If you search for this SBS you’ll quickly discover that the internet sometimes isn’t forever. Dead links, media servers that have vanished or migrated, the Bauer Flats Crab SBS practically disappeared off the internet. Its DNA apparent in other patterns like the Contraband Crab, which has largely replaced the Bauer in younger fly fishermans boxes.
As always, I am the sucker for the nostalgic, and hunted for a recipe to make one myself. Comments that came back weren’t so positive, it seems the pattern has morphed and evolved into something else with very few people still tying it as it was. The following SBS is put together using the Bauerish parts of the flies that evolved from Wills pattern, so I may be wrong or slightly off in parts.
There are three non traditional elements to my SBS;
1) Turneffe style rubber legs instead of elastic band style ones, mainly because they last better for me.
2) Eyes glued in rather than tied in. (The tan pattern at the end has the eyes tied in the traditional way)
3) I use UV resin to attach the legs to hold in place and fabric glue to weld it all together (vs epoxy on the original). I like that the fly is the same colour on both side.
I tie in two lots of mcfly foam, fore and aft of the dumbbells
excess trimmed off
Keep it thicker than you are comfortable with, you can always trim or burn down thinner
Crab patty, singed down
Eyes glued in
“compress” sections where the legs will sit. Makes life a lot easier.
Leg trick. To get round rubber legs to knot in the same final direction, do inverse loops for the knots. (part 1)
(part 2)
UV resin in. Note I “floss” the one set under the dumbbells
Make sure to lift the legs and spread glue under the legs (between leg and body)
Dries clear and flexible. 
Traditional eye method (I think). I dont like this as it makes leg placement clumsy.
Not mentioned above – tease out the foam with bodkin prior to trimming
Singe the foam
The original recipe
