I read about this technique from a Wyoming fly-fishing guide years ago. The more I learned, the more I realized this approach can be duplicated in a variety of water — from our cold-water trout ...

I’ve also found some of my biggest fish come off crayfish patterns. Q: Favorite fly pattern? A: If there’s no hatch, a purple prince charming. You won’t see that in a pattern book.

But full-time crawfish imitations tend to be under-represented in the average fly fishers tally.The crawdad calling is catching on, however, which has brought more options for fly fishers.

But on Tuesday, he cast his hand-tied crawdad fly into a stretch of the James River a mile below the Delaware access, and all heck broke loose. It wasn't a smallmouth bass that bent his fly rod.