Re: how would i rig and fish a hard plastic crawdad

[flyhatch]

id put two trebles on it and call it a crankbait

hard plastic? i have not seen those yet. who makes them?

i am aware of the huddlebug but that is more soft plastic.

[iceintheveins]

Do you mean crawdad cranks like the rebel wee craw?

[farmpond1]

Hard plastic?  As in, tap it with screwdriver and it clicks?  As in a Mudbug or Rebel crawdad?  Must have clarification.

[SuskyDude]

This is how I would rig a hard plastic craw: First, throw it in the garbadge, then rig a 4 inch, green pumpkin tube on a 1/4 oz jig head. Next, start draggin it on the bottom wherever there are smallies. Finally, start rippin lips!

[Madhouse27]

This is how I would rig a hard plastic craw: First, throw it in the garbadge, then rig a 4 inch, green pumpkin tube on a 1/4 oz jig head. Next, start draggin it on the bottom wherever there are smallies. Finally, start rippin lips!

While I may have worded it a bit differently I think I agree with Susky (welcome aboard btw). If you're going to chase the bronzebacks you might as well get on board with the soft plastic baits. They are simply way more effective. Now I'm not saying you can't go get a few on that crawdad colored crank, I just think learning to fish the soft plastics (grubs, tubes, senkos, jerkbaits etc) are going to bring you alot more success. Good to have you here blake. This is a great place to learn. Just be careful, time really flies by on here when you're reading about bass fishing. It'll be midnight before you know it.

[iceintheveins]

This is how I would rig a hard plastic craw: First, throw it in the garbadge, then rig a 4 inch, green pumpkin tube on a 1/4 oz jig head. Next, start draggin it on the bottom wherever there are smallies. Finally, start rippin lips!

Hey susky dude I fished the upper susky near Owego NY this time last year when it was in full flood. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits, along with a channel cat and had a 35" musky follow. What part of the susky do you hail from? Wish I had that river here instead of our trash fish filled Colorado.

[iceintheveins]

Sometimes cranks and fast presentations do outfish soft plastics, and badly. You need to be good at both techniques to be a good smallie fisherman. When water is low, clear, and it's daytime, breaking out the tubes and grubs is usually the way to go though.

[SuskyDude]

Hey susky dude I fished the upper susky near Owego NY this time last year when it was in full flood. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits, along with a channel cat and had a 35" musky follow. What part of the susky do you hail from? Wish I had that river here instead of our trash fish filled Colorado.

No kidding? I live in Binghamton, twenty miles upriver from Owego. I fish that stretch all the time, and there is great fishing all throughout the Susky around here. When were you here last year? The spring bite was short last year but fast and furious. The water dropped, warmed and cleared up so quick, the fish were on the prespawn like gang busters.

Sorry to hear about your river, it must be really bad if you think the Susky is nice and yours is garbadge filled! The Susky has had some serious problems, its been on Americas Most Endangered Rivers List (or whatever its called). Its still a serious smallie factory though.

Waitin for the action to heat up! Its been a good winter of fishing on the river, but I cant wait for Spring!

[iceintheveins]

Hey susky dude I fished the upper susky near Owego NY this time last year when it was in full flood. Caught a couple on spinnerbaits, along with a channel cat and had a 35" musky follow. What part of the susky do you hail from? Wish I had that river here instead of our trash fish filled Colorado.

No kidding? I live in Binghamton, twenty miles upriver from Owego. I fish that stretch all the time, and there is great fishing all throughout the Susky around here. When were you here last year? The spring bite was short last year but fast and furious. The water dropped, warmed and cleared up so quick, the fish were on the prespawn like gang busters.

Sorry to hear about your river, it must be really bad if you think the Susky is nice and yours is garbadge filled! The Susky has had some serious problems, its been on Americas Most Endangered Rivers List (or whatever its called). Its still a serious smallie factory though.

Waitin for the action to heat up! Its been a good winter of fishing on the river, but I cant wait for Spring!

The Colorado around here is a decent Channel Catfish fishery with a few scattered Smallmouth and Largemouth bass. The main problem with the Colorado is that most of the fish are trash fish like suckers and chubs. It's a bit bigger than the Susky, so I think a switch would fit.

When I fished the susky it was extremely high and muddy. I fished at the mouth of a culvert where clear water was coming in, which created a back eddy where some fish were holding. I wish I could have floated and fished it during low water.

I looked online this morning and it looks like the Susky is pretty high right now.

[SuskyDude]

Yep I know just where you were! Thats a good all around spot, but mostly for cats. Big musky and walleye have been caught from there too.

Yeah, river is up, wont be long though . Runnin at about 17 feet out of Vestal. I want it to be about 9. We'll get there.

Oh, and there is no such thing as trash fish (except non-natives like carp and snakehead). Suckers are musky food, and chubs are bass food! By the way do you know what kind of "chub"? The name chub is hung on hundreds of fish around the world. We mostly have creek chubs around here, and they are eaten by all the major gamefish.

[iceintheveins]

Yep I know just where you were! Thats a good all around spot, but mostly for cats. Big musky and walleye have been caught from there too.

Yeah, river is up, wont be long though . Runnin at about 17 feet out of Vestal. I want it to be about 9. We'll get there.

Oh, and there is no such thing as trash fish (except non-natives like carp and snakehead). Suckers are musky food, and chubs are bass food! By the way do you know what kind of "chub"? The name chub is hung on hundreds of fish around the world. We mostly have creek chubs around here, and they are eaten by all the major gamefish.

We have roundtail chubs around here, and they are notorious bait thieves if you are catfish fishing, they will also take jigs, spinners, and cranks. The suckers and chubs here are overpopulated, so that's why I call them trash fish. Lots of carp in the Colorado River too, but I would rather catch them than a chub.

The spot I fished was actually closer to Vestal than Owego I think.

[SuskyDude]

The spot I fished was actually closer to Vestal than Owego I think

.

Hmmmm It sounded like you described Hickories park, which is down the road from "downtown" owego. Could that be it? If not im intrigued. I dont have a boat on the river, so Im restricted to wading, and the shore. I've covered alot of ground the past couple years but there is some gapes I still need to fill. I know of one other culvert but Ive never seen clear water coming from it. Looks like Ive got a new destination to hunt for! ;D

As for the chubs, think of it as a trade off. Yeah they're annoying, but I bet the large bass in your river feel otherwise!

Hey if you got any info about where you were, shoot me a PM. Im not too proud to get a tip from an out-of-towner! Hey if your ever out this way again we can go hammer down some bronze ! 8-)

[iceintheveins]

I think that was the area actually.