how many of you guys have caught many bass on live crawfish/crayfish i put on on a float yesterday and as soon as it hit the water a caught a fish and i was jsut wounderin if u guys did it and if it worked this was the first time i ever tired

The best way to use crawdads is to dip them in butter mixed with a little Old Bay Seasoning !!! Jim

I've been fishing them for years {although I fish them less and less, as I shift towards swimbaits}.

I've found that their are a few lakes near me where they work REALLY well, a few more where they work just so so, and then a few where they hardly work at all. Interestingly, even the places where they don't work well, have lots of crawdads ???

I prefer to just live line them.... That is, my line, and a hook on the end, with the dad hooked through the spine on the nose, like this:

I also prefer smaller dads with thinner shells, lighter brown to greenish coloration, and smaller claws. These are the females.

Dads are not good for covering water, but are better for fishing areas that you already know to hold fish.

Just to reiterate; Dads can be great, and they can be lousy. I believe too many people go into live bait fishing with unreal expectations, and when it doesn't turn out to work like "magic" they give up too quickly. Dads are just another tool for catching fish.

Peace,

Fish

Agree with Chris. Sometimes they're hot, some times they're not. Small ones 2 - 2 1/2 inches long are the best. I've never really paid attention to color. Maybe I should, eh? I use a small octopus hook, right though the snoot, and no weight. I also smash the claws with a pair of pliers.

I was on a kick a few years ago, just fishing dads, big minnows ( chubs ) and small bluegill, for big bass. The middle of Illinois is not big bass heaven, so I got out of that mode after just a couple of years. Crawdads were my best producer during that time.

Cheers,

GK

Although I dont fish them or any other live bait for that matter I do know a few people who fish them on a river close to where I live and the bass seem to love em