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Crawfish can be an excellent fishing bait since they can be effective just about any time. But knowing how and when to use them can help give you the upper hand.
And who doesn’t want to catch more bass? We’ll help you learn a little more about using crawfish lures for bass so you can see for yourself how effective they can be.
Crawfish Lures? When And Where Would I Use Them?
Crawfish are a major source of food for bass and other species of fish, so using crawfish lures can sometimes be your golden ticket for catching bass.
Crawfish live on the bottom and tend to spawn in rocks from February through May. However, they can also be found in mud if there are no rocks around.
Spring can be one of the best times to use crawfish lures because this tends to be when bass are feeding up in advance of the spawn. The bass prespawn also tends to coincide with the crawfish spawn, when crawfish are also more likely to be active and a natural prey for bass.
Fall can also be an ideal time to use crawfish lures because this can be mating season for the real crawfish, meaning there may be more of them around, attracting bass to feed on them. Because crawfish are high in protein and energy, bass seem to favor them as a meal at any time of the year, even in winter.
Video: Catching Winter Bass On Crawfish Imitating Lures
Types Of Crawfish Lures
Soft Plastic Crawfish
When you think of a crawfish lure, a soft plastic crawfish is probably what you think of. These lures are designed to look like real crawfish and often come in a range of colors to mimic the appearance of specific types of crawfish, as crawfish won’t always be the same color in every body of water.
Soft plastic crawfish, such as the Strike King Rage Tail Craw (below), are also often designed to mimic the movement of a crawfish under the water, with claws that tend to move when you reel it along the bottom or over rocks.
These types of lures can be ideal for fishing on their own but they can also be commonly used as trailers for jig heads in order to create a more sizeable profile with added movement. It can be helpful to match the color of the trailer to the jig for a more natural look.
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Jigs
Jigs can be one of the most useful lures when it comes to duping the bass into thinking it’s a crawfish. The silicone skirts on the jigs are designed to move under the water and many of them, such as the Booyah Boo Jig (below), also have rattles for vibration.
They can be fished along the bottom and bounced over rocks and ledges. Jigs can also come in different sizes for different presentations, giving you more variety over your techniques and can even be ideal for finesse presentations.
Many jigs are weedless, meaning you can easily fish them in and around vegetation without getting caught up. Soft plastic jig trailers can be added to create a larger, more appealing crawfish imitation.
Crankbaits
While crankbaits may not be an obvious choice to imitate a crawfish, they can mimic the action and noise of a crawfish when they are fished along the bottom or over rocks. They can be ideal for fishing a range of depths, as long as you choose one that can dive to the specific depth that you require.
These types of lures can be most effective when they are knocked off of rocks in shallow zones, as this can create noise and vibration that should let the bass know that it’s there. It can also be a good idea to pause the lure every so often to give a more natural looking movement.
There are several types of crankbaits that are designed to look like crawfish, including this Big Craw Fishing Lure from Rebel Lures (below). It can be useful to choose a crankbait that also resembles the local crawfish in color as well as physical appearance.
Conclusion
Crawfish lures can be one of your go-to lures, as crawfish can often work when other lures don’t.
Size and color may vary, but it can be beneficial to match the size and color of the lure with what the bass are eating at the time, which can depend on the body of water and the time of year.
Do you have a specific crawfish lure that never lets you down? Tell us about it. And remember to share this to help your buddies catch more bass.
