Craw baits colors

[SC53]

Lots of bait colors to choose from. 
These are some colors just in Mississippi. 
Here in Florida our most common is blue
 

 

[WRB]

I believe every serious bass angler should study the locale prey the bass are eating. 

Crawdads (Crayfish) are interesting critters and found everywhere world wide. Coloration changes with the crayfish growth cycle as the molt growing new shells and regrow any missing legs. The claws usually stay as is unless they need to grow new claws. 

Crayfish can change colors to help camouflage to their surroundings.

California where I fish only has 1 native crayfish, the Signal crawdad, brown/black with a white dot on the claws found in the  Delta area. However the Red swamp and other crawdad species have been transplanted in California.

The same crawdad species differ in color at each lake they populate. Catching or trapping crawdads from the lakes you fish is educational and helps to select lure colors and size.

Tom

[SC53]

Exactly Tom. 
Caught 2 last week that had crawfish in their mouths. They were orange color but I know that’s a common color after they have been “ consumed “. 

[Catt]

Rage Craw comes in 40 different colors, they have all caught bass for someone. 

 

That's why the sell em! 

[ChrisD46]

Great crawfish poster ! Green Pumpkin , GP Red , Okeechobee Craw and Alabama Craw would about handle the craw colors for soft plastics in the South.

[SC53]

1 hour ago, ChrisD46 said:

Great crawfish poster ! Green Pumpkin , GP Red , Okeechobee Craw and Alabama Craw would about handle the craw colors for soft plastics in the South.

Exactly what I thought. Plus watermelon red

[roadwarrior]

Black Blue Flake

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_Rage_Tail_Craw_7pk/descpage-SKRCR.html

[detroit1]

I have a hard time thinking a bass would refuse your craw offering because the color isn't exactly what they are eating. I also don't subscribe to "matching the hatch" is critical in most waters, even the clear lakes i fish. Carry on...

[king fisher]

6 hours ago, detroit1 said:

I have a hard time thinking a bass would refuse your craw offering because the color isn't exactly what they are eating. I also don't subscribe to "matching the hatch" is critical in most waters, even the clear lakes i fish. Carry on...

Most of the time it probably wouldn't make a difference.  A bass is not going to turn down a meal, just because it doesn't look exactly like what it has been eating.

       The problem is at times a bass may use a certain color to help find and catch its prey.  If he is keyed in on bright orange, because the crawdads he has been eating have bright orange claws, then the bass may gain an advantage by looking for and quickly striking at bright orange giving it a hunters edge by keying in on the color orange.  It might not even notice a green craw, because of being focused on looking for orange.  Most of the time the bass focuses on a certain movement, shape, or size to give it a predators edge, but it doesn't hurt to cover all the bases.  If by concentrating on a certain color helps the bass find, identify, and catch its prey quicker and more efficiently, than it would be good for the bass angler to have that color on his lure.

[lunkerboss923]

In southeast Texas we have clay soils and the red in the soil turns our craws red. We have variations of dark red all the way to orange. Never seen a blue one. 

[NorthernBasser]

9 hours ago, detroit1 said:

I have a hard time thinking a bass would refuse your craw offering because the color isn't exactly what they are eating. I also don't subscribe to "matching the hatch" is critical in most waters, even the clear lakes i fish. Carry on...

 

[Deleted account]

On 4/24/2022 at 3:10 PM, SC53 said:

Lots of bait colors to choose from. 
These are some colors just in Mississippi. 
Here in Florida our most common is blue
 

 

Yup, most craws are brown, red, orange, green, and black in some combination most times, but blue with a little black and a couple of "rubber band" tan strands kills when they get like that. I like most of my jigs on black heads and weedguards with the corresponding skirt colors and semi matching, sometimes contrasting trailer. The clearer the water, and the closer to the craw spawn or molt, the more important it becomes. I get giddy when I find a craw in a bass' throat, and I slowly pull it out with needle nose, usually ups the catching once I make the change.

[the reel ess]

Black, blue and black & blue. Gerald Swindle said he only uses two colors: something brown and something black. I might change it up with a swim jig. But I have determined black/blue is what I'll use for a crawfish imitator here. It even works better than plain black.

[Catt]

They all red! ?

 

 

[Mbirdsley]

This summer I’m trying to make it point to trap craw fish while fishing.  Basic premise of the idea. I’ll throw a modified minnow  trap out under a float at the beginning of the day and than either Check it periodically or at the end of the day when I get ready to load up.  
 

I actually don’t know what color our cray fish are in Michigan.  I’ve seen green ones inland and some with a light blueish hue around the great lakes .  However, just like the same species of fish. color can change from lake to lake. 

[WRB]

Black with blue works in SoCal lakes.....at night and 40’+ depth during winter. Your not going to catch our SoCal FLMB during daytime consistently using black with blue.

Black with brown, black with green, black with purple are more productive choices then black with blue. Substitute brown for black and your catch improves greatly.

Crawdad colors vary regionally and from lake to lake, use one color and you are only handicapping yourself. 

Color matters when it matters to the bass.

Tom

 

[DitchPanda]

6 hours ago, Catt said:

They all red! ?

 

 

That looks exceptional!

[SC53]

Catt for the win. ?

[LrgmouthShad]

Real good thread

[Catt]

One highly overlooked jig color & craw worm color is Black Neon.

 

Black with red metal flake!

 

I throw it in jigs, craw worms, worms, creatures, & lizards.

[SC53]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

One highly overlooked jig color & craw worm color is Black Neon.

 

Black with red metal flake!

 

I throw it in jigs, craw worms, worms, creatures, & lizards.

Thanks for the tip Catt.?

[Bluebasser86]

Most of our craws are olive/brown with some red/orange, but blue is one of my favorite craw colors. 

[Finnz922]

Tend to throw mostly black/blue. Not sure it works around where I am at. Usually see more of a green pumpkin or watermelon with orange tipped claws. No luck when I try to match the hatch. 

[J Francho]

I pretty much only throw Rage Craws in 'Bama Craw color.

[roadwarrior]

40 minutes ago, Finnz922 said:

Tend to throw mostly black/blue. Not sure it works around where I am at. 

 Black & blue is money everywhere.