Craws

[Jonas Staggs]

So there's a variety of different craws on the market. One thing I notice is there seems to be 2 designs of craws. One that is shorter vs one that is much longer and has a thinner profile. 

 

Can someone break down the difference of the 2?

 

I recall someone on here saying they liked the long thin profile craws. This confuses me cause the hook and jigs won't fit properly unless you remove a big portion of the thin craws body otherwise it's going to stick out from the jig way too much. I don't see any jigs with the thin craw and the thin craw and long body looks weird to me. But it works?

 

Standard 

Thin

Jig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[roadwarrior]

I fish Rage Tail Craws, Baby Craws and Lobsters. I ALWAYS remove the last two sections

of the tail.

[Spankey]

I really only fish 3” & 3 1/4” type craws. Only a couple brands. I’m able to use them on jig trailers, jig heads, t-rig and mojo rig them. 

[ChrisD46]

I like 3.5" ~ 3.75" craws and usually use them as jig trailers . The Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw is great in colder water on swim jigs  (tight vibration) while the YUM Jason Christie Craw is my go-to on Football jigs year round .

[smalljaw67]

The craw styles are different because they are used in different applications. Craws that have claws with ridges or curly appendages are designed to draw strikes based on action. They are best used when fish are more active or in water with limited visibility. The slender, more realistic style craws are used more when the profile becomes more important. They are better in clear water environments and when fish aren't as active. Of course these are just generalizations as there are always exceptions.

[tander]

I wouldn't get caught up in the different shapes and sizes. For that matter, color. Gerald Swindle said if he used a brown jig, he would use a black trailer, if he used a black jig, he would use a brown trailer. Don't think he was completely telling the truth but you get the message. Try it and see what the fish want.

[A-Jay]

     While I have been toting around a decent assortment of various 'craw' style baits for a while now, (may need to revisit that) more often than not I find myself reaching for one of just 4 baits for most all of my 'craw" type applications; any type of jig trailer or Texas rigged deal. 

 

   The decision is often generated by the water temp, clarity and or profile desired.

Either way, A Rage Craw (the regular size, the Lobster and on the a few rare occasions, the baby),

A Rage Bug (regular size)

a Rage Menace (Small & Regular)

and finally for less 'flapping' and more of a do-nothing glide, the Rodent gets the nod.

This one may fall into the 'beaver' category but I threw it in anyway.  

These baits all 'fit' the jigs I throw, are fairly durable and are usually readily available.

Most importantly, I have confidence in them and they get bites. 

And whatever you do, don't hang any of these on a swinghead.

Might get your arm broke, fair warning.

btw- I throw a lot of green pumpkin and especially like the TW GP when it's available.

#strikekinglikesme

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

[MickD]

Rage tails for largemouths, but tubes for smallies.  Interestingly testing done by a bait company (Berkely I believe) indicated that the best imitation for crawfish was not lures with appendages, but simply tubes.  My theory is that it is the action/movement, size, and color that trigger the fish a lot more than the details of sight/appearance.  It could be that these requirements are better matched by the simple tube.  I'm not saying that tubes don't work well with other species, just that they are better than the appendage lures for smallies.  Tubes take pike, walleyes, drum, catfish, rock bass, LMB, and my fav, SMB.

[Spankey]

When the old Guido’s Bug fell off the face of earth I was shattered. That was one of my confidence baits. In a few killer patterns. I caught many river smallies on them. Than I had to dabble a bit and try a few different brands. It played head games with me for a long time. Got to the point I wasn’t using a craw for a while. But than I got bit by the Rage Craw bug. That has worked out. I’m back to fishing them more. I come to like the Z Man Craws also. Hard to find them local. Rage Craw is a tough find also on a local scale. Never had a local guy order any in for me. I generally don’t get too specific with a couple of local shops. 

10 minutes ago, MickD said:

Rage tails for largemouths, but tubes for smallies.  Interestingly testing done by a bait company (Berkely I believe) indicated that the best imitation for crawfish was not lures with appendages, but simply tubes.  My theory is that it is the action/movement, size, and color that trigger the fish a lot more than the details of sight/appearance.  It could be that these requirements are better matched by the simple tube.  I'm not saying that tubes don't work well with other species, just that they are better than the appendage lures for smallies.  Tubes take pike, walleyes, drum, catfish, rock bass, LMB, and my fav, SMB.

Tubes are a great bait. Being the river rat I am that is one of my first plastics I fished real hard. Case Plastics. 
 

Great post you don’t hear about tubes a lot anymore. That’s a good thing I guess. But I think you are correct, it is a simple crawdad. 
 

That’s what I miss about the Guido Bugs. They didn’t have a lot of realistic detail other than size being accurate. 
 

 

[Sphynx]

Found a great deal on a pile of Biospawn soft plastics and I can't complain, the VileCraw has been a producer for me this year, haven't really fished anywhere needing the VileBug yet, but I'd be shocked indeed if it didn't produce too, in the past I have used Speed Craws, Rage Craws, and probably others I'm not thinking about, I really like the Paca Chunks for jig trailers, and the bass seem to like them pretty well also. 

[Jigfishn10]

I use the longer ones on a Texas Rig and the shorter ones as a trailer for a jig.

