King Craw Rigging

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Troy Pattillo on February 9, 2009 at 1:00pm

Tag, nice tip and thanks for sharing. With the K.craw weighing 1.5oz and an additional oz. on the jig head, I'm thinking my Dobyns 705c is really underpowered. Looks like I need to look into purchasing some real beef sticks.
With the hookset being mainly a reel up tight type, are you using braid to eliminate stretch?
Thanks

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on February 9, 2009 at 3:02pm

Hey Nolliver,

Thanks for the question. I typically fish the King Craw for smallmouth in deep water (25+ feet) and like to fish it fairly vertical. For this method, a 7' med/heavy fast action rod is more than adequate. If you plan on pitching this lure around cover or casting and working it on structure, you may want to use a 7'6" to 8' med/heavy or heavy rod.

I use 15 lb. P-Line fluorocarbon for fishing the King Craw vertically for smallmouth. In my opinion, fluorocarbon has the perfect combination of minimal stretch, sensitivity and abrasion resistance for this technique.

I like to fish the King Craw vertically for a couple of reasons. For one, I like the precision and sensitivity of a vertical presentation for this application. Secondly, because the King Craw is so buoyant, it will really want to lift up off the bottom if worked too quickly, even when fished on a one ounce football head. Keeping my line as close to vertical as possible helps me keep from working the bait too quickly. On a few occasions in heavy winds, above the 1 oz. football head, I have used a 1/2 oz. tungsten slip sinker and bead loosely pegged with a sinker stopper to help maintain bottom contact. 3 oz. of lead, tungsten and plastic, now that's a meal!

Permalink Reply by Chris Blandi on February 9, 2009 at 3:17pm

Great write up and video Tag. Its definetly a big bait and catches big fish, your pics prove it. On another note, don't think it only catches big fish. I don't use the bait nearly enough, but the only fish I have caught on it went in the neighborhood of 2.2 lbs. That fish bit off both claws, I set the hook a couple times thinking I missed the strike, started reeling in and WHAM ! I definetly need to use this bait more this year.

Permalink Reply by Troy Pattillo on February 9, 2009 at 3:27pm

So your telling me that with a Rod rated at 3/8-1 1/2 oz is sufficient to sink a big ass 6/0 hook. Is the vertical presentation and the fact your NOT trying to rip their lips off affording You the option of not using a pool cue? Forgive the apparent ignorance but I really want to learn big baits and if I can keep my load lighter by not packing a different rod for every tactic but learning to adapt and adjust, I will be a much better angler in the future. Looking to keep between 4 and 6 rods on board my pontoon this up coming season.
p.s. My wife gave birth to our first child this morning. A healthy boy at just under 8 lbs.
Thanks again for the advice.

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on February 9, 2009 at 4:39pm

Nolliver, congratulations to you and your wife on the new addition to the family. You're going to enjoy being a dad.

The 6/0 Gamakatsu hook on the football head which I use for the King Craw penetrates well with a 7' medium/heavy fast action rod. The reason this works is because the hookset is a combination of both finesse and power. Keep in mind, there is no brush guard on this jig, the Gamakatsu hook is sticky sharp and the hook gauge is not too big. As described in the rigging video, when I detect the strike, I begin reeling while at the same time applying steady pressure in an attempt to make the hook turn properly in the bass's mouth and begin sinking the hook point. Once I feel the hook point has started to penetrate, I begin reeling quickly and applying increasing pressure to finish driving the hook home. This may take a little practice but you will get the hang of it fairly quickly.

Permalink Reply by kzoo on February 9, 2009 at 4:57pm

Thanks for the tutorial! I'm sold. Where can u get a 6/0, 1oz football head?

Same question as Sparky. Can u cast and drag it back or is it just a vertical presentation?

Permalink Reply by S Hwang on February 9, 2009 at 5:48pm

grats on the kid Nolliver!

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on February 9, 2009 at 6:40pm

Kzoo and Sparky,

You can absolutely cast and drag this bait. It really just boils down to the specific application and the personal preference of the angler.

