As we know, bass of all species love to eat crawfish. They are high protein, crunchy snacks that seem to satisfy bass with the munchies.
But what are the best crawfish lures to mimic them. This is the most important question, so let’s answer it.
Crankbaits can mimic just about anything that swims. With the right colors and body styles, they make great crawfish imitations.
Crawfish crankbaits work best around rocks and bottoms without any vegetation.
To imitate a crawfish, you need to be close to the bottom of the water.
This is where crawfish live, so this is where bass hunt for them.
If the bottom is really grassy and weedy, the crankbait will get hung up in the weeds and not be very effective.
The pre-spawn, late fall, and winter months are great for this because the colder temperatures get rid of the vegetation.
I especially love throwing a craw crankbait on warm winter days when a sunny, warm front comes trhough.
The Rebel Wee Crawfish is a classic crankbait that set the standard for crawfish lures.
With a very realistic design and enticing wobble, it is one of the best crankbait options.
The Livetarget craw has a bit more weight for extra casting distance. The craw has a nice rattle and glossy finish that gets bites.
This is pretty general, but there are literally thousands of different soft plastic crawfish out there.
And for the most part, they all do the same thing. The soft plastic crawfish baits are certainly the most versatile crawfish baits that you can use.
You can use them as a trailer or throw them on any of your favorite bass rigs.
Soft plastics also give you the freedom to easily test out tons of different colors and sizes to find out what the bass want.
I’m not going to give any specific brands or products, but these are the most realistic and finesse approaches to imitating crawfish.
The Ned rig is one of the best ways to catch bass when the bite gets tuff.
Whether it is the winter, dog days of summer, or bass just don’t seem to be feeding, tie on a Ned rig.
To imitate crawfish, you can either use a realistic craw soft plastic, or just keep it simple with a stick bait.
Although the stick baits aren’t super realistic, they still resemble crayfish and get tons of bits from bass feeding on craws.
During the winter, I always have a Ned rig tied on paired with the best ned rig baits.
Jigs are a staple lure for mimicking just about any type of bass forage.
The jig itself doesn’t look like much, but that is what makes it so versatile.
When you pair a jig with a crawfish trailer, it very closely resembles a crawfish while being incredibly weedless and snag proof.
You can throw a jig in grass, rocks, trees, lily pads, or pretty much anything.
The thick weed guard will protect the hook from getting snagged.
And with the multiple jig styles, you can maximize your success depending on how and where you are fishing.
Football jigs are meant for deeper water and when fishing around rocks.
Drag and hop it around in deeper water, and you will get bit.
Since crawfish primarily live among the rocks, football jigs are my top jig choice for imitating crawfish.
Finesse jigs work tremendously for cold water and for smallmouth bass.
The smaller profile and lighter weight sinks slower and is a bit more subtle.
Many fisheries have very small crawfish, and finesse jigs are better at matching the size of these craws.
A red chatterbait is the go-to lure for many bass anglers during the pre-spawn time period.
The visual profile actually quite closely resembles a crawfish, and the thumping blade resembles the swimming tail of a craw.
Bass really hone in on crawfish during the pre-spawn because many of the other baitfish and forage are still waiting for the water to warm up.
Throw the chatterbait around depth changes and rock points to get the most bites.
When it comes to the bass fishing industry, the most popular lures are the do-it-all type baits like a jig or crankbait.
These lures can resemble multiple different forage types to cover lots of bases and get the most bites.
But sometimes it pays off to use hyper realistic lures that exactly match one type of bass forage.
There are a couple of these lures that I use when imitating crayfish.
A hollow body crawfish lure? Yes, this lure is a hollow body jig that looks exactly like a real crawfish.
Personally, I prefer to remove the skirt from the lure because I feel like it doesn’t really add any value and takes away from the realism.
I use this lure to fish slower and pick apart rock piles, depth changes, and points.
The hollow body design makes it very weedless, while also hiding the hook.
The hidden hook makes the bait a bit more realistic and can get finicky bass to bite.
Bass do eat crawfish all year round, so there is never really a time not to use them.
But bass really hone in on crawfish from the late fall to the pre-spawn.
During these months, the colder water makes it harder for bass to find and chase baitfish, so they shift their focus downward.
Any time there is moving water, you should be fishing craw lures.
Rivers, creeks, streams, or even lakes with inlets provide a flow of water that crawfish thrive in.
The better the habitat is for crawfish, the more bass will be feeding on them.
The chances are that your pond has crawfish. These freshwater crustaceans can live just about anywhere and will quickly spread in most ponds or lakes.
However, if you are unsure, there are a couple things that you can look for.
If you see dirt and mud mounds like these within 100 feet of your pond, there are crawfish in there. These mounds are tunnel entrances that lead into the water.
If you notice that lots of the bass you are catching have very red and dull teeth, this means they are feeding on crawfish.
The red color rubs off onto their teeth and the hard shells file down their teeth.
Also Read: How to Know What Bass are Feeding On
Crawfish are a favorite meal for bass. These 6 lures are all you need in order to mimic craws and get bass to bite.
Keep a few different craw colors in your tackle box because they will change their color depending on the time of year and geographical location.
Remember, crawfish love rocks and wood. Target these areas to have the best results.