[Michigander]

Rage Craw or Rage Bug if I want action. If I want a more subtle trailer then it's a Berkley Powerbait Fight'N Bug.

 

I usually rip off enough of the bait so the claws are just far enough out to not be obstructed by the skirt. Amount varies from jig to jig.

[Hawkeye21]

I'm a big fan of Strike King's Rage Craw.  I like to use it on my Carolina Rig.

[Big Rick]

One of the main reasons some craws are more slender or slim is for punching mats. The slimmer profile allows it to slide thru the mat and yet still have some movement once it's underneath. 

[scaleface]

I Texas rig craws a lot . Guido Bugs , Larews , Renegade , MisterTwister  ... I liked them all . I still have a supply of Riverside Big Claws that are excellent for keeper  bass . If I throw a jig , I just bite them down to fit .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WRB]

Craws with big  none flapping claws can work at times but generally not for Spotted or Smallmouth bass.

Craws with fast flapping claws tend to attract bass feeding on bait fish like bluegill rather then crawdads.

Crawdads don’t flap their claws when moving and raise them defensively when still.

Tom

[Team9nine]

In the beginning, many decades ago, I threw Larew and Stanley/Hales Craw worms, both stand alone (TR) and as jig trailers. When the Guido Bug came out, I added it into the rotation as a jig trailer. When pork went away, I transitioned to generic craw plastic shapes, predominately Zoom Chunks and Super Chunks. The only added craw in the mix now are Paca Craws that I use on football head jigs. I’m not convinced bass care one way or the other as to close replication unless fished alone, so the Zoom baits/trailers get the most play these days. No need for me to complicate it any more than those few options.

 

I will add, try putting the whole craw worm on a jig...you might be surprised, no matter how dumb it looks ?

[GReb]

I’ve always assumed the longer craws and creatures work better on softer bottoms. But I have no evidence to back that up. Both catch fish 

 

These 4 baits have basically taken over my craw/creature fishing:

 

Rage Menace

Rage Craw

Dbomb

Pitboss

[Spankey]

I recently saw a craw that the manufacturer is calling “Natural Craw”. I feel real good about it. Not sure how well their plastics hold up. Real close to others brands. Falls in line with others. Do like the color and it is not a life like type. Real image baits turn me off and I don’t do well with hard baits that depict a picture image to them. I’ll find it local or order it. Hate to mention mfg. because it will become a crap show that I could care less about. “G” is all I’ll say. I’m too old to get hyped up about a lot of that stuff. Too set in my way of thinking. I just feel good about the color and size. 

[PourMyOwn]

4 hours ago, Spankey said:

When the old Guido’s Bug fell off the face of earth I was shattered. That was one of my confidence baits. In a few killer patterns. I caught many river smallies on them. Than I had to dabble a bit and try a few different brands. It played head games with me for a long time. Got to the point I wasn’t using a craw for a while. But than I got bit by the Rage Craw bug. That has worked out. I’m back to fishing them more. I come to like the Z Man Craws also. Hard to find them local. Rage Craw is a tough find also on a local scale. Never had a local guy order any in for me. I generally don’t get too specific with a couple of local shops. 

Tubes are a great bait. Being the river rat I am that is one of my first plastics I fished real hard. Case Plastics. 
 

Great post you don’t hear about tubes a lot anymore. That’s a good thing I guess. But I think you are correct, it is a simple crawdad. 
 

That’s what I miss about the Guido Bugs. They didn’t have a lot of realistic detail other than size being accurate. 
 

 

I'm sitting on about 50 Guido bugs and am seriously considering having a custom mold made. There's just something about them.

[Spankey]

1 minute ago, PourMyOwn said:

I'm sitting on about 50 Guido bugs and am seriously considering having a custom mold made. There's just something about them.

I just know my results were great. I’m down to just a few. Don’t know what I’m setting on them for. Should just use them up. 

[WRB]

Try to look at craws as a bass does, fine details don’t matter movement and coloration does. 

When using live crawdads in the late 60’s-early 70’s the more lively and natural movements the bug was the better it worked.

Bass would avoid big crusty craws with big claws preferring the smaller 3”-4”soft shell bugs nose hooked. Everything eats live crawdads including big catfish. Never caught a bass on a dead crawdad. We learned to pinch off 1 claw arm if the bite was tough to improve the odds.

My pork rind jig trailers are simple split tail design no claws, doesn’t look like a crawdad but catches bass feeding on crawdads. Why? The simple movement indicate to the bass it’s alive and moving like a real crawdad backwards, the tail ends rise up when stopped, right profile, colors are similar so the bass strikes it. 

Don’t over think this.

Tom

 

[PourMyOwn]

56 minutes ago, Spankey said:

I just know my results were great. I’m down to just a few. Don’t know what I’m setting on them for. Should just use them up. 

I held off once they were discontinued. Now I pour these.

[Mike L]

For punching I’ve pretty much got my choices down to the Rage Bug or Sweet Beaver, depending on the action they prefer. 
 

I’ve been using the Rage Craw a lot lately in moderate to light cover. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[DitchPanda]

I've got it pretty much narrowed down on my craw baits to two anymore:Rage menace or zoom ultra vibe speed craw.