The original version of this fly was shown to us many, many years ago by our good friend and sales rep Jerry Darkes. It was designed by a guy named George McCabe from up in the Cleveland area and he originally designed it as a carp fly.
We started tying them and using them around here on both carp and smallmouth and sure enough, it was every bit as productive as Jerry told us. I do believe that we used them on our Lake Erie smallmouth trips as well back in the nineties. We started selling so many of them that we had to farm them out to a production house for custom tying!!! Unfortunately, we aren't currently having them done as the supplier flaked out on us but we're hoping to get them back in the shop eventually.
This is a "version" of that original fly that I tweaked a few years back and have been fishing locally with great success. We'll call it the McCabe's "Plus" Crayfish as it is certainly based on, and inspired by the original. When Flymen Fishing Company came out with their shrimp and cray tails, I just had to put them to use somewhere and this was a perfect match. I have said often that I don't normally come up with patterns of my own, I just steal patterns and tweak them a bit!
Thought I'd share this one here as we sit inside thinking of warmer weather. Hope that you give this a try! It's really a great pattern and when you do, let me know how it goes.
Brian Flechsig- December 2018
McCabes Plus Crayfish Recipe:
Hook: Umpqua U-Series U301 (or any equivalent 3X Nymph)- Click Here
Thread: Doesn't matter- use whatever you are comfortable with- Click Here
Tail: Fish Skull Shrimp and Cray Tails- Large- Gold- Click Here
Eyes: Enrico Crab/Shrimp/Crayfish Eyes- Click Here
Hackle: Grizzly Saddle Feather- Click Here or Click Here (of course tons of options here as well)
This fly can of course be tied in just about any color combination that you want!!
1. Insert the hook in the vise. I then "score" the hook just a bit behind the eye. This is of course optional but it does seem to help hold the Flymen "Tail" in place alot better and prevent it from spinning. You may have seen me do this on the Plantation Crab as well and it really makes a difference.
2. Tie in the Fish Skull Shrimp and Cray tail just behind the eye of the hook using plenty of wraps of thread. Make sure the "fan" of the tail is pointing upwards (you'll flip the hook in a bit). Glue it with your favorite super glue, then continue more thread wraps over top.
3. Add 5 or 6 turns of lead wire behind the Cray Tail and wrap your thread back to the bend.
4. Tie in your "bunch" of Moose Mane fibers at the bend of the hook. I suppose the length of these is somewhere around 1 1/2 to 2X the length of the shank in total. Then repeat the process with 3 strands of the Sexi-Floss. I usually make these just a bit shorter than the Moose Mane....for no scientific reason at all.
5. Cut off a small "tuft" of Rabbit from a Zonker Strip and tie it in right there at the bend of the hook as well. It should be very short, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 inch or so. This is what I called the "Carapice" in the video which I'm not even sure is a word. I might have made it up? It's basically the nose of the crayfish but sound more scientific if you call it something more sophisticated. Here we will go with "Carapice".
6. Now tie in the chenille, also at the bend of the hook. The lash down should run you right up to the base of the lead wraps and you can leave your thread there.
7. You will now wrap the "head" of the crayfish with the chenille. I usually get about 3-4 wraps here with one in the middle, creating a bit of bulk. You want this to be somewhat of a ball shape so that the claws and eyes flare out over it a bit. Tie off the chenille but don't trim it. You will use the remainder to wrap the rest of the body.
8. Now flip the hook upside down in your vise. (I suppose if you have a rotary vise you can just rotate away). Take a bunch of Fox Squirrel and tie in your 1st claw on the side closest to you and wrap over the butts.
9. Tie in your 2nd claw with another bunch of Fox Squirrel on the opposite side. Using a "horizontal pinch" will help keep this in place. You will see that the ball of chenille that you built up there will help flare these claws out just perfectly.
10. Basically the same step, you will now add the eyes. One at a time, near side then far side. They should ride just above the claws and extend back to just about even with the bend of the hook.
11. Wrap your thread over the butts of the squirrel and the mono stems of the eyes real well and then glue it up. I always glue here as otherwise, the claws and eyes may pull out. This fly is going to catch you a mess of fish and we want it to hold up. Your chenille is still hanging right in front of the original "ball".
12. Tie in your grizzly saddle hackle feather by the stem. You tie it in by the stem to give a semblance of taper so that the adbomen tapers as you get to the tail. You may have to play with at what point on the feather that you tie it in to give the desired bugginess and taper.
