Louisiana Smallmouth Slayer by Philip D'Arcangelis

The Story:  

So basically I came up with this idea after reading the Spring 2004 issue of Fly Tyer last year where some guy made 

incredibly realistic flies taking over 180 hours to construct and also because my normal crayfish flies are not as effective as I 

would like them to be.  It's really an adaptation of the normal chenille/squirrel tail crayfish. I  have only used it for one 

season, but it has caught numerous smallmouth, one being trophy size and many others in the 16-19" range.  It takes a little 

longer to tie than most flies, but is artistic as it is effective.  Keep in mind that the fly in the picture has been used, and your 

finished new fly will look much better.

Instructions to Tie:

Setup)  It might be of interest to tie this fly with the hook upside-down to keep it from getting snagged on rocks.  Set aside about a dime-sized amount of fly head cement before tying and let it congeal a little, so that it is thick and not runny--like a gel (I suppose super glue gel would work too, but I've never tried it). 
1)  Wrap the lead wire.
2) Clip a bunch of squirrel tail hairs and tie them in as the tail towards the eye of the hook, letting them fan out to imitate the real crayfish's tail.
3)  Tie in the moose mane for the antennae.  *Optional: Tie in, but don't wrap the hackle.
4)  LOOSELY tie in the claws so that the thread doesn't cut through the soft plastic, then use the toothpicks to apply the fly head cement to hold them in place, then let it dry once they are in place (the more solid your cement, the easier this step will be).
5)  Tie and wrap the chenille to make a somewhat double-tapered body--tapering down gradually towards the tail.  *Optional: wrap the hackle.
6)  Tie off your thread and finish with fresh cement.
7)  Using the remainder of the gelled cement, attach the legs and let them dry. If you chose to use the hackle instead of the legs, clip the top and sides and brush the lower fibers with head cement to stiffen them.

Notes:  The legs are the most difficult to attach, and really could be considered optional since the hackle could be used and then clipped to resemble legs.  Sometimes, it is best to let it dry totally for a while and then come back and re-cement it again for added support.