Crayfish, now I know why

[throttleplate]

Just read a great article about crawdads, here is an excerpt from it and i will post the link below it. I learned that i didnt know jack about them before this article.

 

{The molt will dramatically change the color of crawfish from a camouflage olive/brown, to a bright orange or red cast, making them an easy visual target for bass. But understand that a bass must work more diligently, and expend much more energy to catch a crawfish during the molt than during the mating cycle.}

 

https://www.bassmaster.com/understanding-bass-forage-crawfish

[Catt]

Which of the 350 species is this article addressing?

[ironbjorn]

Ned Rig

 

For 60 days, 450 largemouth bass, plucked from the same environment, were tested using a robotic arm and a strike counter. Each group of bass was presented a crawfish bait at the same speed and angle of attack. The bass tested had never seen the bait that was presented (it was a prototype). The test then continued, with one pincer removed, then a second pincer removed, and finally, the legs. The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.

"The final bait looked almost like a large shrimp," said Proctnov. The research was incorporated into the Berkley Flippin Tube. "We wanted to market a craw with no appendages, but our market research said no one would buy it," Proctnov added.

[BrianMDTX]

49 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.

I can believe that. Bass are predators. They will focus on the easiest prey that present the least danger. A crayfish missing one or two pincers is less threatening than a healthy one who can defend itself. 
 

I may take a few craw baits and cut off one or two claws and see what happens. 

[Spankey]

I find it to be a pretty decent article. I read this back a while ago. 
 

But being one that fishes a lot of soft plastics and crawdad I’ve always have done better with ones that are NOT too lifelike in exact detail. My favorite of all time does not exist anymore. But have been able to find/use others (not over detailed) that work well. 
 

Been fishing a new craw, I’ve been using some Zman TRD Craws because I like the smaller size. They are a bit detailed. Will say that they are working. Not a big fan of the Ned jig heads. This season I’m gonna trig and peg smaller bullet weights. 
 

Great post. Have fun. 

[mrpao]

Its hard to talk about the color of crayfish. Even in the same body of water, there can be several species of crayfish. Even within the same species, there can be different color variations. A freshly molten crayfish will look the same as before, but cleaner. As far as color goes, go with something natural and it will match most crayfish in the lake or stream.

I have seen bright blue crayfish though. There is a certain river system  close to me, that has blue crayfish. Its the only system that i know of with that color.

And of course the swamp crawfish are red. These are the ones that are usually served in restaurants. They can be a brown to dark red to a bright red.

As long as you try to match the crayfish in your area, you should do fine.

[00bullitt]

Very interesting article!

Been crushing big spots on Lanier, Hartwell and Russell for years using a Yamamoto Fat Ika around shaley brown rock and rip rap. That sheads light on why.

 

[roadwarrior]

https://www.insideline.net/columns/2016/7/26/rods-rigs-master-the-unique-action-of-the-fat-ika

[TnRiver46]

I find crawdads much easier to consume when I have several friends over and a cooler full of ice cold bottles of suds 

[roadwarrior]

27 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I find crawdads much easier to consume when I have several friends over and a cooler full of ice cold bottles of suds 

Seems like using them for bait is wasteful.

[galyonj]

4 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Seems like using them for bait is wasteful.

 

Almost. Lucky for us there are a lot of them to go around.

[00bullitt]

2 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

https://www.insideline.net/columns/2016/7/26/rods-rigs-master-the-unique-action-of-the-fat-ika

I used to T-rig the Ika, but watching it in a bait tank it just did not look that great. It would drag flat on the bottom. I wanted it to hop more with the tentacles pointed up. Works really well on the SpotSticker standup head and the Mag Ned Head. The Spot Sticker head's dual fiber weed guard will pull through anything but the hook could stand to be one size larger. The Mag Ned has the perfect hook but the weed guard could stand to be stiffer.

 

The Fat Ika has been a great secret weapon near me. Its a heavy bait by itself, so does not require much weight. 

 

[roadwarrior]

I rig it tentacles up, weightless. Here is a 7.49 caught a few years ago:

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/lake-guntersville-2012.html

[Cgolf]

On 3/14/2021 at 7:47 AM, ironbjorn said:

Ned Rig

 

For 60 days, 450 largemouth bass, plucked from the same environment, were tested using a robotic arm and a strike counter. Each group of bass was presented a crawfish bait at the same speed and angle of attack. The bass tested had never seen the bait that was presented (it was a prototype). The test then continued, with one pincer removed, then a second pincer removed, and finally, the legs. The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.

"The final bait looked almost like a large shrimp," said Proctnov. The research was incorporated into the Berkley Flippin Tube. "We wanted to market a craw with no appendages, but our market research said no one would buy it," Proctnov added.