13. Wrap the remainder of the chenille up the hook shank to just behind the eye and tie it off and trim. This forms the abdomen of the crayfish.
14. Palmer the saddle feather up the hook shank....Wooly Bugger style! Tie it off and trim just behind the eye of the hook.
15. Whip finish a few times using your fingers or whip finish tool. Throw a little cement on there if you like and you are all set!
Give it a whirl and let me know how it works for you!
* Please remember to call us for more up-to-date or detailed information! These reports are not meant to be your one and only, daily source of information. They are typically general, even seasonal type reports and we currently don't have a set schedule as to when we update. Please, just because we don't update as often as we like, it doesn't mean that we don't care.
There are many different approaches you should take in order to get a good game plan for a trip or a day of fishing. Also remember that things change and these reports are what we know at the time of posting only. Keep in mind that we do express opinions and personal preferences from time-to-time which may be different from yours or what you may read elsewhere. Thanks for checking and don't forget to call us if you need any further information or a more up-to-date report. 614-451-0363 Thanks as always for reading our reports friends. As the weather gets more conducive we should be reporting more regularly....but we need your HELP! Send any and all reports to admin@madriveroutfitters and we'll do our best to get them up.
Customer Feedback
We absolutely love it when customers share their experiences with us! We love to see your pics and MRO gear hard at work.
Send any and all pics to admin@madriveroutfitters.com and we'll do our best to get them up here or on our Social Media pages.
Our good friend and great customer Seth Grimes was recently down in the Eveglades representing MRO (the hat). We turned him on to our great friend and guide Mark Giacobba with Glades Outfitters and as you can see, they scored big. Mark tell us that the Everglades has been fishing extremely well recently which is great to hear with all of the negative press coming from Florida recently.
Our own Brian Flechsig grew up fishing in the Everglades with family and then later with Flip Pallot. It's great to hear that the Glades are doing well....at least for now. There's only one Everglades and we as anglers don't want to see it go away!
There is a great group that is dedicated to cleaning up the waterways in Florida and the Everglades in particular. You can learn more here:
Our good friend and great customer John Liptak with a GREAT musky caught 12/2 just minutes from Columbus!
Q & A Series
If you haven't seen it already, we've started a Q & A series on YouTube. Brian is heading it up but all have been involved.
It's been absolutely amazing the response we have gotten from around the world. Literally hundreds of questions!!!
Have a question that you'd like us to answer on the channel? Send to admin@madriveroutfitters.com. If we answer we'll send you a FREE MRO hat and fly box.
Warmwater
With the cold temps and rain over the past weeks there has been limited local fishing. Those that have had success are targeting Saugeye below the dams or focusing on Crappies and other panfish. Clousers and small streamers on sinking lines are the game for the Saugeye. For panfish people fishing under indicators/floats have had the most success. Flies like Clousers, Crappie Special, Skiddish Smolts, Crossdresser, and Precious Metal have been the best. Fish these under a float retrieving very slow with strips and twitches. The high flows have kept us off the Musky and Pike streams also but things seem to be shaping up for next week and we do have trips booked.
Forecast:
This weekend will be tough with the cold temps. Moving water or fishing the big lakes will be your best bet. Next week will bring a slight warmup, but there is more rain in the forecast for late in the week. We will keep you posted.
Pike fishing continues to be great when the flows are right. This also goes for Musky fishing. There are a few openings on our calendars so shoot us a call.
