"I first started tying thanks to my good friend, Bob, who comes out to fish with us in Xcalak. He gave me my first fly tying materials, which I didn’t know anything about.
Bob showed my wife, Yazmin, and I how to tie a crab and Yazmin put it into practice. A few days later, we sat down so she could teach me a little about it because I hadn't remembered much.
That’s where I started practicing and ideas started coming to me. I cut out the material and added colors and floating shapes.
One day, a permit ate one of my creations and I was so happy because something I created fooled a permit, who can be very difficult to trick in to eating a fly. That encouraged me to keep making them, I started focusing on making more floating crabs, learning to improve my cutting, tying the legs, arranging the eyes, and shaping the crab.
Later, the addition of colors to the shell began, with a little paint. Permit like the yellow floating crab so much that to this day it’s the most successful fly I've used."
- Signature Tyer Tommy Batun
