Why Craw, Jr.?

Why Craws?
By Reaction Strike Pro Staffer Eddie Dillon

Mudbugs, Crawfish, crawdads, yabbies. Call them what you want, these baits are a dominating force in today’s anglers tackle box. In North America alone, there are over 330 different species of these fascinating animals, and they inhabit most any stream, lake, or river that does not completely freeze during winter.

With the wide assortment of soft plastic lures available in today’s market, a common question amongst anglers is “Why Craws?” Largemouth and smallmouth bass forage on these creatures every chance they get. Studies have shown that during summer months, both species of fish heavily consume crawfish, making up almost 90% of their diet. Musky and Pike will not pass up a crawfish meal, and even large trout favor the taste of crawfish.

Introducing the Reaction Strike Craw Junior series of baits. We have taken great strides to make our craws the most realistic on the market today. The perfectly imitate a bass’ favorite forage, crawfish, and these baits can be fished in a variety of ways.

The most common way to fish such a bait is with a jig head inserted into the hollow cavity so that when on bottom, the claws rise in a natural defensive position. Weights from 1/16th ounce up to ¼ ounce are popular among anglers. The most common style of jig head is the standard ball type jig head. Do not overlook inserting standup jig heads or football jig heads for a different presentation.

These baits can also be Texas Rigged with or without a weight. This presentation is more common for largemouth but is equally effective for smallmouth. Weights can be as light as 1/32 for open cover such as docks and trees, to as heavy as 1 ½ ounce for punching through matted grass and weeds.

Try Carolina rigging a crawfish in the heat of summer along main lake channels and you will be pleasantly surprised. You can stuff the empty cavity with Styrofoam to allow the bait to float better, or pack it full of cotton soaked in liquid fish attractant to leave a scent trail no fish can resist.

These baits can also be swimmed on the back of a jig or “yo-yo’ed” along grass edges with simply explosive results.

Although there are many species of crawfish in North America, almost all of them will have a color phase made predominately of what anglers refer to as green pumpkin. This is a very natural color and is a great choice if you do not know what species of craws are in your waterways.

Colors such as blue craw and junebug are excellent during the spring where they will imitate craws that are about to molt and have soft shells, which is a treat for bass that they will seek out. Roadkill Camo and Watermelon seed are both excellent choices for ultra-clear water. We have designed all of the Reaction Strike colors with the fish in mind. We have provided colors that simply catch fish, and we won’t disappoint.

So tie on the new Reaction Strike Craw Jr baits and say hello to the biggest bass in your lake!