Seasonal: Fall fishing in Ohio means change. Being flexible will keep you on fish. We have many streams that have great Smallmouth fishing. This time of the year the fish are starting to school up and push around baitfish. Your summer 5wt or even soft 6wt gets up away and out comes the better bass rod sizes of 7-8wts. Sink-tip lines like the new Rio Big Nasty and SA Titan are your best bet. If you fish the big rivers then a SA Sonar sinking line with a longer head is a better choice especially out of a boat. Most of these fish are targeting dense schools of Shad. Flies like Whitlock’s Deep Shad, Clousers, Half & Halfs, Bottoms-Up, Dungeons, Peanut Envy and Double Barrel Baitfish poppers are great choices for a floating line. While fishing the more productive sink-tips lines we focus on flies like Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Murdich Minnow, Gummy Minnows, Zoo Cougars, Wooly Sculpin, Todd’s Wiggle Minnow, Stacked Blondes, and EP Minnows. Smallmouth Bass will feed heavily for the next couple months but you will need to target different water than where you find them in summer. Look for the deeper water with good flow around large hard structure. Bridge pilings, rip rap banks, large boulder fields, or other rock structure. Pond and Lake fishing also continues to be fantastic as long as the water temps stay in the 50s. Largemouth will also start to school and cruse feeding on baitfish. Sinking lines like a SA Clear Tip or Rio Big Nasty are great options for these fish. Flies like the Barely Legal, Bang Tail, Todd’s Wiggle minnow, Dungeon, and Boogie Man work great for fishing fast. If fish are not chasing then slow down with the same lines, but change flies to Super Worms, Reapers, Bottoms-Up, and Gulley Worms get the job done. Do not overlook the Bluegill and Crappie bite also. Fish bobbers/indicators with nymphs or Crappie Specials under them and keep them close to drop offs with structure. Pike and Musky fishing continues to be great from now into winter. Slowly stripping big flies on heavy sink tips is the game. Josh and Pat’s schedules are usually locked in right now, but both do have some open dates. Make sure to call the shop for details.
***PSA: This time of the year the ODNR stocks small Brown Trout at various bridges along the River. These fish are the future of our fishery and need extreme care when handling. They are easy to catch, but take a beating from the pressure. We advise if you do find yourself catching a couple dull colored fish in the 8-10” range change locations to another stretch of river far away from the bridges.*** Trout fishing continues to be great with the higher water. Nymphing and streamer fishing has been the most productive. There are fish well distributed and most are having good success. Hot flies right now are attractor patterns like Flashabou Caddis, Cranefly Larva, Prince, Soft Hackle Jig Fly, Shop dip in red, Psycho Prince to name a few. Fishing these flies tight to the bottom and close to structure. Euro nymphing also is a great option for quantity of fish. Streamers right now in the clear water will be Mini Dungeons, Mini Bangtails, Near Nuff Sculpin, Big Eyed Buggers, Skulpin Bunnies, Dirty Hippies and Legals. Make sure to fish a few bigger streamers also. Dungeons, Peanuts, Modern Deceivers, Nancy P, and D and Ds are shop favorites.
Forecast:
Flows continue to be great. Our usual suggestion for flows is that if you are new to fishing the river your limit should be 200cfs at Urbana. Once you get comfortable with the river then you could wade it at slightly higher flows. If you are new then focus on the sections north of Urbana as the flows are close to 200cfs.
There is not any significant rain forecasted until late next week so the next few days will be good. The only issue you will have is the low air temps. Make sure to have some Ice Off paste and be careful when getting ice out of your guides. If you can push through the ice issues then nymphing and streamer fishing will treat you well.
Seasonal:
The past few years (or more) we have had prolonged low and clear water in the Fall. We love streamer fishing, but with the low water from earlier has made fishing difficult. That is not the situation now. 6-8wt rods with Sink tip lines line the SA Sonar Titan Sink Tip or the AirFlo Streamer Max Short are a great choice. Select flies in the 4-6+ range and make sure to have various colors and designs to figure out what will get the attention of the fish. Most of us carry a large array of colors of the same pattern also. We take Kelly Galloup’s approach of switching colors until we find out what they want. A good place to start would be Bottoms Up, Dungeons, Peanuts, Drunk and Disorderly, Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Fat Heads, and other Modern Streamers. Wading can be difficult if you do not know the area or new to the sport.
Make sure to call the shop for conditions and safe water level suggestions. Nymphing is most consistent choice choice for numbers of fish though. Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry. There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics. We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started. Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice, but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though. Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices. Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer and you are set.
***PSA: This time of the year the ODNR stocks small Brown Trout at various locations along the upper river and Rainbow Trout below Pleasant Hill dam in the lower river. These fish are the future of our fishery and need extreme care when handling. They are easy to catch, but take a beating from the pressure. We advise if you do find yourself catching a couple small dull colored Brown Trout in the 8-10” range change locations to another stretch of river far away from the bridges. The same goes for the lower river Rainbows. If you find yourself catching a couple fish change locations as to spread out your impact on these fish. It is legal to keep the Rainbows, but if we would like to catch fish through late Spring then putting them back is the best bet.*** Water Levels continue to be good. Those that are fishing the upper river have been catching fish. Most of these fish are the stocked fish, but there are a few larger fish in the public water. Nymphing bright attractors like Flashabou Caddis, Cranefly Larva, Prince, Soft Hackle Jig Fly, Shop dip in red, Psycho Prince are all a great place to start. Matching the hatch right now will consist of small Pheasant Tails, Midges and small baitfish patterns. The lower river is in great shape and should fish very well. There has been a lot of people taking fish so success has been hot and cold for some people. Nymphing bigger nymphs like the Rubber legs, Double Stone, Cranefly Larva, or even the TB Jig Bugger in conjunction with an egg pattern will keep you busy. Fishing flashy streamers will also get the fishes attention. For streamer fishing you will want some Skiddish Smolts, Crystal Buggers, Precious Metal, Egg Sucking Leaches, and Glass Bugger. Swinging a light switch rod or using a sing-hand-spey setup can also be a great choice. Here you can use the above streamers or a Micro Intruder.
