Creatures / Craw Soft Bait

Soft plastic crawfish and creature

Crayfish soft lures and creature lures are treats for fish. Originally from the USA, they are used on jig heads for fishing black bass with soft lures. They are a great tool for fishing in heavy cover vegetation where many game hide: submerged woods, grass beds, sub aquatic structure. The soft craw lures are optimal when your fishing area is rich in crayfish. In this case, zander, black bass and perch can make it 90% of their diet. An alternative to fishing with a jig head is to use a Texas hook to offer as little resistance as possible when the fish takes it in its mouth. You can choose to fish with an additional weight (bullet weight/ carolina rig) or weightless texas rig. The Texas jig head is preferred for fishing in areas more than one meter deep. A "light"  weightless rig on a Texas hook allows you to take advantage of the natural density of the soft lure material for an optimal natural presentation. These soft lures are quite versatile and are a great option for getting a bigger bite on metal lures: spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

Dare to go big and target pike with a soft lure creature or crayfish? For black bass fishing, they have no equivalent to flush out fish "suspended" between obstacles during the feeding period. The jig head option is also possible with a linear, stop and go or bottom dragging. To soak a specific position (bridge pier, water inlet, pond tail) the drop shot is a great alternative! The range of soft lures for crayfish and creatures are a great opportunity to fish for freshwater predators.

Fishing for zander

To begin with, zander is a night feeding fish, endowed with outstanding visual performances, a too strong light can blind it. All the shaded areas or difficult access for light presents its preferred hiding spots. For this reason, the use of a Texas rig with a light weight in the shaded, shallow areas allows a fine approach on a spinning set, very effective. We cast as close as possible to the bank or obstacles to let the lure slowly sink until it reaches the bottom. The use braided line allows an optimal feeling of the subtle bites of this superb fish with super senses. A simple sideways movement of the line is a sign of a fish intercepting your soft crayfish lure, during its descent, stay focused. Once the creature or soft crayfish lure is on the bottom, we retrieve the bait with small hops on the bottom, or with the reel in a linear way without raising the rod. These two options are equivalent for zander in dense cover.

The goal is to move it with little hops and drags about 4 to 8 cm, keep the lure on the bottom. This is a very light and fun technique, using the lightest weight possible to have a lure being worked as much by the current as the angler, try it you’ll be amazed at how light you can fish. During the wintertime, fish are more lethargic and it might be better to use a heavier sinker on your craw and drag it slowly on the bottom. It’s a good idea to make long pauses, inching along the bottom as fish metabolism is slower, it’s no time to rush and fast retrieve. The weedless brush head is another effective option for zander fishing in thick cover, think about it! It is an excellent complement to linear drop-shot fishing. To conclude, choosing a crayfish to track zander in all conditions around obstacles is a first choice!

Perch and soft lure crayfish (craw) a happy marriage

First of all, game fishermen know this percid for its reputation of frantic hunts on forage fish (roach, bleak and fry). The use of soft lure crayfish and creature size 3 to 4.5 inches is ideal to select the bigger fish or to locate the schools of feeding perch. For this reason, linear drop shot fishing near obstacles often pays off. We practice the same way in open water for the search of large pelagic perch that move away from the schools of small and medium perch. For fast fishing, the use of a light jig head with a fast retrieve has no equal to locate the schools of perch. The schools of perch are made up of individuals of 35 cm maximum size, beyond that the perch become more solitary or move in small groups of 2 to 3 individuals.

Some of the best areas for perch have the same biotope as some of the zander spots. Sunken trees or rich vegetal cover impenetrable with any other lure for fear of snagging! For this reason, a heavy Texas rig will allow you to pierce through the vegetal cover to catch these big fish. Dragging the bottom with a soft crawfish in deep cover is also a great option! To conclude, if you target perch it is time to take into account this category of soft lure often neglected by many fishermen, have fun!

Black bass: your partner for fishing with soft craws

To begin with, we are dealing with a game fish that is hyper fun to fish: jump, adrenaline pumped fight! black bass has a natural tendency to hide in the thickest cover available. On the menu: sunken tree, lay downs, grass mats, thick cover, lily pads you name it! All of which makes these hot spots for black bass inaccessible for 95% of the types of lures guaranteed to hang up with each cast. That's where the creature and the crayfish soft lure comes in usually rigged on a Texas rig weighted or not. We can sort out the rigging option in 2 categories; over 6gr and under 6gr.

For below 6gr, for best casting and lure control ability it’s best to select spinning tackle with a 2500 size reel and 0.10mm braided line. Anything over 6gr can be handled by a casting combo and a fast action rod. For a precise action a  weightless Texas rig is perfect for fishing under overhanging trees. Sight fishing with a pair of polarized sun glasses allows you to spot large black bass, sitting on their hunting / resting area. Finally we use the soft lure creature and crayfish behind a chatterbait or spinnerbait for winter fishing by cranking on the bottom when bass are moving to the deeper waters.