I will briefly explain my philosophy/approach with the King Craw in early Fall. With this lure, I am typically making a milk run of high percentage "spot on the spot" locations in search of big bites. On a given piece of structure, I have found that the biggest bass will occupy the prime locations the majority of the time. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but for the most part I have had the most success with this lure as a "target" bait. This philosophy is similar to that of fishing a big swimbait. Because of the drawing power of a swimbait, with proper boat positioning and casting angles, one or two casts can effectively cover a specific "spot on the spot" of a piece of structure. I believe this same principal applies to fishing the King Craw because of it's size and its potential to draw fish from a distance.

First off, I am usually pretty intimate with the structural features on which I am fishing the King Craw. I typically know the bottom composition, where the bottom composition changes are present, where the breaks are located and the presence any key features like rises, depressions, boulders, laydowns, etc. Based on this knowledge, I can often determine which are the high percentage spots on these pieces of structure for big fish.

My approach is pretty simple. I will get directly over the specific spot with my electronics. I'm not concerned with spooking fish, being directly on top of the spot, because I am typically fishing this lure in depths greater than 25' in early fall, usually with a little chop on the water. I drop the lure straight down to the bottom and immediately prepare for a reaction bite. If I do not get bit after the initial fall, I will deadstick the lure for about 30 seconds. My reasoning behind the deadsticking is that I am trying to take advantage of the curiosity of the smallmouth. I know if there is a big smallmouth or two in the area, chances are that they will at least come over and investigate. By deadsticking the lure, I am trying to build up their anticipation while the craw maintains its defensive posture due to the buoyancy of the plastic. (The whole cat and toy mouse scenario). After deadsticking the lure, I will roll my wrist, to make the King Craw jump back several inches like it is trying to flee. This will often trigger vicious strikes. If I don't get bit, I may repeat sequence one more time or just reel in and move on to the next stop on my milk run.

This approach has been effective for me, but I'm sure there are many other methods that can be just as effective if not more effective. I like this lure because on certain pieces of structure that may house fish of all sizes, I believe it can do some culling for you. If you drop down a dropshot, grub, tube, small craw, etc. it seems like those smaller quicker fish will be all over it. Not so much with the King Craw, although smaller fish will also eat the lure at times.

On another note, a good friend of mine has done well on this lure catching big prespawn female largemouth staging on deeper docks adjacent to spawning areas in the Spring. He would deadstick the lure along side the dock in a similar fashion and they eventually came out and chowed it.

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on February 9, 2009 at 7:39pm

Very informative video Tag! I can't wait to practice with this bait on Whatcom! Have you tried Carolina Rigging this bait at all? Seems like a bait that might work well on a Carolina Rig too as long as the bouyancy you described doesn't cause it to float off the bottom excessively. I have never fished this lure though so I dont have a feel for how it behaves. It would probably require a shorter leader to keep it closer to the bottom but for someone trying to explore new water that was still searching for precise locations and/or fishing for scattered fish this may be another option. Again, having never fished this bait I may be way off base though.

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on February 9, 2009 at 8:05pm

Hey David,

Good to hear from you. This bait would probably look pretty decent on a Carolina Rig but the sheer size of the King Craw may pose a challenge when rigging. This is a BIG chunk of plastic. If you come up with a slick new rigging method, I'd love to check it out.

Unfortunately, the King Craw doesn't work on Whatcom. They love dropshots though.....

Permalink Reply by Dave Massey on February 10, 2009 at 8:33am

does this come in any other colors. maybe with a little orange in them?

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on February 10, 2009 at 9:09am

Dave,

I will sometimes add a little orange Spike-It to the underside of the pincers and the belly of the craw to try and match their seasonal coloration. I also use a black permanent marker to doctor up the eyes and the antenna to add to the realism. I don't know how much of a difference this actually makes when it comes to triggering strikes but it does look pretty cool.

WA Craw (Dark Green Pumpkin and Blue Pearl Swirl) and Camo (Dark Green Pumpkin and Sculpin Brown Swirl) are my favorite colors. I believe KGM offers a Delta Craw as well that sounds pretty sweet. Contact Kenn if you would like him to make you a custom color to match the craws in your particular fishery.

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