Flip/punch: Zoom Speed Craws

[War Eagle 44]

I've enjoyed tremendous success on these little baits with a variety of techniques, C-rig, light weight T-rig, jig trailer, etc but I'd never had any luck flipping/punching these plastics until this past week. I got 4 or 5 bites in 2 hours flipping whats left of the grass in my local lake. Now I know that really isn't a ton of bites but taking in to consideration that 1 I'd never had any luck on one with this technique and 2 my fishing partner was flipping a Berkley Pit Boss and got exactly zero bites I was pretty happy about it. Both baits were green pumpkin and both had been dyed in JJ's.

 

We were fishing the thickest grass we could find so I had it rigged on my Powell 7105 using 65# PP S8S, a 3/4 tungsten, and 4/0 Owner Zo Wire twistlock flipping hook. I was able to get this compact craw through the grass with the 3/4 but my friend had to have a 1 oz to get the Pit Boss through. I have no idea if that small weight difference had anything to do with me getting bites or if it was just that the fish wanted a smaller bait that day. Either way I'm very happy to get a few bites flipping this bait because I've enjoyed fishing it so many other ways and it's a fairly cheap and easy bait to find so it doesn't hurt to go through a pack a day.

 

Surely some of you guys flip/punch this bait so I'd just like to hear your experiences and ideas for rigging or "how to" pointers if you have any. Thanks fellas!          

[Bluebasser86]

Don't usually flip them but they do make a great jig trailer.

[War Eagle 44]

Wow I'm really surprised at the lack of responses to this. I guess this bait isn't nearly as popular as I thought.

[Teal]

It is a very popular bait. I have 4 or 5 bags of them. I have used them on jigs, swimin jigs, and pitchin them t rigged and c rigged. I have not punched with them, simply becuase there are a few other lures id rather punch with. I dont use them as often as i use to simply because i found some other compact plastics with good action that i really like.

Overall good lure. I like the bigger speed craw, its good bigger claws.

[War Eagle 44]

Teal, I just thought with it being such a compact bait with great claw action that it would be more popular than it's porven to be in this thread. I don't recall very much talk or reading about guys using this bait for this technique but I just don't understand why because it's very similar to the BB Cricket but with flapping claws. You hear about guys flip/punching the BB Cricket all the time so I just though maybe people were using these and just not talking about them much.

 

I like to flip/punch other baits as well such as beaver style baits (the D-Bomb is growing on me FAST), baby brush hogs, lizards, jigs, etc but I'm certainly not going to forget about this little bait anytime soon. I was just so pleased with how easy it was getting down through the thick stuff and then geting bites once it was there that I'm fired up to try it again soon. I'm planning to go again Thrusday if I can and I'll be trying it again then, though it's effectiveness might be lessened a good bit due to all the rain we've gotten the last 3 days. The water is really muddy now so it may not move enough water or be big enough for them to find in such conditions. Still going to give it a try though, just to see, it can't hurt to try. I'll of course have another flip rod rigged with a much bigger bait just in case, I'm thinking this 1/2 Dirty Jigs no jack with the D-Bomb trailer.  

 

I've tried the one's with the bigger claws but I much preferred the smaller claw version. If I were going to move up to a bait with claws that big I'd go with the baby paca craw every time, I love those baits. Anyway thanks for responding to a slow thread.

   

[Jay Ell Gee]

I particularly like the UV speed craw on the back if finesse jigs. However, I absolutely love using them in my local clear water streams and creeks around here on a jika rig for spotted bass!

[kickerfish1]

WarEagle... I too am starting to find the D-Bombs to be a great bait. I haven't tried them as a jig trailer but I like the looks of that rig. The color selection is great and the action and durability is great.

[War Eagle 44]

I particularly like the UV speed craw on the back if finesse jigs. However, I absolutely love using them in my local clear water streams and creeks around here on a jika rig for spotted bass!

Yes they are pretty effective on the spots here as well. 90% of the time I just t-rig them with a light weight and go to work, the spots just love these little things when fished around rock. I always use Green Pumpkin with the claws dyed in chartreuse JJ's, of course.

 

 

 

WarEagle... I too am starting to find the D-Bombs to be a great bait. I haven't tried them as a jig trailer but I like the looks of that rig. The color selection is great and the action and durability is great.

I've not wet this jig combo yet but I like the way they look together as well. I also agree that the color, action, and durability of the D-Bomb is very good but I'd like to also add I'm very fond of the scent of these baits. I'm a firm believer that scent adds to a plastics effectiveness. 

[Bankbeater]

I have never punched with them either, but they are good on split shot rigs.

[aharris]

you can take a watermelon speed craw and put some "spike it" or something on the claws and catch every bass in the water. Those little things are awesome.

[War Eagle 44]

you can take a watermelon speed craw and put some "spike it" or something on the claws and catch every bass in the water. Those little things are awesome.

Well I use greenpumpkin but yeah I dye the claws in chartreuse JJ's every time I use them. They are awesome little baits!  

 

 

I did get out today for a little fishing but I didn't do much grass flipping. They seemed to be more so in the brush today so I yanked a few out with a 3/8 Dirty Jigs no jack in Alabama Craw color with a greenpumpkin Rage Craw trailer. Picked up one more on a KVD 1.5 right before dark.