Creative designer Josh Smitherman went through several rounds of testing and many variations of his Mountain Lobster before settling on the final signature design in today’s tutorial. This fly won’t be commercially available until 2022, so in the meantime, be sure to spin up a few for yourself and a friend,
if you’re feeling generous!
The sizing and jig style make this pattern ideal for our Hill Country creeks, where springtime crayfish run, or rather crawl, in droves across stream beds. In his design process Josh was able to solve a common problem he encountered with other similar patterns – the claws sticking together once they were wet. The tie on this one however, ensures the claws stay split under water. Additionally, the dubbing body props the fly into a fighting position, which draws more attention to it’s profile and better engages stubborn fish. Incredibly versatile, the Mountain Lobster can be scaled up or down to target everything from trout, to bass, to cichlids and sunnies!
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