I’ve had this little crab (crayfish, really) bookmarked for months! Any time I get the chance to use a new or unexpected material in a fly I get giddy. When I saw Ruben Martin tie his pancora crab on YouTube, I was fascinated and looked them up. A freshwater crustacean, they’re more closely related to crayfish and the trout in Patagonia love them! My attempt is 100% inspired by Ruben’s with a few differences in construction and uses a Fender guitar pick for the carapace (because, frankly, it’s perfect). If you’re wondering, I shaped it after heating it by pressing it to the back of my ice cream scoop!

Fly: Pancora Crab
Tied by: Erin Hyde
Inspired by: Ruben Martin’s Pancora Crab
Target Species: Trout