Pre Spawn crawdad bite. 2025
WRB reply :
The lowly crayfish is a scavenger cleaning up the lake bottom by eating dead or dieing fish and aquatic vegetation. Crayfish or what we bass anglers call crawdads are found nearly everywhere bass live and are a high protein food source for every specie of Black bass year around.
Why do bass, especially the big females, target crawdads during pre spawn? The answer is simple, they are available in large quantities following the cold water period as the water warms above 50 to 55 degrees, the same time big female bass are looking for high protein food to fatten up for the spawn when they fast.
Crawdads like to burrow into clay banks or hide deep under rocks or under water wood. There is a crawdad migration when they dig out and start the molting process shedding thier hard shells and bass hunt these crawdads.
At no other time of the year crawdads will be more vulnerable to predatation from bass, the cover is sparse and the bass are hungry after the long winter cold water period.
Jigs are your best lure to mimic crawdads and working the clay banks with rocks and wood uphill or slightly down hill with a crawdad profile jig is hard to beat.
Tom
mattkenzer reply :
Thank you Tom ...... do Crawdads ever leave bottom?
WRB reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 7:27 AM, mattkenzer said:Thank you Tom ...... do Crawdads ever leave bottom?
They will climb onto wood and vegetation looking for food and also out of the water looking for grubs, worms and grass to eat at night. Crawdads don't swim in the water column unless trying to escape a predator.
Tom
mattkenzer reply :
Again ... Thank you Tom.
I didn't think they swam in the water column but wasn't a 100% sure.
Sam reply :
Tom, we are having our LSU Alumni Chapter crawfish boil on June 2nd this year.
We get them shipped from Louisiana and the Cajun guys cook them.
I will consume around 10 pounds all by myself.
I love playing a largemouth bass at this annual event. 
Todd2 reply :
Good thread...do you guys have better luck with orange/red in the Late Winter/Spring? I usually do but thats because that's what I'm throwing. At some point I switch to Green Pumpkin/Black n Blue, but more out of what I read than true experience.
kingmotorboat reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 3:55 PM, Sam said:Tom, we are having our LSU Alumni Chapter crawfish boil on June 2nd this year.
We get them shipped from Louisiana and the Cajun guys cook them.
I will consume around 10 pounds all by myself.
I love playing a largemouth bass at this annual event.
In it's natural habitat you can see the cajun circling the table, preparing itself to be nourished.
Troy85 reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 10:35 PM, kingmotorboat said:In it's natural habitat you can see the cajun circling the table, preparing itself to be nourished.
Most the crawfish I see like to hide around boiled corn and potatoes.
Thx Tom. Informative post about crawfish as they relate to bass.
Turtle135 reply :
I know the perfect spot for that bite. Hopefully that area won't be high and dry this spring like it was last year.
Dorado reply :
@WRBGreat post! Tis the season here in AZ. Pic was from last week.
kingmotorboat reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 10:51 PM, Troy1985s said:Most the crawfish I see like to hide around boiled corn and potatoes.
Thx Tom. Informative post about crawfish as they relate to bass.
Or sausage or mushrooms or lemons, hell I seen them school up with shrimp and crabs in there also
Sam reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 10:35 PM, kingmotorboat said:In it's natural habitat you can see the cajun circling the table, preparing itself to be nourished.
Actually Jared, I move around the cooking area very slowly as to not show myself and then I hide around where the boxes of cooked crawfish are and very quietly open the top and eat three or four.
I than move back to my original hiding place and wait for my turn to strike again.
WRB reply :
Remind me why I put any effort to help bass anglers. Mention jigs it becomes a lure thread, mention hungry bass it becomes a Cajun cooking thread.
I need a break, see you all later.
Tom
J._Bricker reply :
On 2/23/2018 at 8:51 AM, WRB said:Remind me why I put any effort to help bass anglers. Mention jigs it becomes a lure thread, mention hungry bass it becomes a Cajun cooking thread.
I need a break, see you all later.
Tom
I’m going to say you’re a black bass savant and you brought out the foodie in some Tom!
Catt reply :
Ya see Tom it's a regional thing ????
While pre-spawn is just getting under way here the crawfish have been out for about a month here.
Crawfish is shallow water do not act like crawfish in deeper water.
You're talking a few dozen crawfish while @Sam @kingmotorboat & myself are talking thousands of pounds of mudbugs!
WRB reply :
On 2/23/2018 at 9:31 AM, Catt said:Ya see Tom it's a regional thing ????
While pre-spawn is just getting under way here the crawfish have been out for about a month here.
Crawfish is shallow water do not act like crawfish in deeper water.
You're talking a few dozen crawfish while @Sam @kingmotorboat & myself are talking thousands of pounds of mudbugs!
While we don't have the dense populations of crawdads you have, I was talking in thousands, not tens of thousands.
Cheers,
Tom
Catt reply :
On 2/23/2018 at 9:40 AM, WRB said:While we don't have the dense populations of crawdads you have, I was talking in thousands, not tens of thousands.
Cheers,
Tom
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kingmotorboat reply :
On a serious note here on my river crawfish is the center of the food pyramid I can't tell you how many times I've been upchucked on and it's crawfish
Todd2 reply :
The lake I normally fish has an over abundance of shad...it's one of the reasons I think fishing can be tough for most. A few years back, I pulled up to fish one day in the fall and the lake was turning over (brown look to the water, rotten egg smell). Along the banks everywhere, I saw thousands of crawdads alive floating at the waters edge. So with so much to chow down on, I wonder what's on the menu more..shad or crawdads?
Catt reply :
There's nothing wrong with what Tom wrote as it applies to Western waters.
It doesn't apply to Southern waters or Northern waters or waters in arid climates.
It's totally different within regions, we cannot compare Southwest Louisiana where @kingmotorboat & Catt are to Atchafalaya Basin & both areas don't compare to North Louisiana.
kingmotorboat reply :
On 2/23/2018 at 8:03 PM, Catt said:There's nothing wrong with what Tom wrote as it applies to Western waters.
It doesn't apply to Southern waters or Northern waters or waters in arid climates.
It's totally different within regions, we cannot compare Southwest Louisiana where @kingmotorboat & Catt are to Atchafalaya Basin & both areas don't compare to North Louisiana.
Nope. It's like comparing longville lake to Vernon lake, or what was Vernon lake
scaleface reply :
I use to fish lots of crawdad patterned crankbaits , especially pre-spawn. Over the years I have lost most and have not replaced them . The Arbogast Mudbug is a favorite and I still have half a dozen .
Lots of anglers like tight action flat sided baits during the cold pre-spawn season. I like the wide action of the Mudbug fished parallel to steep banks at an agonizingly slow speed . Its a proven way to catch hawgs .
Hog Basser reply :
I fish a lot of rebel craws and jig & craws this time of year, but they really work year-round for me in my spots. A few years back, the rebel craw was all they'd hit around this time.
J Francho reply :
On 2/22/2018 at 7:18 AM, WRB said:There is a crawdad migration when they dig out and start the molting process shedding thier hard shells and bass hunt these crawdads.
Most bait shops up here sell "soft shell crabs" for smallmouth. They are freshly molted crayfish, and smallies go crazy for them. I haven't done it since the early 90s, but a long, 8-9' medium light, moderate spinning action rod loaded with 4-6# mono was the right gear. Tie a gold #4 Eagle Claw hook on, pinch a couple split shot on about 18-24" above the hook. Hook the crab through one of the segments of it's tail, and gently cast the little guy out there. Hold the line between your fingers to detect the bite.
ww2farmer reply :
On 2/24/2018 at 12:42 AM, J Francho said:Most bait shops up here sell "soft shell crabs" for smallmouth. They are freshly molted crayfish, and smallies go crazy for them. I haven't done it since the early 90s, but a long, 8-9' medium light, moderate spinning action rod loaded with 4-6# mono was the right gear. Tie a gold #4 Eagle Claw hook on, pinch a couple split shot on about 18-24" above the hook. Hook the crab through one of the segments of it's tail, and gently cast the little guy out there. Hold the line between your fingers to detect the bite.
The really small soft shells used to be great for perch on Conesus back in the late 80's......when there were enough perch still left to target before the alewives wiped them out.
Buy a couple dozen, anchor off any one of the points, and drop them straight down, on an UL rod, 4lb test line, with basically a drop shot rig.....before it was called drop shotting.
J Francho reply :
"You fishing 'off the bottom' again?"
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