Been playing around and testing this out all summer with good success. As the commercial goes, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work - lol. More to appease my curiosity and eat up a little of that extra time I have now that I’m retired. That said, the last thing you always see when the bass are feeding on crayfish are the antennae, not the claws ?

 

 

Those look good . smallmouths will chow down on them . I did something similar with half senko type worms . I added legs and antennae at the end with skirt material . A poor mans Ned rig with extra pizazz. Smallies couldnt resist .

 

Did you use braid ?

Yep, been using 65# green from my frogging outfit. Have tested on numerous different craws - even on some Zman stuff. 

I've always done best with craw baits that had longer antannaes than shorter ones. I've always felt the longer antannaes waiving around drew more hits. Examples of good ones for me were the Hibdon Guido bug, and the 3" Zoom Critter Craw. Both have longer antannaes out front. I've caught more bass on this style than say a Paca Chunk craw, which has much shorter ones. That looks like a good mod.

10 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I've always done best with craw baits that had longer antannaes than shorter ones. I've always felt the longer antannaes waiving around drew more hits. Examples of good ones for me were the Hibdon Guido bug, and the 3" Zoom Critter Craw. Both have longer antannaes out front. I've caught more bass on this style than say a Paca Chunk craw, which has much shorter ones. That looks like a good mod.

The wal mart renegades were good and had a lot  of appendages . 

Just now, scaleface said:

The wal mart renegades were good and had a lot  of appendages . 

I wish we could still get the Guido Bug. It used to be my favourite

Just now, Catt said:

Catt, that looks like a good craw right there. I always thought the long antenna were just as important as the size or shape of the claws.

How are you attaching them?

Ol @Team9nine is definitely on to something & can no longer find those craw worms!

I still have some of the Riverside Big Claws , with long antennae's . 

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Catt, that looks like a good craw right there. I always thought the long antenna were just as important as the size or shape of the claws.

You mentioned the Guido Bug, and I remember an interview with Guido where he specifically mentioned that the longer antennae, they felt, was important, hence them designing theirs as they did.

 

 

1 hour ago, Bassjam2000 said:

How are you attaching them?

 

Just using a drop shot hook as a needle. Thread one end of the braid through the eye, then just pierce the nose of the plastic and pull the hook all the way through (remove any existing antennae first). Tie off the braid so it won't move, then trim the two braid ends to length, 2X the length of the pincers just like a real craw.

 

Long ago, I heard the notion that some bass are intimidated by large mandibles, something I dismissed

as a silly human reaction. Since then however, I’ve watched a number of underwater videos of standoffs

between a bass and a crayfish. In a surprisingly number of cases, the craw either outmaneuvered the bass

or counterattacked with formidably positioned claws, ultimately causing the bass to abandon chase

and concede to an easier meal. In the bass's world, I doubt that fear plays much of a role,

but it makes you wonder about the fence cases...bass that were previously engaged in a similar bout.

No big deal of course, but we're always trying to play the odds.

 

All that said, I agree with the long antennae concept, particularly as a substitute for oversize claws.

That might explain the success of the 'tube', in essence a clawless craw.

 

Roger