Forecast: Look for the low air temps to cause some issues with icy guides through the weekend. If you can deal with the cold then the fishing should continue to be great. Make sure to limit the amount of line you strip in as this is what causes ice issues. Focus on shorter drifts and slowly work through a section of river. Tenkara is also a great option in cold conditions. Small nymphs or Euro type presentations will produce results. Rainbows are a great battle on Tenkara also. Drift egg patterns or attractor patterns either tight lined or under a very small New Zealand indicator. As the week progresses ice will not be as much of an issue, but we do have more rain heading in late in the week.
Seasonal: In the lower river Rainbows are easily caught by small streamers, bright egg patterns and nymphs. Once the fishing pressure picks up or we get a few rain events these fish will spread out and get selective. If you are targeting Brown Trout then nymphing is a great choice, but streamer fishing should not be over looked. Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry. There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics. We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started. Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though. Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices. Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer and you are set. As for streamer fishing both in the upper and lower river these tactics will work. 6-8wt rods with Sink tip lines line the SA Sonar Titan Sink Tip or the AirFlo Streamer Max Short are a great choice. Select flies in the 4-6+ range and make sure to have various colors and designs to figure out what will get the attention of the fish. Most of us carry a large array of colors of the same pattern also. We take Kelly Galloup’s approach of switching colors until we find out what they want. A good place to start would be Bottoms Up, Dungeons, Peanuts, Drunk and Disorderly, Bang Tails, Modern Deceivers, Fat Heads, and other Modern Streamers.
***Rainbows have been stocked this fall. These fish are the future of our fishery and need extreme care when handling. They are easy to catch, but take a beating from the pressure. These fish are totally legal to keep, but we always encourage catch and release so we have productive fishing through Spring.*** Fishing has been good when the water levels are stable. The gauge seems to be a little off, but fishing for the next week should be great. This weekend will provide some issues with icy guides, but that should keep the pressure down. The rangers continue to talk about heavy pressure and a lot of fish being taken home. There are still fish around though. Individuals covering water streamer fishing or nymphing have still caught fish. Most fish are being caught on flashy streamers and bright attractor nymphs or egg patterns.
Forecast:
Cold temps this weekend will cause some issues, but fishing looks good until late next week. Bring some streamers along with your nymphing setup. Covering water is a great choice with a streamer. Make sure to have ‘Buggers, Zonkers, and other traditional streamers. These fish readily take streamers until the pressure gets too much for them. If you like to swing flies then slowly swinging a small streamer deep through the pools will be productive for even the pressured fish. Nymphing rigs should have small floats like the Airlock or even a yarn indicator. A simple bead head will get you down in most situations. Also, do not overlook bringing your Tenkara rod. These rods are great tools for this creek as you can fish many different techniques and offer a great fight on these fish.
Seasonal: Rainbows are easily caught by small streamers, bright egg patterns and nymphs. Once the fishing pressure picks up or we get a few rain events these fish will spread out and get selective. With these past rains we are seeing fish well distributed. Nymphing is the main tactic for numbers. There are a couple methods that we like to use. Euro nymphing is big talk around the shop and industry. There is a little learning curve, but we can get you into the game with the basics. We have the rods, nymphs, leaders, and lines to get you started. Typically jig style nymphs are the flies of choice, but fall nymphing is not just a bug game though. Nymphing Sculpin colored streamers like the Peacock Bugger, Strawberry Blonde, Autumn Splendor, Trick or Treat, Orange Blossom Special, T.B. Jig Bugger, Teds Swimming Hex, and Conehead Muddlers are great choices. If you prefer to indicator/bobber/float (just calling it what actually is here) fish then you can use the same technique, but just with your usual nymph rig. We like to rig our droppers off our heavy fly (small streamer or big nymph) though. Drop a Soft Hackle, Nitro Caddis, or Swing Nymph off the streamer/nymph and you are set. If you do decide to try a small streamer then you should focus on small white or natural colored flies with a little weight. No need to pack the sink tip and 8wt here. A 4-5wt rod matched with a size 6-12 streamer is all you need for this small creek.
