Plastic Crawfish Retrieves

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   When I used craws (always purple) I had two brass or one brass and one glass bead(s) on the line. I snapped the craw up and let it sink. I was told the beads made a clicking sound like the real crawfish did. I don't know whether that was true or not. Maybe I was just gullible. I learned not to use that rig in the river (snag-up) but it seemed to do OK in lakes.

   Slow, steady retrieve with that rig never got me a thing.          jj

The glass bead is a killer trick. When I use a craw or even a worm on a T rig I like to use a bobber stop for the weight and put a bead between the weight and hook, leaving enough play to make them click.

[jimmyjoe]

9 hours ago, the reel ess said:

The glass bead is a killer trick. When I use a craw or even a worm on a T rig I like to use a bobber stop for the weight and put a bead between the weight and hook, leaving enough play to make them click.

 

  Bobber stops are good for a lot of different things. If you're tying direct to a closed-eye spinnerbait (not using a steel leader) two of them snugged down can help the line stay straight and not wrap back on the eye. They can help you keep a donkey rig straight, too, although it's not a 100% solution.  ?        jj

[scaleface]

I caught  two on a texas rigged craw a couple days back . The bass I caught , didnt feel a hit but they were running with it . Just lifting and dropping .

[NYWayfarer]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 12:27 PM, Catt said:

Since a bass is a predator its instincts tells it to strike the crawfish on the fall or to strike while the crawfish is on the bottom before it can make its next jump/hop.

 

That is why you should pay close attention to your jig/craw worms initial fall, the bass believes it has caught the crawfish off guard

So true. 90% of my craw bites occur on the intial fall. The other 10% is a mix of letting it sit on the bottom or slowly drag a foot or two at a time and pause.

[the reel ess]

9 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

So true. 90% of my craw bites occur on the intial fall. The other 10% is a mix of letting it sit on the bottom or slowly drag a foot or two at a time and pause.

I feel like, for me, 90% of the time the fish bit it on the drop. A large portion of the other 10% they also bit it on the drop, but I didn't feel anything. I started the retrieve and noticed the jig moving by itself. ? Tighten up and BAM! Game on!

[Mobasser]

I've never used any bobber stops, but have used a brass and glass rig. 8mm glass bead and painted brass sinker. I've used this rig mostly in off colored water, to add a click sound, with craw and plastic worms. Right now, my lake is pretty clear, so I havnt used it for a while.

[Mobasser]

6 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I feel like, for me, 90% of the time the fish bit it on the drop. A large portion of the other 10% they also bit it on the drop, but I didn't feel anything. I started the retrieve and noticed the jig moving by itself. ? Tighten up the slack and BAM! Game on!

Agree. It seems like the slow" drop" on the initial cast or pitch with craw baits is when the bite will come. These also seem to be the lightest strikes. Sometimes you don't feel anything, and don't know you got bit untill you lift the rod slightly. So many guys probably miss a lot of these strikes over the course of a trip. By the time they realize they got bit, the bass has blown out the bait, gone.You really need to be on your toes. I'm sure I've missed many over the years myself.

That one factor of strike detection, to me, is what separates the good jig fisherman from the rest. It's tough, and takes some time and practice to learn.

That one factor of strike detection, to me, is what separates the good jig fisherman from the rest. It's tough, and takes some time and practice to learn.

[Catt]

Flipping-n-Pitching I'll let it soak for 10-15 seconds, then shake it like it's trying to backup, & then reel it in.

 

Casting, on the fall it requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line.

 

Again letting it soak, then short stroke it 3 times in rapid succession. Repeat all the way back to the boat.

 

And of course a Wobble Head, slow drag.

 

[Todd2]

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Agree. It seems like the slow" drop" on the initial cast or pitch with craw baits is when the bite will come. These also seem to be the lightest strikes. Sometimes you don't feel anything, and don't know you got bit untill you lift the rod

Exactly, this is why I don't wait long between moving and "weighing" the lure.

 

The simple way I see it is a Bass has three options when striking a lure.

 

1. Take it and not move

2. Take it and come toward the angler

3. Take it and move away from the angler

 

#3 is the only one you can feel all of the time.  1 and 2 require focus

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, Todd2 said:

Exactly, this is why I don't wait long between moving and "weighing" the lure.

 

The simple way I see it is a Bass has three options when striking a lure.

 

1. Take it and not move

2. Take it and come toward the angler

3. Take it and move away from the angler

 

#3 is the only one you can feel all of the time.  1 and 2 require focus

True. We've all had a fish pick up a plastic bait, then just sit there. You don't feelanything, or see any line movement. It the fish starts to swim away, a strike becomes obvious. The tricky thing is, we never know how they'll react on any given day

This is why I think fishing a plastic craw or jig/craw style bait is more tiring than say, casting a spinnerbait or trap. It becomes tiring with all the focus you need to be good at it. Staring at your line where it enters the water, and trying to feel the really light hits can ware you out after a few hours.

This is why I think fishing a plastic craw or jig/craw style bait is more tiring than say, casting a spinnerbait or trap. It becomes tiring with all the focus you need to be good at it. Staring at your line where it enters the water, and trying to feel the really light hits can ware you out after a few hours.

[lo n slo]

y’all got me all jacked up now

[N Florida Mike]

I use the zoom speed craw in watermelon red or a big bite craw in pumpkin. I catch more on the fall or reeling across cover , also sometimes just reeling in toward the top of the water column. I try hopping it or a very slow stop and go retrieve but rarely catch any like that. They often have it by the claw and when I set the hook it breaks off.

I texas rig mine with a bb split shot . Do well that way usually, esp. with the big bite one.

 

31 minutes ago, lo n slo said:

y’all got me all jacked up now

me too.