Fiddlers have assymetrical chelipeds. That’s a fancy way of saying that one claw is bigger than the other. They get the “fiddler” name from the odd motion they make with their smaller claw in relation to the bigger one while eating. I’ve seen them do it. It’s said to look like they’re playing a fiddle and that pretty much describes it.
What I really like is the way they wave the big claw while they’re posturing at each other on a dry mud flat. That big claw looks threatening to other fiddlers, but when you walk towards them, every last one of them retreats in a wave. Not so threatening now. Of course, if you were only the size of a dime, you’d be scared too. Just about everything likes to eat them. Shorebirds, gulls, raccoons, fish.
There are dozens of different species and subspecies of fiddler crabs and they are distributed worldwide. Four of them are common on the East Coast of the US and five more on the Gulf Coast. They’re almost impossible to distinguish, so they’re all just fiddler crabs. Most people that live or fish, at or near the beach from North Carolina to Texas, know that a fiddler on a hook dangled near a bridge piling is a sure ingredient to catch a big, tasty sheepshead. Sad thing is, almost none of them knows a thing about redfish and grass flats.
Flats are where the fiddlers live, and they usually don’t have water on them. But in order for these tiny guys to be able to live, they must reside in places that get flushed with water on a semi-regular basis (normally around higher tides associated with the new and full moon each month). These tides bring in the mud and detritus the fiddlers feed on.
Let’s get out and take a look. You see that mud flat with millions of tiny holes and even more little balls of what looks like sand (it’s actually crab crap)? You have found a fiddler crab flat. Stand still. Their eyesight is great at picking up movement but they can’t tell if you are just a tree or whatever if you aren’t moving. Here they come. See the ones waving their big claws in the air? Those are the males. The rest are constantly picking up microscopic junk off the mud and bringing it to their mouths. It’s a nonstop feeding frenzy.
As the tide comes in, they move further back up the flat. They know what’s out there. If a bird should fly by they’ll run like crazy for their holes. But they’ll be back out in a second or two. When the water is higher, most of the fiddlers will be safely in their burrows. Still, a few can’t resist taking a peek out once in a while. Others just have to get out and grab something while the water’s up.
And something might grab them. The reds know that the tidal flooding opens a delicious buffet. Fiddlers are the main dish. They must be especially tasty because redfish go to extreme lengths to get them. The reds swim so softly and silently that they may not even push a ripple on the surface. The crabs won’t even know they are threatened. When the fish sees a fiddler on the flat, there’s a snack right there. Even if the crab is close enough to get back into its hole before the red snags it, the fish will stand right on its head and suck the crab out. It creates a vacuum by opening its mouth and flaring its gills. Ssssuuuuck! No more crab.
We can take advantage of the redfish’s affinity for fiddler crabs. Tie small flies on size 2 hooks tied to resemble crabs. Deer hair clipped flat on top and bottom. Some rubber legs. A litte bit of hackle or duck feather to imitate a claw. Weight it with a brass conehead for fishing water over 12 inches deep. Leave unweighted for the really shallow work. Don’t forget the weed guard. Pole a kayak or extreme shallow draft skiff over flooded short grass flats. Concentrate on the highest tides each month from spring to early fall. From April to August on the East Coast the only tides that may be high enough will be in the evening. Look for tails and backs out of the water. It may be as dramatic as a whole tail flying or as subtle as a small hump of a back barely moving in ankle deep water. It ain’t easy, but it sure beats dangling a fiddler next to a bridge piling.