SaltwaterEP Turneffe Micro Crab
The EP Turneffe Micro Crab is a highly effective fly designed to mimic a small crab. It's made with EP fibers which give it a lifelike, translucent appearance in the water. It's particularly effective for permit and bonefish in saltwater environments.
Year Round
Intermediate
Permit, Bonefish
Nov 2025
Overview
Designed for spooky bonefish and permit, this small, compact crab pattern is tied with EP Fibers and micro rubber legs. The compact design helps reduce splash on presentation while still maintaining the shape and movement of a real crab.
Materials
Hook: Gamakatsu SL12S, #6
Thread: Tan UTC 140
Body: EP Fibers, tan
Eyes: Small lead dumbbell eyes, black
Legs: Tan rubber legs
Weight: Bead chain eyes
Shell: Solarez Bone Dry UV Resin
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Small crabs scuttle across sandy flats and turtle grass, occasionally exposed during tidal movement. Their defensive posture and sideways movement trigger strikes from hunting fish.
Where Trout Eat It: Permit and bonefish cruise flats, grass edges, and channel edges where crabs hide in cover.
How to Fish It: Short strips with pauses to mimic the crab's scuttling movement. Let it settle to bottom between strips.
Best Water: Target grass edges where crabs hide, flats with sandy bottom, and channel swings near structure.
Strike Type: Feel the line draw tight as fish crush the crab, then strip-set firmly.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a sturdy saltwater leader to withstand the fight of a bonefish or permit.
Seasonal Timing: Effective during peak feeding periods when water temperatures and conditions support active feeding behavior.
Pro Tips: This fly sinks and is intended to be fished on the bottom. The lead eyes help it sink quickly to the bottom, while the EP fibers give it a lifelike appearance.
Entomology
Juvenile crabs inhabit shallow turtle grass and coral rubble, making darting movements across open sand with legs splayed while attempting to reach protective cover. Permit and bonefish specifically hunt these micro-crabs during tidal movements when they're most exposed, as their small size allows fish to consume multiple individuals for concentrated caloric intake during active feeding periods.
- Organism Type
- crustacean
- Life Stage
- general