I've personally never used any crawfish patterned crank baits whether it be lipless or what have you. What situations do you guys use hard baits of this color?

Any time I'm smallmouth fishing I go with crawfish colored cranks. Also any time I'm fishing around rocks or hard bottom I use crawfish colors and imitations.

They don't work, so don't try.

 

 

Seriously though, I find the crawfish colored cranks I have do better for smallies.  Ratio is for me is (if I had to guess)5 to 1, but yeah they work. Especially lipless crankbaits that imitate craws, my local lakes and rivers..they smashem!  I even had a baby smallie smash a lipless crankbait that it was barely bigger than. 

Me andmy buddy kill the largemouth bass here in FL on craw colored crank baits at spots that hold crawfish. We are mainly throwing the KVD 1.5s. I just ordered a River 2 Sea crankbait in craw color going to test that out this weekend.

I think it is more the color than a imitation of a Craw. One of my favorites here in Miami is Strike King Red Eye Shad in orange craw. Craws don't swim like or look like this bait, but they sure catch fish.

I use red, green, and brown craw patterns throughout the year for largies. In the spring these patterns really shine and the red craw is killer. 

Crayfish colored cranks work better for me in the rocky rivers around here. While I have caught fish in the lakes on them a baitfish colored bait has always worked better.

 

Allen

They don't work. Especially the red ones...the best thing yall can do is send them all to me and ill find something to do with them.

Lol

I'm a strike king red eye shad in orange craw color guy. Works great as soon as we have soft water until the spawn.

I fish em before until may then switch to shad colors

I've fished the Rebel wee crawfish for a long time. It's pretty small (size 12 hooks). I've caught a lot of fish on it. The place where it really shines is on big bluegills.

Todd

Work great for both largemouth and smallies, maybe a bit more so for smallies though. In areas I fish where there are no shad they are great choices.

I love the Koppers Live Target crankbaits in the crawfish colors for smallmouth.

Crawfish colors seem to be one of the best colors around here in the spring. 

Crawfish colors seem to be one of the best colors around here in the spring. 

 

Agree with that one.  No doubt about it.

I use the bomber FAT A, bomber Model A in crawfish patterns beside there standard patterns. These can be hard to find too.

I use a online site in Texas called brannans bass shop.

Bomber cranks in craw colors are;

Redapplecraw

Browncraw

Firecraw

Greencraw

In mainly size 05 from shore. I keep the length between 1 7/8" to 2" when I can for the shallow running crawfish cranks.

The other hottest crawfish crank I use is the rebel BIGCLAW crawfish that dives to 10'. Since it floats this can be bounced on the shallower bottom or used topwater by adjusting your speed. I use the chartreuse color. The smaller rebel crawfish cranks work great in rivers too I bring them into the deeper pools slowly.

The bomber crankbaits and the rebel crawfish cranks are great to have. I carry an assortment of most of there colors too being a color freak. If one color doesn't work I switch colors till one works for the light and water conditions I have at that time.

Match the colors of your crawfish in your area. Here my craws have reddish sides with black backs normally in the lakes and ponds. In the rivers there a light brown color. If the light conditions are darker, cloud cover and the water conditions are stained to muddy the chartreuse color crawfish crank is your friend. Do not limit your colors to one or just a few.

Remember it's skill in fishing not luck. So hone your skills here and go catch one for me. God bless, bill

I think it is more the color than a imitation of a Craw. One of my favorites here in Miami is Strike King Red Eye Shad in orange craw. Craws don't swim like or look like this bait, but they sure catch fish.

 

Actually if you kind of pulse the bait on the retrieve it does look a little like a crawfish that's trying to get away.

Red clay banks and rip rap during low light periods when crawdads are active.

Tom

Me andmy buddy kill the largemouth bass here in FL on craw colored crank baits at spots that hold crawfish. We are mainly throwing the KVD 1.5s. I just ordered a River 2 Sea crankbait in craw color going to test that out this weekend.

AK, those River 2 Sea by Ish are real bass catchers. For around $8 you get a crank that is built and performs like a $16 squarebill. Good choice!

I fish craw colored cranks all year round but they are best during spring and anytime I'm on a body of water that doesn't have a big shad population.

Crawfish colored cranks are almost all I throw if not fishing in shad they really produce giant bass

best color for me in spring.. i fish them until mid may