 

While Dr Jones and Berkley did a lot of research that I agree with, this one doesn't match reality. The yum 2.5" crawbug is far and away my best river bait. I can tell you I have not caught one smallie when one pincher was lost off the bait. I tried for a while, but now junk the bait once this happens. That crawbug with a little gel scent in the hollow body is smallmouth candy.

[BrianMDTX]

I just caught my first bass on a Fat IKA last weekend. I had been rigging them with a jig head and got squat. Not even a nibble. Decided to try it again rigged weightless with a 3/0 round offset hook. Had it tentacles down. I had several strikes and finally hooked a 1.5 lb’er. I’m going to rig it next tentacles up with a 3/0 EWG. It’s a fat body and the bigger gap should make it easier to rig. 

[E-rude dude]

Color does not matter according to some?

 

My little inland lakes tell me otherwise.

One spring fed lake with crystal clear water proved to me color matters. Match the hatch or the forage and your success rate climbs exponentially. 
 

Yes green pumpkin and black/blue will catch them.

But Green pumpkin with a swab tip dab of orange dye up front and an Alabama craw with a claw tipped with yellow dye, much better.!

Black and blue with a summer craw and a swab tip dab of yellow dye on the belly, hold on.!

 

I killed them one day on a falcon jig and a black craw. 

the list goes on and on

 

p.s. We never remember slinky do we?

 

[ironbjorn]

45 minutes ago, cgolf said:

 

While Dr Jones and Berkley did a lot of research that I agree with, this one doesn't match reality. The yum 2.5" crawbug is far and away my best river bait. I can tell you I have not caught one smallie when one pincher was lost off the bait. I tried for a while, but now junk the bait once this happens. That crawbug with a little gel scent in the hollow body is smallmouth candy.

It would be more accurate to say it doesn't match your reality based on anecdotal evidence.

 

The fact is, a Ned Rig will outproduce any other artificial bait almost every single time.

[BrianMDTX]

4 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

The fact is, a Ned Rig will outproduce any other artificial bait almost every single time.

I'm not doubting you, but I must be fishing them wrong, as Ned rigs don't seem to produce for me in the ponds I fish. 

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, ironbjorn said:

It would be more accurate to say it doesn't match your reality based on anecdotal evidence.

 

The fact is, a Ned Rig will outproduce any other artificial bait almost every single time.

 

If that is what you want to believe, sure. I will take my 16 years of evidence and work with that. The Ned rig works, but it is not magic. I have used it on the same river with less success than the crawbug. I think people become too dependent on the Ned rig, I did for a while too, and forget that like other baits it has its time and place. If the Ned works for you keep at it, but try some other stuff too.

[ironbjorn]

2 minutes ago, cgolf said:

 

If that is what you want to believe, sure. I will take my 16 years of evidence and work with that. The Ned rig works, but it is not magic. I have used it on the same river with less success than the crawbug. I think people become too dependent on the Ned rig, I did for a while too, and forget that like other baits it has its time and place. If the Ned works for you keep at it, but try some other stuff too.

Again, a lot of I in your post. Your experience, your anecdotal evidence. My experience, the experience of countless anglers, and the conclusion of studies is different. Yes, I do want to believe this, because while something works for you, something else works for me. So indeed I believe this, and my top 5 smallies and best numbers days have all been Ned Rig fish in the last two years.

[throttleplate]

5 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Seems like using them for bait is wasteful.

fish gotta eat to ya know.

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, ironbjorn said:

Again, a lot of I in your post. Your experience, your anecdotal evidence. My experience, the experience of countless anglers, and the conclusion of studies is different. Yes, I do want to believe this, because while something works for you, something else works for me. So indeed I believe this, and my top 5 smallies and best numbers days have all been Ned Rig fish in the last two years.

 

You are talking two different things. To me Ned isn't imitating a craw, too skinny. I take issue with Dr Jones research based on data I have collected in the field. I too have caught numbers and large fish on both the Ned and the crawbug, but a standard Ned bait has a different profile than a craw with or without pinchers. I think of a tube as more of a craw imitation than a Ned. 

 

We agree a Ned is a good effective bait, I never said it was a bad bait. Craw baits missing appendages I change out because they don't get bites, not sure what you do with craw baits when they lose an appendage. The only thing I have changed with the Ned and Rage menace too, was I got to a point I only tossed one or the other and if the bite wasn't there I left. Eventually I got myself to switch baits at some point and realized that under certain conditions previous go to baits were that for a reason, they caught fish too.

 

Right now my go to trout and creek chub bait is a mini ned. A half chunk of non elaztech TRD look alike that will fit in the fish's mouth and get me a hookup. A solid trout is 10" on this system, but have caught some over 20. Generally a small hook is needed with no plastic beyond the hook or you won't hook them because they just grab the plastic.