Crawfish colors and soft plastics

[Mobasser]

Here in Missouri, according to our Conservation Dept, we have 8 species of crawfish. Some are land bound, and never enter the water. They range in color from greenish brown, orange brown, almost black, to blue, purple, and sometimes reddish color.Green pumpkin hasn't been a good plastic craw color for me, so I usually go with more brn/orange shades. Do you try to match this forage as closely as you can? What has been your best color in craw baits? I've caught many bass on blues, dull brown, and blk/chart, craws also. What colors are your favorites for craw baits, either as jig trailersor alone?

[Jig Man]

I recently saw a craw that was taken from a bass's mouth.  It was green with orange splotches on it.  I came up with something similar but could not get a bite on it.  With that said my main colors have been root beer, black and plumb.

 

I don't think match the hatch most of the time.  I think change colors till I get a bite.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I go around at night, looking for craws then use that coloration to match my lures. my craws are black and green

[Dens228]

I use two colors, Watermelon/red fleck, and black/blue fleck.

One of those two work 99% of the time.

[Largies4Life]

Last year I used green pumpkin with gold/purple flake when it was sunny out and then when it was cloudy I switched over to black/blue. I was in the back of the boat and I still out-fished my old man and brother combined! 

[Catt]

Right behind your standard black-n-blue & greens, I throw black neon, Okeechobee Craw, Falcon Lake Craw, & Junebug Blue Claw.

 

[the reel ess]

I use black & blue most of the time. When I need a change of pace, I use blue & black.

 

 

[Scott F]

My belief is that if a bass is going to eat, except in rare circumstance, he isn’t going to pass up a crawfish just because the color isn’t exactly right. 

[scaleface]

Black/chartreuse , black/blue , purples , and browns for me .

[GReb]

If the water is stained I just keep it dark. I do prefer a little red flake though

[Munkin]

Have you tried PB&J color? I remember the crayfish in MO being brown with a purple hue to them. PB&J worked great for me in the Meramec and Big Piney rivers. Back in Merryland I cannot buy a bite on it.

 

Allen 

[Dorado]

I live in the desert, so the crawdads camouflage in lighter browns, sandy tans, and beige colors when they’re young. I’ll use finesse tubes, 3” grubs, and Ned Rig to imitate that profile, mostly in urban highly-pressured ponds. This is mostly my pre thru post-spawn ritual fishing for me. 

 

The mature crawdads turn into darker watermelon with orange/copper to blueish/purple craws (depending on the season). I’ll use hula grubs, larger tubes, and trick worms, powerworms, ultravibe speed worms. Mostly in lakes and in the summer. 

 

 With all of this said, I’ve narrowd down my colors to:

 

-California 420

-Pumpkinseed

-Oxblood with red flakes

-Watermelon candy

-Watermelon with black & gold flk

-Brown Craw with S&P (thank u Gitzit

-GP Orange (most productive Ned Rig color last year)

-Roboworm makes a Desert Craw patten that matches the hatch 

-AZ Custom Baits makes a Patti’s Craw pattern that matches the hatch too

[Mobasser]

45 minutes ago, Scott F said:

My belief is that if a bass is going to eat, except in rare circumstance, he isn’t going to pass up a crawfish just because the color isn’t exactly right. 

I've thought about this also.Ive always read and heard that bass will take a crawfish over all other prey, if available

[Comfortably Numb]

Alabama Craw which is basically Green pumpkin with orange belly. Simulates a craw and a Sunfish/perch.

 

My lake has no, or very few craws but plastic craws and jigs work great. 

[Steveo-1969]

The crayfish I see in my local river in the summer are light greenish-brown with light blue highlights. The color "blue craw" is a pretty close match. And the claws are tipped with orange.

 

So I generally try to match-the-hatch by using a blue craw jig with a blue craw trailer, then color the tips of the claws orange.

