How To: Fish A Craw

[matstone7]

Fishing soft plastic craws, however easy they may seem to fish, require a little knowledge to be a productive bait choice.

Like any other soft plastic bait, there are loads of variables like color, size, rigging and most importantly the presentation that each have an effect towards the final outcome and how productive they are/become for an angler. I'll do my best to elaborate the important factors below and hope the other members that have great luck with this type bait will join in to add to a discussion about craws. For anyone having trouble producing with this type bait, this will be a great place to ask questions and get down to the nitty gritty about craws.

Crayfish Color

Crayfish inhabit the rivers, lakes and streams all across the country and will normally be a major food source for Bass anytime they are present, sometimes accounting for up to 80% of a fish's diet. With all these craws comes lots of species of  each having their own characteristics of size and color but each having one thing in common, the ability to adapt their color to their surroundings. Knowing this; when I consider a color craw to fish with, I select a color that closely resembles the surroundings I am fishing. Despite what any says, you are always safe using a natural color or something close to the colors found where you are currently fishing. Example: if I were to fish a craw around rocks, my color choice would be as close to the color of the rocks I was fishing, same goes for green grass and so on.

Craw Size

With the many species of crayfish comes many sizes. Besides species, we need to consider the life cycle and age of the craws found in the area we are fishing. I normally don't factor this very much as the typical 4" craw covers things very well until we decide to change things up a bit for a bigger 6" Lobster or towards a finesse approach with a baby craw. If you start in the middle, you can always fine tune your offering going bigger or smaller to better suit the activity of the fish or the size of fish you are targeting.

Craw Rigging

This portion requires a little work from the angler based upon the structure being fished and/or the presentation we are looking for. Each of the methods below offer anglers a completely different approach to fishing a craw.There is the trusty old T/rig with or without a pegged weight for punching pockets, fishing bluffs, trees and the list goes on. A basic T/rig allows the weight to fall faster than our bait slowing the decent of the craw itself. A T/rig with a pegged weight falls as one and normally just crashes straight to the bottom on a slack line or pendulums towards the angler on a taunt line. Each of these rigs has advantages over the other in certain applications. In recent years, the weighted hook has become more popular because this rig offers anglers a slower/more horizontal fall to their bait. The size of hook and weights position under the bait will ultimately produce a slightly different fall so, a little experimentation is advised to fine-tune your sought after presentation. Keep in mind ,while each of these rigs provide a different fall and may be better in certain applications, each will provide the same across-the-bottom effect, for the most part.

Presentation

The most important part of fishing a craw type bait is your presentation. A crayfish doesn't swim by you, it really doesn't jump around from here to there, it doesn't bounce around, a crayfish just slowly crawls across the bottom, over stones or through the grass. The only time they actually dart around is when being chased or trying to get away from some sort of predator. With this said (VERY IMPORTANT) to fish a soft plastic craw productively, it needs to be on the bottom in a fishes face, not swimming by 3 feet above the structure holding fish.

How do we "crawl a craw" or fish a craw correctly?

Doing so first begins with our cast or pitch to the water. Much like a jig, strip off some extra line so the bait falls freely and doesn't pendulum back towards the boat or shore. From there, it's our rod tip position and amount of movement that controls the rest of our retrieve. (Some of you may not agree with my next statement but, anyone whom fishes a craw and gets the most from them will understand my reasoning.) Now that your craw is finally on the bottom, we need to keep it there. We need to crawl or drag the craw slowly as if it were real along the bottom. To do this, lower your rod tip, keep it close to the water. When moving the bait, we slowly drag the bait with a sideways motion, just a few inches at a time, feeling the bottom, the rocks, the sticks it is climbing over. Remember, crayfish crawl across the bottom. If you can re-train yourself to keep that top down, to feel every bit of the bottom and fish slowly, the craw can soon become one of your most productive baits.

Why keep tip down? An explanation

When your bait is on the bottom on a taunt line ,any motion of your rod tip is followed. Meaning, if you lift your tip, your bait just came off the bottom. If you pop you tip, your bait just popped and so on. Also, if you experiment with a bait where visible, you will notice that often times, that 2" movement in your rod tip moves your bait more than 2 inches, especially when lifting your tip. What I am getting at is, often times you think you are moving that bait just slightly when in reality, you just moved it half way back to the boat or shoreline. If you maintain contact with the bottom, you know just how far your bait moved because you can feel it.

To finish things up and catch that fish. Don't be afraid to let your bait soak a little, don't be afraid to pause it after contacting structure. Most importantly, don't be afraid to set the hook when something feels different, hooksets are free!

Hope this helps some of you having problems fishing craws, jigs or other plastics that are meant to be fished on the bottom. At the very least, I hope this turns into a good discussion. 

