Smitherman's Etoucray

"Just like the Cajun etouffee dish, this is a big, tasty meal.

This is a pattern where I’ve really tried to blur the line between realism and fishability.

The front of the fly is articulated with rabbit strip claws and rubber leg antennae. The perfect rubber actually floats, so it slightly lifts the front up into a fighting position without having to use foam. Always important when crawling on the bottom.

The claws are actually attached to the hook with another shank that is wrapped with dubbing. This makes it impossible for it to foul around the hook, but still fills the gap between the hook and the next section.

The most interesting part of this fly is the shell, which is made of three different pieces of furry foam that have a thin layer of UV Flex brushed on the top so that it remains durable.

The legs are cut to help the fly stand up more, as well as the positioning of the lead eyes. 

I fish a lot of craw patterns. This has been incredibly effective for bigger fish when they want to eat off the bottom."

- Josh Smitherman, Designer