One of the simplest crab patterns to tie, yet one of the deadliest you can put in front of a feeding bonefish or permit, the Turneffe Crab comes from the vice of flats fishing guru Craig Matthews
and was first fished around the flats of Belize, where it proved an instant success.
This little creation is a fair representation of many of the crabs that inhabit the shallow flats of the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the Gulf of Mexico, and should be tied in colours that match that of the local crab population.
TURNEFFE CRAB
Hook: Mustad C70SD, S71 SS, 34007, or Tiemco 811s. Sizes 2 to 6
Thread: 8/0. Colour to match body
Eyes: Lead Dumbells, Lead Substitutes or Real Eyes. Size to suit weight required for the particular fly you are tying.
Carapace: Furry Foam. Colour to suit local crab population
Legs: Raineys Round Legs or Silly Legs. Colours to match body.
Wing: Natural Deer Hair
STEP 1


Make a base for your eyes about 1/3rd of the way back from the hook eye, by laying tying thread, along the shank, creating a little bump
at either end of the base.
STEP 2

Wrap eyes on securely with figure of eight turns, plus a few turns around the underneath of each side of the eyes. You can strengthen
a little with a drop of super glue, however many regular flats fishers swear that the sense of smell of the bonefish/permit is that acute,
that the odour from the super glue puts them off.
STEP 3

Invert the fly in the vice or rotate, as all materials will be tied on the under shank of the hook. Run the tying thread down to a point where
the bend of the hook is just starting to form, and then back up again to the eyes. Now take a small strip of furry foam, and secure with a couple
of loose turns of tying thread immediately behind the eyes. Wrap along the hook shank to where you laid your original base thread, and then
wrap in tight turns back along the shank to the base of the eyes.
STEP 4

Tie in 4 rubber legs directly on to the platform formed by the tying thread over the base of the eyes. This is most important as it will allow you to splay
out the legs along the length of the body,giving the finished fly, a more realistic profile. I like to use Raineys Round Legs as they come in strips, and
it makes it a lot easier to tie one strip in and divide them later, rather than tying in four individual lengths of leg material.
STEP 5

Now fold back the strip of furry foam and secure it immediately in front of the dumbell eyes, firstly with a couple of loose wraps, and then with a number
of tight wraps. This forms the carapace of the crab. Having firmly secured the foam, fold the remaining length in front of the secured point
back over the eyes, and take a few tight wraps of your tying thread around the shank immediately next to the hook eye. Release the furry foam
and bring your thread back to where you originally secured the foam in front of the dumbell eyes.
STEP 6

Take the furry foam back over the end of the hook, then cut off the excess so it slightly overlaps the eye of the hook.
STEP 7

cut off a small clump of natural deer hair, and tie in to form a wing, which also acts as a weed guard. Don't cut the excess hair flush to
the tie in point, rather cut it flush to the foam overlapping the hook eye. Separate the rubber legs with the aid of a bodkin, tie off thread
with a whip finish, give the thread a couple of coats of Loon hard head, and all that remains is to mottle the legs with the aid of marker pen.
(Not of course necessary if initially you used barred Raineys or Silli legs)