[burce]

Awesome post dude very informative, did you write it? Are there any other good how tos like this one regarding other fishing methods for bass?thanks a ton

[roadwarrior]

WOO-HOO!

Great post!

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Great post.  That should be added to the Best of thread.  Adding it to my favorites.

[matstone7]

Awesome post dude very informative, did you write it? Are there any other good how tos like this one regarding other fishing methods for bass?thanks a ton

Yes, spent the last hour writing it. Hope it helps ya. 

[Chaz Hickcox]

What part of hydrilla should I focus my pitches or flips on? I'm used to focusing on wood, but I want to be able to punch mats well too.

Oh, and the water I fish is primarily brackish, I'm not sure crawfish live in that water.  However, the blue crabs are all over the place.

[matstone7]

What part of hydrilla should I focus my pitches or flips on? I'm used to focusing on wood, but I want to be able to punch mats well too.

Oh, and the water I fish is primarily brackish, I'm not sure crawfish live in that water. However, the blue crabs are all over the place.

I don't have the amount of thick hydrilla beds like you have in VA but, I would personally approach them based upon direction of sun/shadow, wind direction (like wind blown bank) and if possible key in on something different in the grass, maybe a second grass type, visible timber, depth change etc. If all else fails, start punching it all, lol.

As for the brackish water crayfish, after further investigation I found that some believe that a crayfish can handle brackish in small doses but, the salt will ultimately kill real craws. 

[Big-O]

What part of hydrilla should I focus my pitches or flips on? I'm used to focusing on wood, but I want to be able to punch mats well too.

Oh, and the water I fish is primarily brackish, I'm not sure crawfish live in that water. However, the blue crabs are all over the place.

Depending on the time of day would help determine where might be the best place to flip thick grass and Hydrilla beds. Early and late, on the outside edges might be more successful whereas in mid day heat, punching in the middle of scattered clumps could be the ticket...Main thing to consider when fishing the grass and mats, is look at them as you would a shoreline and concentrate on the various points of grass beds, wind direction and for sure where deeper water is nearby, like creek channel swings etc.

Back on the original topic, very nice post Matstone7 and the bases are covered with your infomation. Another benefit to keeping your rod tip lower, is substantially reducing any wind effect on your line. Fishing a cross wind is much easier to accomplish with this technique.

The majority of my deep water fishing when throwing soft plastics, football jigs or C rigs are fished in this manner. Now this doesn't mean that I won't lightly twitch the tip now and then or I will lift the tip to bump it over a limb or obstruction, then immediately let it fall back to the bottom.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[flippin and pitchin]

Great information. What are your thoughts on on the use of crawfish colored crankbaits that are moving a quick pace, specifically lipless rattle baits? My best producing lipless baits are actually not shad or baitfish colors, they are dark browns, brown orange or reddish patterns and the retrieve is much faster than a backward swimming crayfish. Any thoughts?

[helms83]

Wow, great post. I'm fairly new to bass fishing. I have been using the Rage Tail Baby Craw, and I now know I have been using my bait totally wrong as I have been popping it, rod tip has been up, even swimming it to fast. I'm about to hit the water and will remember this post while I'm out there. I hope you write more!

[matstone7]

Thanks for adding to this Big O, I didn't even think about those times when a little lift in the tip to get over structure is required. The tips for the weedbeds are a welcome addition to this topic as I certainly have some weak points as well. Thanks.

flippin and pitchin - crankbaits and lipless crankbaits have never been a strong point for me and the truth is, I haven't used any in at least 3 years. Concerning the color though, much of the color when I did use was very weather/water clarity dependent. Much like you, my best luck was with darker colors in dirty water/sunny skies. Clear water dictated natural colors in my area. Remember that fishing most hard baits is going after the reaction strike being you need to keep them moving. The only exception to this imo would be a suspending jerkbait or pausing that crankbait for a few seconds to trigger the strike of a less-than aggressive bass. If I had to choose one application I always selected the same it would be the muddy or stained water with bright sun. Blacks with orange belly, brown or red craw patterns always produced for me. 

helms83- I'm glad you found this topic and feel it may help you. There is nothing worse than trying & trying something new and struggling to produce with it. It's almost as hard to get the specifics that will help you overcome and develop a confidence with that new bait. That baby craw you have been trying is by far, one of my most productive baits. If you fish it right, it will produce when others won't. Good luck out there today. 

[grimlin]

How do you set the hook with a rod tip lowered?

I always find myself missing the fish that way.Also you are more likely to hang up.I'm a bit confused on that part.

[J Francho]

How do you set the hook with a rod tip lowered?

Raise it.  Quickly, and with force.

