Half crab, half Clouser, the Crouser has become a staple for targeting Striped Bass in New England. Especially early and late season, this pattern seems to produce bites that previous Clouser or crab flies will not. This pattern which I consider something of a “creature bait” can mimic a wide array of forage found on the coast of New England. Could be a crab, could be a minnow, could be a shrimp, could be a crab eating a minnow, or a bait fish eating a shrimp. Maybe a lobster or mummichog? This pattern was designed to drag directly on sand or mud bottom using a sink tip fly line, however has proven equally effective on intermediate or floating fly lines.