Tom Blackerby on a guide trip with MRO Guide Josh McQueen this past Tuesday
Click Here for information and pricing on booking a guide trip along "Steelhead Alley"
We are seeing a good number of bigger fish starting to push up the tribs with every rain event. Despite the cold air temps and the icy problems that brings this weekend should still be good. The lake effect snow has been an issue as usual for this time of the year so keep an eye on the radar when fishing.
There are plenty of fish distributed in the eastern systems, but fishing closer to the lake (lower) in the rivers are your best bet. Swung flies, nymphs and eggs are producing fish. As the water temps continue to drop the need to keep flies tight to the bottom is the biggest concern.
Those that know how to produce long dead drift presentations consistently bring fish to the net. Glo Bugs, Sucker Spawn, Cyclops Eggs, Steelhead Candy, Chicken Littles, and Wiggle Stones are must haves for bobber/Indi/float fishing. Swinging flies that have been producing are Sili Leg Intruders, Low Water Sculpin, Stray Dog, Jerry French Intruder and Mini Intruders. With the dirty water Red/Orange and Black/Blue have been the most productive.
Forecast:
This weekend will be tough with the low air temps. There are fish to be caught if you are willing to put in some time and make sure your flies stay deep. You will want to have Ice off Paste and a line that roll casts very nicely. Using Spey casts will limit the amount of line stripped in keeping the ice out of your guides.
Next week will bring some higher air temps. Look great conditions to continue until the next rain event. Cover a lot of water looking for winter holding areas and you will find fish. We do have a few dates open before Christmas so make sure to call in to get on our calendar.
Seasonal:
Cold water has put the fish in winter holding areas a little earlier than usual. Cold water techniques mostly limit the angler to fishing slower water. Active fish can be found in faster water, but usually with decent depth. The key to fishing all of these areas is to make sure your rigs are down for as long as possible. Plenty of split shop, stack mending, and advanced line control is a must. Casting these rigs can be frustrating for beginners.
Guide trips will help you perfect the needed methods with hands on training. Rigs for nymphing consist of 1” floats plenty of BB-3/0 shot and two flies. Flies change per water type, color, temp, and time of the day. A good steelhead nymph box consists of an assortment of different color, size, and designed egg patterns along with nymphs of the same stipulations. This game requires a lot of extra flies especially if you are fishing the right water and depth.
Egg patterns are Glo Bugs, Sucker Spawn, Crystal Meth, Cyclops and Scrambled Eggs. Nymphs that are must haves include Steelhead Stones, Steelhead Candy, Chicken Littles, Flashabou Caddis, Sparkle Magots, Squirminator, Wiggle Stone, and Schmidts Caddis to name a few. Grab a 10’ 6-8wt and aggressive nymphing line like the SA Anadro, and a nymph rig and you are set. Using a Switch rod offers you much more versatility though. Selecting the right setup can be very confusing so make sure you stop in or shoot us a call to simplify this journey. Your basic Indi Switch setup consists of a 5-8wt rod, Rio Switch line to match the rod and the materials to build out your leader. The longer Switch rod offers much better line control and ease of casting these heavy rigs. You can then simply grab another spool for a dedicated swinging setup or grab the right sink tips to add to your indicator line. A dedicated swinging setup would consist of a Skagit head or integrated line from either SA or Rio, a running line if needed, and a variety of density and length sink tips. Shoot us a call and we can help with selecting all of these.
If you need some help with learning the more advanced casts we are here to help. Flies for swinging include Mini Indruders, Sili Leg Intruders, Jerry French Intruder, Dirty HOH, String Leach, Flow Ryder, A.I, Summer Sculpin and Stray Dog to name a few. We have a lot of new flies for swinging so make sure to take a look as they have been treating us very well so far this season. Calendars are filling fast for the remainder of the year so if you are planning on booking make sure you call in very soon. We are here to help you with all your Steelhead needs.
"Steelheading Made Simple" now available on our YouTube Channel:
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