Crab
Also called crab fly, crab pattern
A crab is a hard-shelled crustacean that lives on flats, beaches, and mangrove edges. Many saltwater gamefish key on crabs, so crab patterns are a standard part of flats fishing.
- Group
- Crustaceans & worms
- Category
- Entomology & forage
- Level
- Beginner
- Water
- Saltwater
Last updated
What Crab means
Crabs are bottom-oriented crustaceans that move by scuttling sideways, then freezing. On shallow flats they live in sand, turtle grass, and around rocks, coral, and mangrove roots.
For fly fishing, “crab” usually means a fly pattern meant to look and act like a small crab. Most are tied to ride hook point up, land with a soft plop, and sink quickly so they stay in the strike zone near the bottom.
Crab patterns show up most often in permit fishing, and they also get eaten by bonefish and redfish in many places. The retrieve is usually short strips with long pauses, or just a slow crawl, so the fly looks like a crab trying to hide rather than flee.
Why it matters on the water
Crabs reward accuracy and restraint. A good crab presentation is close to the fish, then quiet, then still. Over-stripping is a common mistake because it makes the fly look like it is fleeing like a shrimp or baitfish.
A strip set keeps the hook driving forward and helps avoid pulling the fly away from a fish that eats and turns down.
Read next
- BonefishA bonefish is a fast, silvery flats fish that feeds by tailing and rooting for shrimp, crabs, and small baitfish in shallow saltwater.
- PermitPermit are powerful flats fish in the jack family that feed heavily on crabs and shrimp. They are known for being selective and for demanding accurate presentations in shallow water.
- ShrimpShrimp are small crustaceans that many flats and inshore fish eat. “Shrimp” also refers to fly patterns tied to imitate their shape, color, and quick darting movement.
- Strip setA strip set is a hook set made by pulling the fly line hard with the line hand while keeping the rod low, instead of lifting the rod tip.
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