A more durable critter?

[Mbirdsley]

So tonight I finally got around to using the Christie critters kit that I bought back in March.  Both the huge sheepshead aka freshwater drum ( I though I had my new PB small mouth) and the small mouth that I caught tore two separate ones up.  The small mouth only tore the one up a little less so I could atleast keep fishing it.  Is there a more durable critter out there? Atleast get two or three fish out of?  

[NorthernBasser]

Nothing is more durable than Z-Man plastics. The stuff is elastic. You can catch a dozen or more bass on 1 bait.

 

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Turbo_Crawz_6pk/descpage-ZMANTRB.html

 

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Boar_Hogz_5pk/descpage-ZBHZ.html

 

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Palmetto_BugZ_5pk/descpage-ZMANPAL.html

[Bluebasser86]

Zman are more durable for sure, but the Christie Critter is 2.99 for an 8 pack, tough to find a better bait for that price. You can always get some Mend-it and fix those tears, but I don't even bother with it, just get a new bait out of the pack. The Zman Boar Hogz are a much smaller bait if you're using a standard sized Christie Critter too. It's closer to the size of the Jr. 

[Mbirdsley]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Zman are more durable for sure, but the Christie Critter is 2.99 for an 8 pack, tough to find a better bait for that price. You can always get some Mend-it and fix those tears, but I don't even bother with it, just get a new bait out of the pack. The Zman Boar Hogz are a much smaller bait if you're using a standard sized Christie Critter too. It's closer to the size of the Jr. 

I guess I did t realize how cheap they were.  I think Walmart carries them. That is where a I bought the kit at.  

[thinkingredneck]

Havoc baits seem tougher to me.  

[Mbirdsley]

The cristie critter I was using is called a brush hog.  

[Bluebasser86]

8 minutes ago, Mbirdsley said:

The cristie critter I was using is called a brush hog.  

Different bait, made by Zoom, little more expensive for around $4.50 for 8 pack. 

[Mbirdsley]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Different bait, made by Zoom, little more expensive for around $4.50 for 8 pack. 

Oh I thought brush hog was just the generic term for that style of soft plastic. 

[Russ E]

this is a brush hog. weird looking critter. but it catches fish. also fairly durable.

.

[Mbirdsley]

7 minutes ago, Weedwhacker said:

this is a brush hog. weird looking critter. but it catches fish. also fairly durable.

.

That’s what I was using but blue, black with silver flake.  It came in a kit.  They called it a Christie kit.  Made by yum.  Actually after looking at the pictures I took of the fish with the plastic box in the frame it says nothing about critters. Both the sheap head and bass tore it in half. You can kind of see it in the sheap heads mouth 

[Bluebasser86]

1 minute ago, Mbirdsley said:

That’s what I was using but blue, black with silver flake.  It came in a kit.  They called it a Christie kit.  Made by yum.  Actually after looking at the pictures I took of the fish it says nothing about critters. 

If it was by YUM then it wasn't a brush hog, Zoom makes them. Sounds like you were using a Christie Critter in black blue shadow color.

[Mbirdsley]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

If it was by YUM then it wasn't a brush hog, Zoom makes them. Sounds like you were using a Christie Critter in black blue shadow color.

That’s the one.  Oh I thought it was just called a Christie kit because, they paid him to be on the box. 

[Mbirdsley]

So all the reviews I’ve read is that they are durable plastic lure.  What am I doing wrong.  I nose rig it with a 4/0 ewg hook.  I Push it up through the body to the other side Leaving the hook exposed while being flush and parallel to the body. 