[NateFollmer]

Another tip I'd like to add (I hope you don't mind) is when I fish an area with fast current and a lot of rocks, I like to use a weighted hook vs. the texas rig or jig. The weighted hook seems to craw across the rocks and get stuck less. It also tilts the craw up a bit, putting it in a 'defense' position. Swimbait hooks with a twist lock or peg work GREAT for this method.

As far as the grass goes, Big-O hit that perfectly. When it's really hot (especially in the mid day) those fish are going 1 of 2 places: deeper water or right in the middle of the grass. You have to get that craw INTO the grass when it's hot. You'll pull out a lot of salad in the process, but trust me, the frustration is worth it. If you're pulling it through slow enough, you shouldn't get too much salad stuck on your lure. If you do, 1 or 2 quick snaps of the rod will get the grass off your lure.

Great write up matstone, spoken like a true Pennsylvanian  8-)

[Catt]

I teach a wide spectrum (age/experience) of anglers and it amazes me that when the subject of craw worms, especially big craw worms comes up no one equates them to the Texas Rig regarding them as jig trailers only.

In my book one of the most deadly yet widely over looked big bass baits is the Texas rigged craw worm and I aint talking just flippn'/pitchin'/punchin' either but ole school bottom bumping Texas rigging.

[J Francho]

I teach a wide spectrum (age/experience) of anglers and it amazes me that when the subject of craw worms, especially big craw worms comes up no one equates them to the Texas Rig regarding them as jig trailers only.

That surprises me, considering how deadly the rig is.

[matstone7]

How do you set the hook with a rod tip lowered?

I always find myself missing the fish that way.Also you are more likely to hang up.I'm a bit confused on that part.

Sweep your rod sideways just like crawling the bait. Fishing this method, you already have a taunt line so the hookset only takes a little sideways jab.

Hangups are inevitable and this dragging of the bottom isn't anymore or less likely to hang up than any other method imo. 

[cwb60]

Thanks matstone7 .  Very well thought out and written.  Thanks to the others who contributed also.

This is one of the most informative threads I have read!

[Nice_Bass]

I teach a wide spectrum (age/experience) of anglers and it amazes me that when the subject of craw worms, especially big craw worms comes up no one equates them to the Texas Rig regarding them as jig trailers only.

In my book one of the most deadly yet widely over looked big bass baits is the Texas rigged craw worm and I aint talking just flippn'/pitchin'/punchin' either but ole school bottom bumping Texas rigging.

I agree.  I dont really fish 10in worms any longer and use a t-rig craw of a larger size.  My only issue with it is line twist, but that only happens if i try and move the bait too much searching for fish, and not targeting them at specific strcuture and dragging it.  Great thread, all this serves as a good reminder.  Thanks.

[river-rat]

Very informative and a great post. I always have a t-rigged Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw or 6" Hawg Craw on the front deck.

And I absolutely agree with Catt about a craw's ability to produce big fish.

[airborne_angler]

Craws live on the bottom,unless they are fleeing from a predator,they are on the bottom.As fishermen /women we all know this

What I dont understand is why do some people insist on using a VERY

Crawlike" bait on a Dropshot 12-24 inches off the bottom?

I just never could understand how this could be effective

[airborne_angler]

Very informative and a great post. I always have a t-rigged Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw or 6" Hawg Craw on the front deck.

And I absolutely agree with Catt about a craw's ability to produce big fish.

So Im wrong in that I have been "shortening" my Larew Craws to use them as a Jig trailer and havent tried them as is on a T-rig?

[Bigbarge50]

great post......

What about scent..... I have used a craw scent spray and the coffee rage tails..... but what about garlic ?  Anyone have  a lot of luck with that? 

[matstone7]

Very informative and a great post. I always have a t-rigged Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw or 6" Hawg Craw on the front deck.

And I absolutely agree with Catt about a craw's ability to produce big fish.

So Im wrong in that I have been "shortening" my Larew Craws to use them as a Jig trailer and havent tried them as is on a T-rig?

Certainly not, craws as a jig trailer are like peanut butter and jelly. I think what catt is implying is that so many anglers overlook the craw as a stand alone rig. 

[Catt]

Very informative and a great post. I always have a t-rigged Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw or 6" Hawg Craw on the front deck.

And I absolutely agree with Catt about a craw's ability to produce big fish.

So Im wrong in that I have been "shortening" my Larew Craws to use them as a Jig trailer and havent tried them as is on a T-rig?

I wouldn't say you're wrong but you are absolutely limiting yourself

Here's something else y'all ought to let soak in!

Picture your craw worm sitting there on the bottom while big ole mama bass is eyeballing it & you give it 3-4 quick short hops like a crawfish escaping...what ya think mama bass is gonna do?