I clearly remember the first time I saw a Crackleback. I was guiding on Alaska’s Lake Creek in 1993, and my clients were a nice couple from Missouri. I took them to a stretch of river where I knew that there were lots of big grayling and suggested that each of them tie on a Parachute Adams. The woman said, “I’m going to try a Crackleback.” When she showed it to me, I was a bit skeptical that it would work, but she proceeded to slay the grayling for the next few hours. I was sold, and I’ve since used the pattern to catch all manner of salmonids, from Maine to Montana. It’s one of those dry-fly patterns that you can also strip below the surface to great effect.
In this great how-to video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler shows just how easy it is to tie a Crackleback. The key is to ensure that the hackle cants forward, and Tim explains exactly how to make that happen. Twist up a few of these and keep them in your box for those times when nothing else is working.
Crackleback
Hook: Standard dry-fly hook (here, a Dai-Riki #300), sizes 12-16.
Thread: Rusty brown, 8/0 or 70-denier.
Back: Peacock herl.
Hackle: Furnace or brown.
Body: Cream rabbit-fur dubbing.
Head: Tying thread.
Mr. Story created the Crackleback using dubbing, but later switched to turkey rounds when the color dubbing he used was no longer available. The turkey rounds make for a nice even body and still have a fuzzy finish.
The best go-to lly in the Midwest.
Awesome fly, weather fished dry or fished with an intermediate sinking line. Instead of peacock hurl, try holographic tinsel in green or blue, I have added a glass bead on the head to get it down also. I have fished this fly from AR to MT and it always works!
Tarted up woolly worm. 😉 One of my favorites when I was starting out.