To those who fish a plastic craw weightless

[the reel ess]

What is your hook of choice? Straight or EWG? And size?

[bigturtle]

I use owner twistlock EWG hooks. size depends on the size of craw

[Dogmatic]

Depends on the craw, mostly ewg(weighted and unweighted), sometimes a weedless wide gap finesse hook.

[Frenchman83]

3.5" craw on a 1/0 round bend. 

[deaknh03]

Rage craw or lobster on an ewg twistlock. Owner or moaner.

[long island basser]

I use the Owner Rig-N-Hook, most times a 4/0

[crypt]

26 minutes ago, long island basser said:

I use the Owner Rig-N-Hook, most times a 4/0

gene larew salt craw with said above hook.

[RoLo]

Straight-Shank Hook

Go with a Mustad grip-pin flipping hook and the head of your craw will become a permanent fixture.

Without knowing the craw you're throwing, I really can't recommend a hook size.

 

Roger

[wdp]

I like owner 5/0 twist lock on a big Zoom super speed craw. Works well as a topwater too. 

[junyer357]

I normally use an ewg on most craws due to their diameter.  4/0 usually but will go up or down in size depending on length of lure. 

I prefer to throw them on a weighted hook though. Either a light shakeyhead for a slower bite or a weighted hook for swimming them. 

[Catt]

[ClackerBuzz]

You're from SC so I'd error on larger hook sizes b/c you have bigger fish-3/0 or 4/0 should be fine. 

 

If you like cross their eyes hook sets I'd go with Catts hooks.  

If you like softer hook sweeps EWG work great.  Bend the hook tip 2-3 degrees sideways, not upward, and you'll increase ur hook ups.  

 

Just don't use EWG hooks with pure muscle hook sets or you'll pull the lure right out of their mouth.

[Bankbeater]

Either a 2/0 or a 3/0 EWG depending on the conditions.

[Mike L]

Mmmm, I've never thrown a weightless craw. 

Never even thought about it as a craw wouldn't be falling through the water column. 

 

What am I missing?

 

 

Mike

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, Mike L said:

Mmmm, I've never thrown a weightless craw. 

Never even thought about it as a craw wouldn't be falling through the water column. 

 

What am I missing?

 

 

Mike

You let it sink and drag it. I do this with trick and Finesse Worms. It forces you to slow way down when they aren't biting reaction baits.

[Mike L]

Worms and other plastics I understand and use them all the time, but craws to me are meant to be dragged so I always use a weight, that's why I asked..

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Mike 

8 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

You let it sink and drag it. I do this with trick and Finesse Worms. It forces you to slow way down when they aren't biting reaction baits.

 

[Catt]

8 hours ago, Mike L said:

Worms and other plastics I understand and use them all the time, but craws to me are meant to be dragged so I always use a weight, that's why I asked..

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Mike 

 

 

Ever watch a crawfish fall through the water?

 

With their tail fanned out flat, claws spread wide, they fall through the water horizontal (flat) not nose down (vertical) like with a weight.

 

Texas rigged craw worms both weightless or weighted are highly ignored for some reason.

[Mike L]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Ever watch a crawfish fall through the water?

 

With their tail fanned out flat, claws spread wide, they fall through the water horizontal (flat) not nose down (vertical) like with a weight.

 

Texas rigged craw worms both weightless or weighted are highly ignored for some reason.

 

Honestly I never have!  

I've seen them only on the bottom running and hopping a few inches. Never occurred to me that a craw would jump to the surface making the fall back down a viable weightless option. 

 

I know now

 

Thanks

 

 

Mike

[scaleface]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

 

Texas rigged craw worms both weightless or weighted are highly ignored for some reason.

I have caught a lot of bass on the 4 inch Larew Salt Craw in the past   but I dont have time to fish everything . A lot of productive lures end up not getting the playing time they deserve . Plus all my tackle fits in one gear bag , so lots of stuff gets left behind . I'll have to squeeze some Salt Craws in there for  next season .

[burrows]

Mainly 4/0 or 3/0 EWG for a weightless creature baits. I don't believe a weightless craw is highly ignored I've thrown countless rage craws weightless and have had plenty success.

[TxHawgs]

Never fished one weightless either, will have to give it a go. But either way it depends on the craw itself length/thickness and if I'm pitchin it or casting it.

[wdp]

Throw a weightless t rigged craw in the gaps of lily pads & in sparse grass. Or the edges of thick grass. It'll make a believer outta ya. ?

[Catt]

10 hours ago, Mike L said:

Never occurred to me that a craw would jump to the surface making the fall back down a viable weightless option. 

 

I know now

 

Thanks

 

 

Mike

 

Depending on water depth a scared crawfish can come close to the surface.

 

Now obviously we are talking 5' or less!

 

They will also takeoff from the bank skimming along the surface before diving.

[S. Sass]

First fish I caught was with a weightless craw last weekend. I actually went with a double weightless setup. Using the swivel free sliding on my main line and dropping another hook down about 16 inches down from a swivel tied to the end of the main line.  Was testing to see what they wanted had a 7.5" worm on the second hook. We landed about 75 fish that day in the light rain and solid clouds. 

 

As for the hook i've used grip-pin flipping hook, and a few other lighter wire strait shank hooks with the pin like the one Catt posted. I wouldn't want to say a specific size either without knowing the bait. But generally I throw a 4" bait and a 4/0 hook generally works. Obviously its not set in stone.