Fed's Begley Crayfish - Hastings Fly Fishers

Fed’s Begley Crayfish is an Australianised re-interpretation of a pattern created by Tim Collins of the Gary Begley Ohio Fly Tying Guild.

Fed laughs that this fly is “pretty ugly … until it gets wet” — but that’s part of the beauty. It’s not about finesse; it’s about underwater motion, interest and profile. When it hits water, every fibre collapses, undulates and suggests a fleeing crayfish.

Here’s how Fed ties his version:

Body & Core Material: Pheasant tail fibres — natural hues that imitate the segmented exoskeleton and give subtle movement in current.
Antennae: Bright orange poly yarn — enough colour contrast to add attraction without spooking fish.
Claws: Kangaroo zonker strip (what makes it Australian!) — wide, supple and buoyant fur that collapses when wet and pulses on the strip, mimicking crayfish pincers realistically.

Ugly Until It Works

On the vise, this fly can look like a jumble of fibres — legs, whiskers, tails all pointing in different directions. But once submerged:

The pheasant fibres feather out, offering a lifelike silhouette.
The poly yarn antennae trail and sway in current, a key movement many fish key off.
The kangaroo zonker claws flop, wave and shimmy, creating the suggestion of defensive pincers or fleeting motion.

This is exactly the kind of pattern that’s suggestive rather than photo-realistic — and that’s often enough to trigger follows and strikes in systems where crayfish are common. Realistic crayfish flies aren’t always about precision; it’s about suggestion, bulk, motion and contrast near the bottom or in structure-laden water.

Materials

Hook:Salmon size 4
Thread:Sheer 14/0
Eyes:Dumbbell eyes
Antennae:Pheasant tail fibres
Antennae Plus:Orange poly yarn
Shell Back:Furry Foam
Legs:Rubber legs
Claws:Kangaroo Zonker strip

Tying Instructions

Preparation:

Cut the kangaroo zonker strips to size.
Wash and allow them to dry completely before tying.

Initial Steps:

Secure the hook in the vice and cover the front third of the hook shank with thread.
Tie in the dumbbell eyes.
Wrap the thread back to the hook barb.
Tie in pheasant tail fibres on each side of the hook, extending approximately half the length of the hook shank.
Tie in the poly yarn antennae, trimmed to about half the final antenna length.

These steps were completed on all hooks before proceeding.

Fly after initial setup: dumbbell eyes secured, pheasant tail fibres tied along each side of the hook, and orange poly yarn antennae extending forward.

Body and Claws

Reattach the thread to the hook.
Invert the hook and tie in the foam strip in front of the hook point.

Fly after foam is tied in and folded up over the hook point, with the hook inverted and thread secured at the rear.

Fold the foam upward and temporarily secure it over the hook point.
At the hook point, tie in two rubber legs on each side of the hook.

Fly after rubber legs are tied in at the hook point on both sides and trimmed to length.

Trim the rubber legs so they end just forward of the hook eye.
Tie in the kangaroo zonker strip at the hook point, with the hair pointing toward the rear.