Rage Craw Problem

[moguy1973]

Yesterday we took our kayaks out to a local stream for some smallmouth fishing.  I've been reading on here about the Rage Rig so I picked up some PB&J and Bama Craw Rage Craws before heading out and some 4/0 weighted swimbait hooks with the spring keepers to try out.  Seemed the smallies really liked them and I did catch quite a few on this rig.  The problem lies with the claws on the baits.  Just about every fish I caught would shake it's head when it got up out of the water and the claws would break off and go flying leaving me with only a craw body which obviously became a useless bait and I'd have to throw it in the back of the kayak in my trash bag.  Out of the 14 Rage Craws I bought, I went through 10 of them where I lost either one or both of the claws on a head shake.

 

Even though these baits worked very well, they are quite expensive and only getting one or two fish per craw isn't real efficient.  Is there any thing I'm doing wrong in rigging them or is this the norm with the soft plastic that baits are composed of?  Are the Rage Lobsters more resilient to losing their claws or do they have the same problem?

[Kevin22]

Going to sound silly, but try them with one claw. I have seen many, many, many crawdads with one claw in the wild. A craw with one claw is nothing new to a smallie. 

[grizzly1654]

I have caught several bass on a rage craw with one claw missing.

[ChrisAW]

Thats why I don't use them as often anymore. I would go through a couple bags a day when I found a good bite, and replenishing was getting expensive.

 

I keep a double stuffed bag of them on hand for special occasions, but I have since went to other craw baits (mainly my own that I pour) and have not seen a difference in bites.

[kickerfish1]

I don't consider rage products to be expensive for a product that comes scented and has the action it does. Sure it may not be as durable but considering prices for other trailers I use like the megabass bat and fly and keitech fat impacts the price is good or at least close to what I would consider to be average for plastics.

As a long as a products works or works better than the less expensive options the cost can be justified in end results. A senko would be another example for me...

A space monkey or smok'n rooster seem to be more durable for rage rigging on the keel weighted hooks!

[MrSwimJig]

If they work and catch fish I just don't worry about going thru them quickly, its part of fishing unfortunately. Especially with smallies.  They are not as expensive as some other plastics on the market either.

[moguy1973]

My only problem is I was losing both claws on most of them.  I think of the 10 baits I had in the back of my kayak only 2 had one claw left.  The streams we fish hold a lot of smallmouth.  If the bite is on, especially on the smaller streams, it's not uncommon to catch 30-40 fish or more in a day.  That means 5-6 bags of craws, and at $5 a bag that's an expensive day of fishing to me when I've caught upwards of 10-12 fish on other kinds of plastics.

[deputybc]

When I go river fishing I use a 4 inch grubs and a #4 bait holder hook and real them on top for some impressive explosions. Or if its deeper I just use a lead head and hop it of bottom. You may even try small tubes. Hope this helps.

[NEjitterbugger]

When I texas rig them without a screw lock hook, most of the time the craw slides up the line and the craw stays in tact for several fish. I haven't had a bass fling the claws off during a head shake or a jump, only time would be one plucking one off... And as kevin22 said, they work fine with one claw...

[flyfisher]

I would treat them like most people do the Yamamotos.....use everything else (aka cheaper) when the bite is good and switch over to the real deal when the bite is tougher.

 

I personally like zoom craws, speed and ultravibe for my smallie fishing.

[CTGalloway21]

I had the same problem with the rage toads.  The claws will break off at the exact same place.  There must be a weak spot in the arms.  My only complaint with Rage products.  I have even broken some off pulling them out of the package.  

[Bluebasser86]

I've caught fish on them with no claws also, not much different than a beaver bait really minus the thin tail. I pretty much reserve them for tournaments since they are kind of fragile but there is no way I'd try to argue against their effectiveness. 

[tomustang]

Perks of the baits action. I use to have bluegill strike hard and hold on when I thought I was setting the hook, ended up ripping many arms off. When I'd have one arm bandits I just flip them on their side an use them like a single tale grub flapping in the retrieve.

[Quillback]

Yeah they are fragile and expensive, but they do work. 

[JigMe]

Yeah they are fragile and expensive, but they do work. 

 

x2

[Catt]

Which do you want?

Lures in your tackle box or fish in your live well!

You can't have both

[moguy1973]

Sure you can. I have had the same chigger craw as a trailer on one of my jigs since at least last fall and it has caught a lot of fish. It slides up the hook some when I get a fish but is just slide it back down to the jig head and it stays there until the next fish.

I would have thought with the high praise that the rage products get that they would hold up to a little more abuse than what I experienced.

[roadwarrior]

I think fish prefer a softer texture which has proven to be pretty effective for GYCB, too!

[Big-O]

As to your question: "Are the Rage Lobsters more resilient to losing their claws?"

Yes they are... because they are bigger and thicker than the smaller profile Rage Craw. The proportionate increase in size makes them a bit more resilient in any situation. But even the Rage Lobster can lose appendages with the aggressive side to side head shake when a fish is thrashing across the waters surface AND/OR a hot bass thrashes excessively while hanging on your line over the boat.

The RAGE Twintail Menace has slightly shorter tails or appendages and with an even faster flapping motion or flicker rate. The shorter appendage actually makes it harder for a fish to tear them apart during aggressive battles but of course they're not indestructible either!

Each of these different baits are similar yet different profiles for obvious reasons. For a fact... The priority in the design of each one is specifically for maximum action with minimum movement of the rod tip, fall rate or retrieve speed.

I can't speak for other brands because I don't use them...

Hope this helps and I'm glad you like them!

[moguy1973]

Big-O, they definitely put fish on the end of the line, and they are probably one of the most realistic looking craw baits I've ever used, especially on the Rage Rig.  They really seemed to like the PB&J on this particular river.  Just wish they kept the claws a little better.

[Fishing Rhino]

I suggest trying the Rage Tail Menace. I've been fishing it the past two years, and they do hold up better than the craw, primarily because the appendages are shorter and wider. I've caught plenty of smallmouth that have jumped, and have yet to see them tear off a flipper/appendage. You can also try the Rage Tail grub. Here's how I rig it, and the Menace. A drop of super glue to attach the head to the weight, and it works every bit as well as the twistlocks.

I'm using the Jackall Wacky Jig Head because we cannot use lead in Mass. Where I can use lead, I prefer the Gamaktsu Wacky Jig Head. It is much better for going through vegetation, and the wire weed guards last much longer than those on the Jackall.

 

 

The Menace body is rigged the same way, but I have the flippers horizontal instead of vertical as shown in the image above. 

 

 

[.ghoti.]

I find that both the craws and lobsters last for a lot more fish when t-rigged. The keel-weighted hook makes a nice presentation, but the baits do not last long when rigged in that fashion.