Use Finesse Crawfish Presentations to Catch More Fish

Matching crawfish forage and downsizing offerings are common denominators of several highly productive winter fishing strategies. We’ll examine five finesse crawfish presentations for catching multiple fish species.

Crawfish are like candy to gamefish of many kinds. You know that. And you probably also know that downsizing sometimes provides a wonderful way to counter fish fussiness. Combining those truths can be a key to consistent winter fishing success.

We’ll look at five finesse strategies that capitalize on the fish’s fondness for crawfish dinners. Collectively the approaches provide solutions for a broad range of winter fishing situations for catching multiple kinds of fish.

Crank Rock Banks

Crawfish love rocks, so it should be no surprise that bluff banks, sloping rock banks and riprap edges rank among the best places to fish crawfish-imitating crankbaits. Bass and other gamefish hold between rocks and in eddies, if current is present, ambushing crawfish on other foodstuff that pass too close.

Excellent smaller crankbait options include a Bandit 100 and Cotton Cordell Big O, both of which have corners on their diving bills to help them deflect cover. For less grabby cover along buffs and rocky slopes, a flat sided Bomber Deep Flat A is tough to top.

Whatever the specific crankbait, the most important aspect of the rock cranking approach is to bang as much of the hard cover as possible as you make your presentations. If you’re fishing from a boat, it is often beneficial to position the boat close to the bank and cast parallel.

Kick Streambeds

Craws provide critical year ‘round forage for stream fish of many kinds, including trout, various black bass species, rock bass, catfish and larger bluegills, and small crankbaits allow you to work midstream boulders, seams in currents, sloping gravel bars and other areas very thoroughly and efficiently.

Various small crankbaits in crawfish colors will produce at times, but for fishing creeks and small rivers, it’s tough to top a Rebel Crawfish, especially the Teeny Wee Craw, Deep Teeny Wee Craw and Middle Wee Craw models. The profile is perfect, matching a crawfish in a claw-tucked, defenseless position. The wobble combines a wide pitch that deflects over well with a tight roll that helps the bait look like an easy meal.

Often, the best way to work a Rebel Crawfish is to cast and crank it back at a moderate pace, adding neither rod snaps nor pauses, and letting the lure’s designed action do its job. When the bait is moving with the current, crank just fast enough to keep the action engaged. In strong current, an outstanding approach is to cast straight across the current, tighten the line and let the bait swing downstream and across against the tight line to make it dive and wobble.

Drag a Finesse Craw

When mid-winter fronts make fish extra fussy, small size, a natural appearance and slow movement are all important to a finesse approach. That’s when a tiny soft plastic crawfish and small jighead come into play. The approach demands patience but can produce great reward.

Craws well suited for this approach include a YUM Ned Craw on a YUM Ned Jig Head and Great Lakes Finesse Snack Craw on a GLF Stealth Ball Jig Head. The latter was designed specifically for big, fussy smallmouth bass in the Great Lakes Region but works remarkably well anywhere fish of any kind eat small crawfish, as long as the water is at least somewhat clear.

This approach calls for spinning tackle and light line. Six-pound test and a light action 7-foot, fast-action rod work well. After casting, let your craw imitation sink all the way to the bottom and work it with short, slow pulls so it follows every contour.

Maintain tension to stay connected with the business end and set the hook with a light snap of the rod tip if anything feels different. The bites with this approach often don’t feel like a classic “tap, tap.” It might just feel heavier or a little spongy, or you might feel less tension if a fish bites while it is moving toward you.

Go Lipless

The narrow profile and tight action of a lipless crankbait like a Cotton Cordell Super Spot or BOOYAH Hard Knocker make this style of lure irresistible to winter-chilled bass. These baits are extra effective when sunny days push fish onto flats – especially grassy flats. When fished over grass flats and rocky points lipless crankbaits mostly mimic crawfish, and red-heavy crawfish color patterns produce extra well this time of year.

A 1/2-ounce lipless crankbait is the most popular size, by far, but at times small forage, fussy fish or extra shallow flats call for 1/4-ounce versions, making the lipless game more of a finesse approach.

For fishing flats, a mostly steady retrieve with the lure just ticking the top of the vegetation typically works best. When the bait hangs, snapping it free often triggers strikes. For working a rocky point or other sloping bank, slow things down with a lift-and-drop retrieve, like working a plastic worm. For that approach, be extra aware when the bait is dropping. That’s when most strikes will occur.

Pitch a Jig

Finally, it would be remiss to talk about imitating crawfish in cool weather without discussing a jig. Jigs like a BOOYAH Baby Boo Jig or War Eagle Heavy Finesse Jig are most often associated with bas fishing but they also work exceptionally well for walleyes and saugers in rivers and lakes alike.

Two important finesse jig applications for winter are pitching boulders, brush and other major pieces of cover and dragging a jig along the bottom. For either, s-l-o-w presentations tend to produce best this time of year.

Top jig trailer options for imitating craws during winter include a YUM 2.75-inch Craw Chunk and a Gene Larew Salt Craw, with the Salt Craw’s body trimmed short to keep the total offering compact. The Craw Chunk slows a jig’s fall more, but a Salt Craw has a highly natural appearance and subtle action.

Four Great Finesse Craws in One Place

The January/February Lurenet Bank & Creek Kit, available while supplies last, includes four outstanding crawfish offerings, each quite different in appeals and character, which together provide tools for a huge range of situations.

• BOOYAH Hard Knocker, 1/4-ounce, G-Finish Red Craw – This is a limited run color that was briefly be available in the 1/2-ounc size last winter but sold out quicky. The 1/4-ounce version allows for a finesse profile and lets you work extra shallow.
• Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish – Nest Robber – A highly natural shape and markings and a design that allows it to kick through rocks well make the Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish ideal for small waters ranging from ponds to trout streams. The Nest Robber excel during late winter when craws are often reddish and streams are commonly swollen and stained.
• Great Lakes Finesse 2.1” Snack Craw, Green Pumpkin Red Flake – The kit also includes a package of GLF Stealth Ball Jig Heads in Matte Green Pumpkin, which match perfectly with the Snack Craw, creating an ideal finesse craw rig for dragging along the bottom. The Green Pumpkin Red Flake Snack Crew is designed to float so the craw stands up as the jig comes across the bottom.
• BOOYAH Baby Boo Jig, 3D Watermelon Red – The Baby Boo Jig offers the features of a flipping jig but in a small size that appeals to fussy fish and with a lighter weed guard and hook than a full-sized flipping jig so it can be fished on lighter tackle. Whether pitched into cover or dragged down a rocky bank, the Baby Boo Jig provides a great craw imitation.