So everybody throws red craw,bluegill and shad colored cranks but you don't hear as much about brown craw or yellow craw colors. Whose throwing these? Which color do you prefer and why?

I throw a Yum 3" craw, that is pumpkin and Chartreuse, in certain conditions. I use a Gammy 2/0 belly weighted hook and T-rig it.

 

I carry one pack with me in late spring, on certain small rivers. The Crawfish get a weird color for a couple of weeks in early May and if you match the hatch and all that jazz, you can catch a lot of fish.

 

I have also has solid results, but limited to specific conditions, with a Brown and orange flake crawfish that was again, T-rigged.

I haven't exhaustively tried yellow crankbaits, but I did get a yellow craw pattern Wiggle Wart (a crank that did okay for me in other patterns), and fished it spring to fall on occasion without a fish.  I still have it in my box for that day when they only want a yellow craw pattern crankbait.

Brown craw patterns haven't been the best either.  I've caught a few off the DT-6 that I used to have, no others come to mind right away.  The exception, and these are not exactly traditional in pattern or shape, are the Rebel Wee Craws.  Brown, tan, and greenish brown have been the best colors for me for these crankbaits.

I LOVE throwing a Spro Lil John MD in Old Fire Tiger in the Spring. Very effective bait for me.

Not yellow but I do like to have some chartreuse in most of my presentations. 

 

One of my best crankbaits is a baby 1 minus in brown craw.  I fish with it year round.

Yes on a lake near me, it almost always has tannic water.  I remember as a kid, my older brother would swim with his shirt on.. later that day his shirt was always a light cream color from the water.. when I fish that lake I lean on those browns/yellows.  I blends pretty good and it flat catches the fish when they are on the moving bait bite.  I have SEVERAL Arashi 2.5 in the yellow/copper brownish pattern.  They are absolute fire.

I love those old school brown and orange crawfish colored crankbaits . 

I have not let up throwing that in Bombers and Bandits. Both great river Smallie baits. I would lean toward the yellow working a bit better. 

I like the brown craw fish color crankbaits that Bandit has. Have caught fish with them. The only yellowish color bait I have tried is a DT6 in hot mustard color and have caught a few with it. I have bought some Rock Crawler crankbaits in a couple of brown colors but have not tried them yet.

It’s a real shame that Bandit Lures is not what it use to be. When they sold off years ago I lost my factory contact and their place in crankbaits deminished. They were a USA ?? company. Availability, patterns and hook quality for sure took a nose dive. 
 

I'm fortunate to have vintage and special run colors from that era. I don’t believe I own a Bandit that I have not caught a river smallie on. 
 

But if you can find the Spring Craw Yellow or Chartreuse Gray Craw I find these two yellows very productive.  

Brown craw in clearer water, spring craw in water with a little stain.

I caught my PB smallmouth on an old Bagley crank in their classic brown and yellow color.  I don't throw yellow lures much because of an article by Dough Hannon I read in 1977.  In the article he said that studies indicated bass are repelled by yellow, and attracted to green.  I haven't been able to get the article behind me and go back to catching fish on yellow lures.  After all if it was in an article it has to be true.  I tend to substitute chartreuse for yellow.

The original balsa Bagley B’s had brown back/yellow-chartreuse/ orange belly in both crawdad pattern and Shad patterns.  Bagley also offered black, blue back with yellow-chartreuse Shad.

My favorite was the Brown Craw (brown back with crawdad stripes, yellow-chartreuse sides and orange belly year around in several sizes from Honey B to DB3 deep diver.

Tom

 

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

The original balsa Bagley B’s had brown back/yellow-chartreuse/ orange belly in both crawdad pattern and Shad patterns.  Bagley also offered black, blue back with yellow-chartreuse Shad.

My favorite was the Brown Craw (brown back with crawdad stripes, yellow-chartreuse sides and orange belly year around in several sizes from Honey B to DB3 deep diver.

Tom

 

I don't see much these days with a true yellow in it. The yellow is more of a yellow-chartreuse. If I were to go look through my stuff to pull a yellow, it would probably be a Mr. T 3" yellow Grub.  

Bomber and Whopper Stopper both had lemon or school bus yellow deep divers in coach dog (spots) and spook (skeleton ribs) pattern.

Jitter Bug and Hula popper, several vintage lures had a “yellow” pattern.

Chartreuse today ranges from yellow to lime green hard to define.

Tom

 

Brown back fading to orange and then yellow belly is my favorite craw color. I've killed with this color in stained water.  I think it can look like a bluegill or craw at the same time.

I haven't used brown much, but I've had pretty good sessions throwing a chart w/ black back squarebill at various times of the year.

On 2/1/2021 at 2:17 PM, WRB said:

Bomber and Whopper Stopper both had lemon or school bus yellow deep divers in coach dog (spots) and spook (skeleton ribs) pattern.

Jitter Bug and Hula popper, several vintage lures had a “yellow” pattern.

Chartreuse today ranges from yellow to lime green hard to define.

Tom

 

I think Arbogast made that yellow color up to a few years ago if its the one Im thinking about.  It schoolbus yellow with a few different color stripes on it.

On 2/2/2021 at 9:06 PM, EzyEric said:

Brown back fading to orange and then yellow belly is my favorite craw color. I've killed with this color in stained water.  I think it can look like a bluegill or craw at the same time.

Correction, Brown to yellow to orange belly.  My original all-star squarebill which I had my best day ever on was a Luhr Jensen Speed Trap in the Brown Mud Craw color.  I lost that lure and cant find that exact color anymore.  Closest Ive found is Strike Kings Orange Belly Craw.

 

Here are both of those pictured: