Determining the Color of Local Crawfish 2024
BrackishBassin reply :
So, I have a local pond I fish quite a bit. It’s where I caught my PB. I was fishing it earlier this week to try out some cold water techniques (tried a jerk bait and worm slowly drug on the bottom), but got skunked. Then I realized that up and down the bank, as far as I could see, were crawfish chimneys. In spite of all the grass, I’ve decided to try fishing a jig and craw combo to see if I can’t get some fish this winter. The only problem is, I’ve never actually seen a crawfish there. Never seen a dead one, or found one in a bass’ mouth.
Does anyone happen to know if digging up/around the chimneys would work if I wanted to get my hands on one to try and match the coloring with a jig? I’d like to avoid buying 10 different colors and just trying them until one works. Would rather start off matching the hatch. Any other suggestions for ways for me to figure out what color they are would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing I should probably ask is anyone aware of any other aquatic species that build chimneys like that along the bank? Don’t want to waste time imitating crawfish if there aren’t any in the area.
Thanks!
Scott F reply :
IMHO, If a bass is in the mood to eat, and sees a crayfish, he will not pass it up because it is not the right color. Even if the bass has never seen a crayfish before, if he thinks it's edible, he'll eat it. One of the most popular bass baits of all time is a worm. How often have you ever seen worms swimming in your local waters?
WRB reply :
Go to the pond at night with a flash light and look for crawdads. Buy or build a crawdad trap they cost sbout $5 or less to make. A 36"x24" mesh wire hardware cloth makes a good trap. Roll the wire into a tube 36" long and fold the wire ends to hold the seam together. Fold one end to form a funnel about 4" -3" dia opening. Flatten the opposite end and fold. Attach a cord and you have a crawdad trap. Fish heads make good bait or a couple strips of bacon rolled up with a tooth to hold it together. Drop the bait into the trap funnel and put the trap in the water along the bank and tie the cord to a stack.
Leave over night and you should have several crawdads in the trap. Open the flat end and dump them out.
Crawdads change colors, they should be very dark if burrowing into the mud.
Tom
Smokinal reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 3:41 AM, Scott F said:How often have you ever seen worms swimming in your local waters?
Tequila Sunrise worms at that
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 4:02 AM, Smokinal said:Tequila Sunrise worms at that
True enough.
Bankbeater reply :
You might try checking with your conservation office. They can probably tell you the species that lives in your area.
Turkey sandwich reply :
The crayfish trap is the way to go if you're really driven to figure it out. It's cheap and easy to make. Digging out those tunes can be a nightmare - some crayfish will dig DEEP.
Also, understand your results aren't going to be totally conclusive. Most bodies of water have multiple species of crayfish, eating different things, and thus lots of different colors. If you keep with the basic crayfish patterns, you'll likely be good.
riverbasser reply :
There's a reason black/brown/orange/red/green are so popular jig colors. Almost all crayfish are one or more of these colors. No matter where you are located
Gundog reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 3:48 AM, WRB said:Drop the bait into the trap funnel and put the trap in the water along the bank and tie the cord to a stack.
Leave over night and you should have several crawdads in the trap. Open the flat end and dump them out.
Crawdads change colors, they should be very dark if burrowing into the mud.
Tom
Be careful. Some states have laws regarding the trapping of crawfish. I believe in PA your limit is 50 crawfish and if you keep them and not use them as bait in the water that they are taken from, you must remove the heads immediately. Some states may require that you put a tag with your name on it on the trap. Check your state laws.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 4:45 AM, Gundog said:Be careful. Some states have laws regarding the trapping of crawfish. I believe in PA your limit is 50 crawfish and if you keep them and not use them as bait in the water that they are taken from, you must remove the heads immediately. Some states may require that you put a tag with your name on it on the trap. Check your state laws.
Thanks! It’s a privately owned pond, and I don’t plan on keeping any. I doubt that DNR would worry about it, but I’ll see what the law says.
On 12/3/2017 at 4:41 AM, riverbasser said:There's a reason black/brown/orange/red/green are so popular jig colors. Almost all crayfish are one or more of these colors. No matter where you are located
I have two jig colors currently - black/blue and a green pumpkin. The green pumpkin is heavier than I’d like (it’s no deeper than 10’), but I lost my 3/8 green pumpkin this summer to a log.
A-Jay reply :
@BrackishBassin
Having a basic understanding of a bass's prey is a solid plan.
There are 'several' different species of crayfish spread all over the place but there are some basic life cycle traits that most will inevitably follow.
Here's a couple of links with perhaps more (or less) information than you may have been looking for.
http://www.crayfishfacts.net/crayfish_life_cycle/crayfish_life_cycle.html
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/CrawfishBiologyHistory.pdf
btw ~ It's probably time to pick up a few more jigs.
A-Jay
WRB reply :
^^^this^^^
never buy 1 jig!
Tom
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:21 AM, A-Jay said:@BrackishBassin
Having a basic understanding of a bass's prey is a solid plan.
There are 'several' different species of crayfish spread all over the place but there are some basic life cycle traits that most will inevitably follow.
Here's a couple of links with perhaps more (or less) information than you may have been looking for.
http://www.crayfishfacts.net/crayfish_life_cycle/crayfish_life_cycle.html
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/CrawfishBiologyHistory.pdf
btw ~ It's probably time to pick up a few more jigs.
A-Jay
Thanks! I’ll definitely be picking up more jigs, if I can catch a fish with one. Made a rule for myself - no new lures of a particular type until I catch a fish with one. Was able to knock out plastics, frogs, poppers, whopper plopper, and buzzbaits this year. But no luck with any of my jigs. Even tried throwing a bitsy bug in a pond with a trailer that had been catching fish all day thrown weightless, but there were zero takers. So, I hope that I can manage to catch one on either the black/blue or green pumpkin Booyah Boos that I have, or I’ll be stuck with them for another season without any to add to the collection.
BassWhole! reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 3:20 AM, BrackishBassin said:So, I have a local pond I fish quite a bit. It’s where I caught my PB. I was fishing it earlier this week to try out some cold water techniques (tried a jerk bait and worm slowly drug on the bottom), but got skunked. Then I realized that up and down the bank, as far as I could see, were crawfish chimneys. In spite of all the grass, I’ve decided to try fishing a jig and craw combo to see if I can’t get some fish this winter. The only problem is, I’ve never actually seen a crawfish there. Never seen a dead one, or found one in a bass’ mouth.
Does anyone happen to know if digging up/around the chimneys would work if I wanted to get my hands on one to try and match the coloring with a jig? I’d like to avoid buying 10 different colors and just trying them until one works. Would rather start off matching the hatch. Any other suggestions for ways for me to figure out what color they are would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing I should probably ask is anyone aware of any other aquatic species that build chimneys like that along the bank? Don’t want to waste time imitating crawfish if there aren’t any in the area.
Thanks!
I know this one. I don't have a bucket cloud picture storage thingy, but I have a pond with crystal clear water in PG County where matching the bugs works great (not this time of year), and I've caught several nice ones with bugs in their throats. Black/brown/orange with black/red flake works well. I went out for a couple of hours yesterday and today and caught some goods one.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:34 AM, reason said:I know this one. I don't have a bucket cloud picture storage thingy, but I have a pond with crystal clear water in PG County where matching the bugs works great (not this time of year), and I've caught several nice ones with bugs in their throats. Black/brown/orange with black/red flake works well. I went out for a couple of hours yesterday and today and caught some goods one.
So, jigs don’t work for you once it gets cold? Hope that’s not the case. It’s pretty much all I’ve got left in my cold water arsenal. Jerkbaits have been a complete bust as have soft plastics, both weighted and unweighted.
A-Jay reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:27 AM, BrackishBassin said:Thanks! I’ll definitely be picking up more jigs, if I can catch a fish with one. Made a rule for myself - no new lures of a particular type until I catch a fish with one. Was able to knock out plastics, frogs, poppers, whopper plopper, and buzzbaits this year. But no luck with any of my jigs. Even tried throwing a bitsy bug in a pond with a trailer that had been catching fish all day thrown weightless, but there were zero takers. So, I hope that I can manage to catch one on either the black/blue or green pumpkin Booyah Boos that I have, or I’ll be stuck with them for another season without any to add to the collection.
You're Welcome and Good Luck.
While most of the baits you've listed are 'moving baits' - a jig for the most part, is not.
My advice for any new jig fisherman is to do less with it.
After the cast, and once it settles to the bottom, slowly ( and I mean slowly) work it back to you like you were trying to sneak it along WITHOUT being detected. Really, just inch it along. No big hops, no big wiggles or jiggles - just a sneaky & sloooow track (with plenty of lengthy pauses) back to you.
Don't worry about a bass 'knowing' it's there. They know - it's their world.
I bet you get bit.
Be careful though - you might get your arm broke.
A-Jay
BassWhole! reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:36 AM, BrackishBassin said:So, jigs don’t work for you once it gets cold? Hope that’s not the case. It’s pretty much all I’ve got left in my cold water arsenal. Jerkbaits have been a complete bust as have soft plastics, both weighted and unweighted.
No, they work. But I find that a finesse or hair jig is better in cold water. The water isn't that cold right now, and with the mild few days we've had they are neither here nor there. All my fish were shallow, but I needed a subtle something going by their face. We need to talk about that PB in SoMD though, March into April is always good for a 6-8 lb fish locally.
WRB reply :
If you think crawdads are 1 color you are wrong. Crawdad shells are made up of a dot matrix of multiple colors like your TV screen. What may appear to the human eye that blends colors into 1 color, we don't know what the bass see. We do know that crawdads try to blend into the bottom background for camouflage to survive. Adding contrast colors helps the bass find the jig. Knowing what your local crawdads look like is good, adding contrasting color to the basic color will improve strike ratio. Every lake is different regarding regarding color preference.
Tom
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:43 AM, reason said:No, they work. But I find that a finesse or hair jig is better in cold water. The water isn't that cold right now, and with the mild few days we've had they are neither here nor there. All my fish were shallow, but I needed a subtle something going by their face. We need to talk about that PB in SoMD though, March into April is always good for a 6-8 lb fish locally.
Would love a few pointers for catching a big one locally. I’m a bank beater though, so anything deep is out of the question. My PB was caught in July last year. Bluegill were spawning and I tossed a pumpkin chartreuse lizard at the edge of a grass line near their beds. Barely had a chance to start to sink and it was gone.
On 12/3/2017 at 5:37 AM, A-Jay said:You're Welcome and Good Luck.
While most of the baits you've listed are 'moving baits' - a jig for the most part, is not.
My advice for any new jig fisherman is to do less with it.
After the cast, and once it settles to the bottom, slowly ( and I mean slowly) work it back to you like you were trying to sneak it along WITHOUT being detected. Really, just inch it along. No big hops, no big wiggles or jiggles - just a sneaky & sloooow track (with plenty of lengthy pauses) back to you.
Don't worry about a bass 'knowing' it's there. They know - it's their world.
I bet you get bit.
Be careful though - you might get your arm broke.
A-Jay
Thanks! That’s exactly the retrieve I was thinking of using since things are cooling down around here.
BASS302 reply :
@BrackishBassin
http://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Documents/KeytotheCrayfishesofMD_8_18_10.pdf
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 6:41 AM, BASS302 said:@BrackishBassin
http://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Documents/KeytotheCrayfishesofMD_8_18_10.pdf
Awesome resource! Thanks!
Looks like the ones in my area would range from light tan to brown with blue and orange mixed in.
Chris_97TJ reply :
If you really want to just catch one, tie a piece of raw bacon on a string and lower it down into a chimney. You’ll feel it when they start to grab it, then just slowly....(practice your jig fishing here, move it super slow) pull it out and I bet there’s a craw hanging on. We used to catch them in ditches by the dozens like this as kids.
Catt reply :
Color expression in crawfish is regulated largely by special pigment containing cells (chromatophores) located beneath the exoskeleton, and color is normally a function of two factors, developmental stage and the environment. Most crawfish species are generally greenish or brownish as immature animals and begin to take on the characteristic colors as the approach maturity. Color manifestations is intensified in sexually mature individuals. The aquatic environment and diet also influence color.
Individual specimens of crawfish vary in color from the normal population. Color variants are almost endless with respect to degree and/or pattern of expression.
Molting is the periodic shedding of the old exoskeleton (shell) and takes place with each increase in size which can be 4-6 times a year; once the crawfish reaches maturity the molting process stops Each individual crawfish will vary in color before, during, & after molting!
DON'T BUILD TRAPS OUT WIRE MESH!
See below! $1.99 at Academy ????
Sifuedition reply :
Another little tip I've heard. Maybe some here can confirm/deny. Pay attention to the roughness of the bass's lips when you catch them. The hard shells tend to wear down the sandpaper like edge on their lips. The more crawfish they are feeding on, the less rough their lips will be. If you feel significant grip on the roughness of their lips, it is likely they are feeding much more on baitfish. I only heard that this year, but it sounded very logical. The local pond I fish the most has tons of shad, and I mean a lot. I have not seen one sign of crawfish. Their lips are very, very rough. It's too small of a sample size for me to confirm or deny, but, it is consistent, so far, with what I heard.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 9:27 AM, Sifuedition said:Another little tip I've heard. Maybe some here can confirm/deny. Pay attention to the roughness of the bass's lips when you catch them. The hard shells tend to wear down the sandpaper like edge on their lips. The more crawfish they are feeding on, the less rough their lips will be. If you feel significant grip on the roughness of their lips, it is likely they are feeding much more on baitfish. I only heard that this year, but it sounded very logical. The local pond I fish the most has tons of shad, and I mean a lot. I have not seen one sign of crawfish. Their lips are very, very rough. It's too small of a sample size for me to confirm or deny, but, it is consistent, so far, with what I heard.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve avoided trying to mimic crawfish in this particular pond. Every fish I’ve caught there (PB included) had mouths so rough that I ended up bleeding if I was catching them really well, or they were decent sized. By the time I got my PB back in the water, I had blood dripping down my hand. My thumb was destroyed from one little shake he/she did when I was gettin the hook out. I figured they must be feeding almost exclusively on fish. But that can’t be true with the numbers of chimneys I’m seeing. The bank is literally littered with them.
A-Jay reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 9:27 AM, Sifuedition said:Another little tip I've heard. Maybe some here can confirm/deny. Pay attention to the roughness of the bass's lips when you catch them. The hard shells tend to wear down the sandpaper like edge on their lips. The more crawfish they are feeding on, the less rough their lips will be. If you feel significant grip on the roughness of their lips, it is likely they are feeding much more on baitfish. I only heard that this year, but it sounded very logical. The local pond I fish the most has tons of shad, and I mean a lot. I have not seen one sign of crawfish. Their lips are very, very rough. It's too small of a sample size for me to confirm or deny, but, it is consistent, so far, with what I heard.
I catch a few smallies - many that feed on crayfish. In fact my live well often looks like a grave yard.
As for the teeth thing - I have never really found this to be true.
If you've watched a bass take in a crayfish - there's little to no teeth involved.
They suck it in - crush it inside their mouths and then down it whole.
All this take place well past their 'teeth'.
A-Jay
WRB reply :
The cartilage in the back of the mouth the bass use to crunch with has teeth similar to the lips.
Tom
BASS302 reply :
Some additional info regarding what @A-Jay and @WRB mention is contained in the abstract at:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9924772
NorthwestBasser reply :
I agree with the above posts, crawdads will vary in color but reds orange, brown and greens will cover it. Trapping some would be the quickest easiest route to see what's in your pond. However, like stated above, the exact color probably won't be a huge difference maker. I live in Washington state, we don't have shad here. But if I were to dump a few hundred shad into one of my local lakes I guarantee the bass would feast on them having never seen a single shad in their entire lives. I know this because I catch bass with shad pattern lipless cranks and squarebills.
Bluebasser86 reply :
The crawdads that we have here that build the chimneys very rarely ever go into ponds or lakes, they just dig next to them so their burrow fills up with water and live in there. Even when they come out at night to feed they don't go into the water but on rare occasions.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 5:38 PM, Bluebasser86 said:The crawdads that we have here that build the chimneys very rarely ever go into ponds or lakes, they just dig next to them so their burrow fills up with water and live in there. Even when they come out at night to feed they don't go into the water but on rare occasions.
Interesting point. Wouldn’t be any way for me to determine that particular detail. In NY, I used to spend my summers digging them out from under rocks in the creeks to sell as bait, or use as bait. Unfortunately, there aren’t any rocks in this pond (that I have found) for me to go roll over.
NHBull reply :
This is also a good time to pick up a couple hair jigs. Still a bit warm for where they really shine, but given your luck, there is no downside. At a minimum you will be old to go in the Spring
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 8:42 PM, BrackishBassin said:Interesting point. Wouldn’t be any way for me to determine that particular detail. In NY, I used to spend my summers digging them out from under rocks in the creeks to sell as bait, or use as bait. Unfortunately, there aren’t any rocks in this pond (that I have found) for me to go roll over.
Put a couple flat rocks or lay a couple logs near the shoreline and wait at least a few days to check them. If there's craws in the pond they'll find them.
pondbassin101 reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 9:37 AM, BrackishBassin said:Every fish I’ve caught there (PB included) had mouths so rough that I ended up bleeding if I was catching them really well, or they were decent sized. By the time I got my PB back in the water, I had blood dripping down my hand. My thumb was destroyed from one little shake he/she did when I was gettin the hook out. I figured they must be feeding almost exclusively on fish.
Slightly off topic, but I've figured out a solution for that. The ponds around here that I fish have bluegill/sunfish as the main forage, hence the gripper teeth patch is very sharp/rough. I learned that instead of grabbing bass directly by the lip, arc your thumb over the teeth and grab the fish right under the tongue structure.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/4/2017 at 2:56 AM, pondbassin101 said:Slightly off topic, but I've figured out a solution for that. The ponds around here that I fish have bluegill/sunfish as the main forage, hence the gripper teeth patch is very sharp/rough. I learned that instead of grabbing bass directly by the lip, arc your thumb over the teeth and grab the fish right under the tongue structure.
I try to do that, when I can. Inevitably end up twisting around trying to get the hook out and run my thumb over their teeth. It’s alright though. That’s how you know you had a good day.
BassWhole! reply :
"You have city hands Mr Hooper, you've been catching large mouth all your life..."
WRB reply :
On 12/4/2017 at 2:56 AM, pondbassin101 said:Slightly off topic, but I've figured out a solution for that. The ponds around here that I fish have bluegill/sunfish as the main forage, hence the gripper teeth patch is very sharp/rough. I learned that instead of grabbing bass directly by the lip, arc your thumb over the teeth and grab the fish right under the tongue structure.
Off topic; Clear photo of how not to hold a bass by the lower jaw mouth bent open, can possibly tear their jaw hinges dislocated it and the bass can starve.
Note the 2 orange pads upper mouth area just before the dark throat...those are the crunchers bass use to kill crawdads and bait fish with just before swallowing the prey. Teeth on the lips prevents prey from escaping after being engulfed, bass don't bite or tear with there teeth, they grip with them.
Tom
bigbill reply :
I use the rebel BIGCLAW crawfish crankbait that dives 10’ everywhere. In chartreuse. It works everywhere here. Even in the rivers were the crawfish are a light brown. Normally in the ponds I fish the crawfish are red sides with black backs. I’m not sure about the habits nor life of crawfish about them changing colors when they shed their shells. But chartreuse works, I use the d74 rebel craw, cast it out I do a sweep back on the rod to make it dive them reel it slowly. Or let it float and twitch it.
i purchased mister twister craws on sale I save them for rivers.
pondbassin101 reply :
On 12/4/2017 at 7:47 AM, WRB said:Off topic; Clear photo of how not to hold a bass by the lower jaw mouth bent open, can possibly tear their jaw hinges dislocated it and the bass can starve.
Note the 2 orange pads upper mouth area just before the dark throat...those are the crunchers bass use to kill crawdads and bait fish with just before swallowing the prey. Teeth on the lips prevents prey from escaping after being engulfed, bass don't bite or tear with there teeth, they grip with them.
Tom
This is a picture I found on google.
On 12/4/2017 at 4:20 AM, BrackishBassin said:I try to do that, when I can. Inevitably end up twisting around trying to get the hook out and run my thumb over their teeth. It’s alright though. That’s how you know you had a good day.
If you say you caught alot of fish and you don't have a bass thumb, then you're either a horrible liar or great at handling fish. 
Munkin reply :
http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/species_by_state.htm
This map shows what crayfish live in the US.
Allen
fishwizzard reply :
My buddy is a wildlife biologist who has been doing electrofishing in MD for like a decade now, he is my goto for "what color is X around here?" questions. Last time I asked him about craws he said that in southern/central MD they are various reds/browns/oranges. I am trying to make a real go of jigs this winter as well and I picked blue/black and brown/orange as my two colors.
Also, @reason, a pond with clear water in PG during the summer sounds like an impossible dream. I spend a lot of the winter walking the banks at my usual spots so I can see the bottom for a change. So many of the ponds around here are old gravel pits that it's almost impossible to predict the bottom contour from looking at the surrounding terrain.
BassWhole! reply :
On 12/6/2017 at 2:58 AM, fishwizzard said:Also, @reason, a pond with clear water in PG during the summer sounds like an impossible dream.
Gin clear 24/7 365. Even after a downpour, vis is like 4-5 feet for a few hours. Have learned a lot from being able to see them there.
fishwizzard reply :
On 12/6/2017 at 7:09 AM, reason said:Gin clear 24/7 365. Even after a downpour, vis is like 4-5 feet for a few hours. Have learned a lot from being able to see them there.
Well, if you would leave me the location in your will that would be great.
There are so many quarry ponds around here that I would love to have access too. Sometimes I want to just drive around with a stack of $20s in my pocket and see if I can strike a deal will some quarry superintendent, but I suspect that insurance companies take a dim view of that sort of thing these days.
BassWhole! reply :
On 12/6/2017 at 7:54 AM, fishwizzard said:Well, if you would leave me the location in your will that would be great.
I can't give you that one, but Chaney donated some land with a pond (for all their sins) not too long ago down here and its full (too full) of small fish, and I got one just under 8 from there last year, That one we can do. Oh, and I had folks convinced there are no fish in Allen's pond till recently....
geo g reply :
I doubt the color would matter that much. Throw any craw into the mix and if a hungry bass is there, it will grab it.
fishwizzard reply :
On 12/6/2017 at 7:52 PM, reason said:I can't give you that one, but Chaney donated some land with a pond (for all their sins) not too long ago down here and its full (too full) of small fish, and I got one just under 8 from there last year, That one we can do. Oh, and I had folks convinced there are no fish in Allen's pond till recently....
Hah, thanks for the tip. Sorry if I blew up you spot, but it's hard to frame a shot at Allen's without making it obvious. Anyone with eyes (and polarized glasses) can tell there are fish in there, but I don't think most people know where to look.
Rick Howard reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 4:02 AM, Smokinal said:Tequila Sunrise worms at that
Well I see worms swimming when I drink Tequila! Especially if I am still drinking at sunrise!
the reel ess reply :
It's simple. They're all black/blue. Not really, but that color always seems to work for me. If they're any other color it's brown. I don't even have any brown craws right now.
Here G Man explains the two colors you really need in a jig: Black and brown. But you can catch fish on black jig/brown trailer and vice versa.
ut y
the reel ess reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 9:37 AM, BrackishBassin said:That’s one of the reasons I’ve avoided trying to mimic crawfish in this particular pond. Every fish I’ve caught there (PB included) had mouths so rough that I ended up bleeding if I was catching them really well, or they were decent sized. By the time I got my PB back in the water, I had blood dripping down my hand. My thumb was destroyed from one little shake he/she did when I was gettin the hook out. I figured they must be feeding almost exclusively on fish. But that can’t be true with the numbers of chimneys I’m seeing. The bank is literally littered with them.
They're probably there, if that's what you mean. I mean every fish I ever cut open to see what was in the stomach had fish of some kind in it-no crawfish. And they didn't regurgitate anything but fish. I fished a local lake my entire life up until about 40 years old. We had a house on it. I never saw a crawfish there. I even told someone there weren't any there and he said he bet there were. Then I caught a bass with a claw coming out. I helped the poor fellow out. I swam in that water and trapped and seined minnows as a kid and never saw a crawfish. But as mentioned before, bass will bite a worm though you don't see them in the water. I suspect bass would bite the craw even if there were none in their waters.
MickD reply :
Try Tom's suggestion. I believe that the crayfish in the chimneys on shore are terrestrial crayfish, and bass have probably never seen them. Neither have I, but I've tried. The lake crayfish are often easily seen at boat launches at night. Ask local fishermen what colors they find most effective on that lake, and use a crayfish trailer in that color.
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/8/2017 at 6:40 AM, MickD said:Try Tom's suggestion. I believe that the crayfish in the chimneys on shore are terrestrial crayfish, and bass have probably never seen them. Neither have I, but I've tried. The lake crayfish are often easily seen at boat launches at night. Ask local fishermen what colors they find most effective on that lake, and use a crayfish trailer in that color.
Thanks! However, it's not a 'lake'. It's a pond. No boat launches, and I've only ever seen one other person fish it. He told me that he'd fished it 10 or 15 times and never caught a fish out of it. I didn't mention to him that I fished it at least 4 times a month and had caught everything from crappie to my PB. Just thanked him and moved along.
WRB reply :
On 12/6/2017 at 11:52 PM, geo g said:I doubt the color would matter that much. Throw any craw into the mix and if a hungry bass is there, it will grab it.
For some anglers all they need is black or white or black back with white belly. life is simple and they will catch bass.
Tom
Sam reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 3:41 AM, Scott F said:IMHO, If a bass is in the mood to eat, and sees a crayfish, he will not pass it up because it is not the right color. Even if the bass has never seen a crayfish before, if he thinks it's edible, he'll eat it. One of the most popular bass baits of all time is a worm. How often have you ever seen worms swimming in your local waters?
Correct answer.
To find out the colors of your local crawfish call your state game and fisheries and ask for the individual who knows about crawfish.
They will love to speak with you and they will give you a lot of great crawfish information.
And for starters at the pond, go with a 1/2 ounce brown and orange jig with a Root Beer Zoom chunk. If no bites, scale down to a smaller jig.
If still no bites, go with a hair jig.
If still no bites, go home.
Just some suggestions.
Good luck and Merry Christmas.
Catt reply :
On 12/8/2017 at 7:39 PM, Sam said:And for starters at the pond, go with a 1/2 ounce brown and orange jig with a Root Beer Zoom chunk. If no bites, scale down to a smaller jig.
If still no bites, go with a hair jig.
If still no bites, go home.
Just some suggestions.
Good luck and Merry Christmas.
Throw a craw worm ????
scaleface reply :
One winter day I noticed some crawdads beside a culvert with water running through it . They were predominately purple . Until that point I thought crawdads were brown . I have seined darters that were as brilliantly colored as aquarium fish . Colors that one might think are unnatural may be not be so .
BigAngus752 reply :
On 12/3/2017 at 3:41 AM, Scott F said:IMHO, If a bass is in the mood to eat, and sees a crayfish, he will not pass it up because it is not the right color. Even if the bass has never seen a crayfish before, if he thinks it's edible, he'll eat it. One of the most popular bass baits of all time is a worm. How often have you ever seen worms swimming in your local waters?
On 12/3/2017 at 4:02 AM, Smokinal said:Tequila Sunrise worms at that
Wow, you guys are totally wrong. Look at this pic. We just had a big rain the other day and these fellas were crawling around on my sidewalk. I admit, the Illinois Albino worms are pretty rare, but the Blue Flake worms are all over my yard. And our trees are chock full of Rage Bugs. d**n things are noisy at night...
Scott F reply :
On 12/8/2017 at 10:17 PM, BigAngus752 said:
Wow, you guys are totally wrong. Look at this pic. We just had a big rain the other day and these fellas were crawling around on my sidewalk. I admit, the Illinois Albino worms are pretty rare, but the Blue Flake worms are all over my yard. And our trees are chock full of Rage Bugs. d**n things are noisy at night...
If I’m so wrong, shouldn’t those things be in a lake and not your driveway?
scaleface reply :
On 12/8/2017 at 10:17 PM, BigAngus752 said:
Wow, you guys are totally wrong. Look at this pic. We just had a big rain the other day and these fellas were crawling around on my sidewalk. I admit, the Illinois Albino worms are pretty rare, but the Blue Flake worms are all over my yard. And our trees are chock full of Rage Bugs. d**n things are noisy at night...
Is your lawn artificial turf ?
BrackishBassin reply :
On 12/5/2017 at 2:09 AM, Munkin said:http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/species_by_state.htm
This map shows what crayfish live in the US.
Allen
That’s interesting. Doesn’t seem to line up with Maryland DNR’s map of species and their ranges.
Munkin reply :
On 12/10/2017 at 8:08 AM, BrackishBassin said:That’s interesting. Doesn’t seem to line up with Maryland DNR’s map of species and their ranges.
Here in western maryland most of the crayfish I come across are Spiney or Viral craws. Both change color when they are molting which is good to keep in mind. When they are molting their shell is softer which is why I think bass target certain colored jigs.
Allen
Arlo Smithereen reply :
I heard Gerald Swindle say that you only need a couple colors of jigs. Green pumpkin with a little purple in it, and black/blue. Now I have a few more colors than that, but in my experience if they're on a jig, you can't really go wrong with those two. Depending on water clarity and weather. I experiment with different trailer colors though.
saamyb reply :
When the water is clear my crawfish are green pumpkin when it's stained they are black and blue, It's got to be the colors of them at that time because that's what color jigs they eat.
hawgenvy reply :
According to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, per the link above, there are 57 species of crawfish in Florida. Some are bight blue, many are very dark, some are white. It seems Alabama has the most species, 74, which is astounding. Alaska has none. Maryland has ten species.
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