Puglisi Crab
The Puglisi Crab, developed by Enrico Puglisi, is a premier saltwater pattern imitating small crabs for bonefish, permit, and redfish. Its EP fiber body becomes translucent when wet, perfectly replicating the appearance of a live crab swimming off the flat.
- Type
- wet fly (Saltwater)
- Hook sizes
- #1–#4 saltwater
- Target species
- saltwater
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Gamakatsu SL12S or equivalent saltwater hook #1–#4
- thread: UTC 140 tan or olive
- eyes: Small bead-chain or mono dumbbell eyes
- body: EP Fibers or craft fur in tan, olive, or mottled brown
- legs: Silicone leg material, 4–6 legs total
- head: UV fly finish to lock in mono eyes
Tying steps
- Mount a size 1–4 saltwater hook in the vise hook-point-up; start tan or olive UTC 140 thread at the bend.
- Tie in two small bead-chain or mono dumbbell eyes at the 1/4 point from the hook eye using firm figure-eight wraps; apply a drop of CA glue to lock them.
- Tie in a small clump of tan or olive EP Fibers or craft fur at the hook bend to form the tail — extend fibers 1 inch beyond the bend.
- Lash a wide flat clump of EP Fibers or craft fur flat over the hook shank, spreading fibers outward on all sides to imitate the crab carapace.
- Tie in silicone or rubber leg material on each side — 2–3 legs per side, angled at 45 degrees to simulate walking legs.
- Build the body by layering a second clump of EP Fibers over the first, securing both layers tightly with cross-wraps at the center.
- Trim the entire body with sharp scissors into a rounded oval shape approximately 0.75 inches in diameter when viewed from above.
- Apply Loon UV Fly Finish to the thread head behind the eyes and cure under UV light for 30 seconds.
- Inspect the fly from above — it should have a symmetrical oval footprint with legs radiating evenly from the body sides.
- Wet the fly briefly to confirm the EP fiber body becomes translucent, confirming the correct crab-like underwater appearance.