[Munkin]

https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/search?f[0]=field_fg_types%3A5583&f[1]=types%3A5674

 

Did you see this?

 

Allen

[WRB]

Soft plastics as jig trailers to replicate crawdads I use black,brown, purple, barn red, cinnamon, blue neon, green pumpkin and in combination of all those colors.

Jig trailers to replicate baitfish pearl white, translucent smoke and green with combinations of purple, silver, gold, copper, red, blue and black flakes.

 

[Columbia Craw]

Cinnamon Black Pepper, Green Pumpkin-Blue Caw Swirl.

[Log Catcher]

I've had my best luck on green pumpkin and watermelon seed. Berkley has a color called Breen in the crazy legs chigger craw that has been very good. Caught LMB and SMB on it.

[Spankey]

Mo great post. I gave everyone a + because I see a little truth in everyone’s post that has worked for me over the years. 

 

What I will never fish are those craws that are so life like in every detail. I can not get them to work. I bought some that were a black and chartreuse laminated and brown and orange laminated. They are basic working colors in my river fishing. But I can throw on a Guido Bug or Zoom or a Berkley that are not as life like and catch them smallies. Does not make sense. But life like is not necessary. 

 

But don’t overlook a nice 3” tube. Basically is a crawdad. The colors are endless. I really don’t think color is everything. But there are so many tube colors that most likely you’ll be able to do the match the hatch. 

 

Out my way if you were looking for crawdads there are a few color stages but light grey/bluish grey with a darker grey/purple grey back is pretty common I was able to match that with a tube. Works pretty good in clearer water conditions. 

 

Dark green black with chartreuse laminated is my favorite. Same with a brown laminate bottom is next. 

 

 

[Log Catcher]

22 hours ago, Munkin said:

Have you tried PB&J color? I remember the crayfish in MO being brown with a purple hue to them. PB&J worked great for me in the Meramec and Big Piney rivers. Back in Merryland I cannot buy a bite on it.

 

Allen 

I have caught fish on Baby Brush Hogs in PB&J. Also had good luck with PB&J football jigs. I just got some Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craws in PB&J to use as trailers on them. I may try them on a Texas rig someday.

[bowhunter63]

Green pumpkin is hard to beat with a little dye on the claws

[RHuff]

I like black or some variation of dark color best. I think bass can see it better..

[roadwarrior]

On 2/7/2019 at 10:10 AM, Catt said:

Right behind your standard black-n-blue & greens, I throw black neon, Okeechobee Craw, Falcon Lake Craw, & Junebug Blue Claw.

 

Yea, I have a lot of colors and they all seem to work...sometimes!

Pick your favorite and it will work just fine.  Here are my specific

suggestions:  Watermelon/Red Flake, Green Pumpkin/Black Flake,

Black/Blue Flake, PB&J, Okeechobee and Alabama Craw.

 

[Sam]

Sean, to be honest, you have to study crawfish, their habits, and their color changes for Missouri waters.

 

I can tell you that I have specific colors for Virginia waters, starting with black/blue/purple, orange/rust, plus other color combinations for different bodies of water. For instance, black and blue for the Potomac River and just about all other lakes and rivers in Virginia. Gold/browns for some specific lakes like Lake Anna.

 

But the question begs:  Will what I throw in Virginia work in Missouri?

 

No idea.

 

You have to note the colors of the crawfish in your neck of the woods and try to mimic them as best you can, with the understanding that the colors actually go darker and may turn to black when they hit bottom. So the colors you see out of the water are not the colors the bass will see in the water. But you have to try to match them just the same.

 

If you want to discuss crawfish I suggest you go to an LSU-Missouri football game and ask the LSU fans about crawfish and how to cook them plus some great desserts and other good food suggestions. Take notes. Sample some of the cuisine (just don't ask what is in it) and "pass a good time."

 

Good luck with your crawfish baits and remember to yell, "Geaux Tigers!" when you set that hook.