You can barbecue them, boil them, broil them, bake them, sauté them, fry them…even cast them.

Crab Recipes: Crab Cakes; Crab Imperial: Deviled Crabs; Classic Crab Boil…

Crustaceans. I saw a variety of them on a recent DIY saltwater fly fishing trip in late November. The sand I was wading was a whiteish-tan color. Many of the small crabs I spotted matched the sand bottom (coloration) in order to blend in. Creatures in nature tend to camouflage.

Below are some pale size 2 and 4 crustaceans flies tied with a tan/sand colored Furry Foam and weighted lightly (bead chain) for hopefully a soft landing in ultra-shallow water. I used a dime (coin) to cut out the body /shell shape. Although crab shells aren’t perfectly round, if Redfish can differentiate between a round and an oval shell then I’ll have to tip my angling cap to them!

There are many crab fly recipes out there. They range from super realistic to wildly impressionistic patterns. I picked and copied a simple recipe that required minimal materials, matched my novice saltwater tying skills and modified it a little to make it my own. I’ll have to cast the impressions on a future trip to see how they sink and perform when tugged along the bottom, and also to check-out their durability.

Ultimately it is the Redfish who will decide whether the crab recipe is a visually appetizing one, or not…