[timsford]

My first thought is why would you nose hook a creature bait? Sorry to say it like that but I see no reason I'd personally nose hook a creature bait. I do it with drop shot baits and with soft jerkbaits in open water only. Personally the only way I rig these types of baits is Texas rigged with a bullet weight and fish around wood grass or rocks. Or a combination of those types of cover. I also usually peg my weight to keep from hanging all the time. Try Texas rigging with a light weight like a 3/16 or 1/4 bullet weight and pegging the weight with a bobber stop or toothpick. I usually bring the hook point out and then texpose it ( barely skin hook) in the plastic. Then it will come through anything. I use the regular wire gammy or owner ewg hooks unless I'm using braid in very heavy cover, then I step up to the super line ewg. I prefer the yum wooly hawgtail to the brush hog, but with either bait I always catch several fish before I need a new bait. Good luck and look at it like this.... As long as you are catching fish and having fun, what's 50-60 cents a bait lol

[Mbirdsley]

4 hours ago, timsford said:

4 hours ago, timsford said:

My first thought is why would you nose hook a creature bait? Sorry to say it like that but I see no reason I'd personally nose hook a creature bait. I do it with drop shot baits and with soft jerkbaits in open water only. Personally the only way I rig these types of baits is Texas rigged with a bullet weight and fish around wood grass or rocks. Or a combination of those types of cover. I also usually peg my weight to keep from hanging all the time. Try Texas rigging with a light weight like a 3/16 or 1/4 bullet weight and pegging the weight with a bobber stop or toothpick. I usually bring the hook point out and then texpose it ( barely skin hook) in the plastic. Then it will come through anything. I use the regular wire gammy or owner ewg hooks unless I'm using braid in very heavy cover, then I step up to the super line ewg. I prefer the yum wooly hawgtail to the brush hog, but with either bait I always catch several fish before I need a new bait. Good luck and look at it like this.... As long as you are catching fish and having fun, what's 50-60 cents a bait lol

My first thought is why would you nose hook a creature bait? Sorry to say it like that but I see no reason I'd personally nose hook a creature bait. I do it with drop shot baits and with soft jerkbaits in open water only. Personally the only way I rig these types of baits is Texas rigged with a bullet weight and fish around wood grass or rocks. Or a combination of those types of cover. I also usually peg my weight to keep from hanging all the time. Try Texas rigging with a light weight like a 3/16 or 1/4 bullet weight and pegging the weight with a bobber stop or toothpick. I usually bring the hook point out and then texpose it ( barely skin hook) in the plastic. Then it will come through anything. I use the regular wire gammy or owner ewg hooks unless I'm using braid in very heavy cover, then I step up to the super line ewg. I prefer the yum wooly hawgtail to the brush hog, but with either bait I always catch several fish before I need a new bait. Good luck and look at it like this.... As long as you are catching fish and having fun, what's 50-60 cents a bait lol

  I ment t-rigged I don't know why I was thinking nosed rigged.  I had nose rigging on my mind when I was typing this for some reason.  The big issue with durability I have is the stores do not sell a lot of specialty bass fishing lures like this critter.  Everything is orientated towards salmon, steelhead, and walleye.  There are three places off the top of my head that might sells this type of stuff; Bass Pro shop Auburn hills, Jays in clare,  Cabelas in Dundee and a big maybe Walmart ( they might have them actually).  I Work a crap ton of hours and 9 mo daughter.  I just don't want to buy a bunch of them online and just have them collecting dust. this kit I bought only came with 4-5 of each color.  I only have 2-3 left of this blue/black/silver flake after yesterday.

 

 I have already spent the fishing allowance this week on ordering some custom unpainted jigs. Which, to pay retail cost on good jigs makes them expensive if you lose a couple. The only place that sells decent jigs is 45 mins away ( same problem as above).  Next week I need to buy the skirt kit. So these have to last a little bit yet unless wally world has them.

 

Honeslty, I have been using heavier weights like 1/2 and 5/8.  Due to the fact I am new to this kind of fishing, fishing deeper water ( it goes from 1 to 3 feet on the bank to 6-20ft in about three yards) and I can feel the bottom better as I am dragging it.  Ill pitch/throw to structure on the river bank.  Let it sit for a minute, shake it a couple of times, and then drag it down the bank.