes so that the mono line sits within the groove between the shank and the section of 50Lb Mono. The black eye should stick out from the end of the shank about a hook gap.
12. Secure the Mono Eyes with tight thread wraps covering all of the shank. Apply another coating of zap-a gap to the body.
13. Apply a coating of UV Epoxy to the dumbbell eyes.
14.Use a UV light to cure the epoxy.
15. Attach a strand of Black Rubberleg to the top of the shank behind the bend of the hook. I place two tight wraps on the center.
16. Then bring the divided strands along the top of the shank over the bend of the hook. If you make the thread less tight as you proceed to the bend the legs will not splay. Try to make the legs travel straight over the bend. Trim the strands about one body length behind the bend.
17. Next, tie in a strand of Buggy Legs or Crazy Legs behind the rubber legs. Wrap these strands in a similar manner, keeping the strands flowing straight over the bend of the hook.
18. Trim these strands the same as the rubber legs, about one body length behind the bend of the hook.
19. Now, attach the center of one strand of Krystal flash behind the Buggy Legs and secure the divided strands up to the bend of the hook. Trim the krystal flash so that it is about 1.5 times the body length.
20. Clip off a small clump of rabbit fur from the hide. Place the clump over the bend of the hook with the tips of the fur just extending past the eye. Secure with a few tight thread wraps. Secure the remaining fur along the top half of the shank.
21. Turn over the hook and apply a second clump of rabbit fur a the bottom of the bend of the hook with the tips being even with the first clump. Secure all of the fur along the bottom of the hook shank.
22. At the base of the tied in fur, apply a dubbed thorax. This should be large, about twice the diameter of the body.
23.Now, prepare the claws with two similar India Hen Back feathers. Remove the lower fibers until the feathers are about the same length as the body.
24. Apply a drop of Zap-a-gap to the point of the lower feather and match up the other feather to it. The points will adhere. Then, place the two feathers together with the shiny side up and the feathers laying flat to one side of the shank at the base of the thorax. The flat foundation you created will greatly assist in achieving this orientation.
25. Attach a second pair of Hen Back feathers the same way as in Step 24 to the opposing side of the shank. Secure the bare quill stems along the bottom of the shank. Trim off any excess.
26. Prepare a third Hen Back feather to palmer as legs. Fold back the fibers creating a linear plane of fibers and attach the feather by the tip behind the thorax.
27. Apply more dubbing to the thread and twist it into the thread as a semi-loose rope. Bring the roped dubbing around the back of the Hen Back feather you secured by the tip, and wrap another in front of the feather.
28. Continue to apply a dubbed rope around the shank to the base of the dumbbell eyes.
29. Palmer the Hen Back feather forward to the base of the dumbbell eyes. You may only get 3-4 turns. Secure the feather with tights wraps around the bare stem and trim off the excess.
30. With your scissors trim off the hackle fibers that are above the shank leaving a short stubble. This is the top of body since the dumbbell weight will cause the hook to be upright. The untrimmed lower fibers of the hackle represent the legs.
31. Apply more dubbing and wrap around the dumbbell eyes twice. Secure with a whip finish behind the eyes. Do not trim off the thread.
32.Place a small clump of rabbit fur in front of the dumbbell eyes with the tips extending no further than the midpoint of the body. This represents the curved tail of the crawdad.
33. Trim off the tag end of the fur that hangs over the eye and secure with some tight thread wraps.
34. Apply another whip finish in front of the dumbbell eyes and trim off the thread.
35. Attach the Red thread in front of the dumbbell eyes and secure a strand of 50 Lb mono for a weedguard. Trim the divided strands so that they extend just past the midpoint of the body. Apply tights wraps and Whip Finish.
36. The finished Whitlock Near Nuff Crawdad.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-10 |
| Thread | Danville, Olive 6/0 |
| Weight | Heavy Lead Eyes |
| Antennae | Krystalflash, UV Tan , Medium Round Rubberlegs, Black and Buggy Nymph Legs, Hares Ear Tan |
| Eyes | EP Crab & Shrimp Eyes, Medium, Black |
| Mouth Parts/Tail | Micro Rabbit Strip, Gold Variant |
| Body | UV2 Scud/Shrimp, Golden Stone |
| Claws/Legs | India Hen Back, Natural |
| Weedguard (optional) | 50 Lb. Monofilament with Danville 6/0, Red |
Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crawdad
The Near Nuff Crawdad is a popular and effective pattern. Developed by legendary fly tier Dave Whitlock, it is designed to imitate a crawdad and is known for its snag-resistant design, realistic movement, and ability to attract various fish, including bass, carp, and trout. Dave designed this pattern sometime in the late 1960’s to fish the water of the White River in Arkansas and other Ozark streams. It was designed to be simpler, more durable, and more effective than his more intricate Soft-shell Crayfish. Crawdads and Crayfish are the name for the same crustacean. There are over 300 species in North America.
Young crawdads hatch early in the spring and grow steadily throughout the summer. Catch a few when you are fishing to see what the predominant size is. Size is more important than color when it comes to fly selection. Early in the summer, the young crawdads are an inch or less long. They are usually light in color and inhabit shallow areas near cover.
Because these crawdads are so small and light, they are occasionally swept away in the current, so fishing a #8-10 crayfish imitation in early summer is productive for trout, bass, panfish, and carp. As the summer progresses and the crawdads grow, increase the size of your imitation. Crawdads molt several times a year, and when they do, they are vulnerable. As crawdads grow, they shed their hard exoskeletons that become too small, leaving them defenseless with soft shells for a few days until their new shells harden. Because younger crawdads grow so rapidly/ their first year, this can happen eight or ten times a season. They also cannot swim well with a soft shell or use their claws to defend themselves against hungry predators.
While they progress through this phase they are aggressively eaten by fish simply because it is less work. A crawdad full of fight with a hard shell and nasty claws takes time and energy for a fish to tackle. A molting crawdad is dinner in one gulp. A soft-shell crawdad is lighter in color than one with a hard shell, so fish patterns that are lighter in color than the crawdad you see to imitate this vulnerable stage.
Crawdads will take on the colors of the surrounding bottom that they live on. The Near Nuff Crawdad can be tied in a number of colors (Brown, Olive, Tan or Gray) so that you have one that will work when you are on your waters. The fly can be time consuming to tie but the techniques used to tie this fly are the same basic techniques used in most flies.
Variations
Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crawdad, Orange
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-10 |
| Thread | Danville, Red 6/0 |
| Weight | Heavy Lead Eyes |
| Antennae | Krystalflash, UV Tan , Medium Round Rubberlegs, Black and Crazy Legs, Orange/Orange & Black Flake |
| Eyes | EP Crab & Shrimp Eyes, Medium, Black |
| Mouth Parts/Tail | Rabbit Strip, Rust |
| Body | UV2 Scud/Shrimp, Fluor Orange |
| Claws/Legs | India Hen Back, Crawfish Orange |
| Weedguard (optional) | 50 Lb. Monofilament with Danville 6/0, Red |
Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crawdad, Olive
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | TMC 5263 #4-10 |
| Thread | Danville, Olive 6/0 |
| Weight | Heavy Lead Eyes |
| Antennae | Krystalflash, UV Tan , Medium Round Rubberlegs, Black and Crazy Legs, Olive/Black Flake |
| Eyes | EP Crab & Shrimp Eyes, Medium, Black |
| Mouth Parts/Tail | Micro Rabbit Strip, Olive |
| Body | UV2 Scud/Shrimp, Olive |
| Claws/Legs | Hareline Hen Saddle, Grizzly Olive |