Bass are hunting crayfish — even fake ones
In the fall, a bass fancy turns to crayfish. Not that facsimiles of this tasty crustacean won't catch bass throughout much of the year. But when the leaves turn brown, both largemouth and smallmouth bass respond exceptionally well to sizeable crayfish imitations.
There are many offerings that represent a crayfish. One of the most popular is a skirted jig dressed with either some type of soft-bodied trailer or a pork chunk. Other options include beaver-style soft baits that feature a ribbed body and twin tails, such as a Culprit Water Beetle. A wide variety of lipped crankbaits also can be used to mimic craws.
Bass expert Deron Eck likes crayfish imitations in the fall, especially big, burly jigs in the 1-ounce size, tipped with a sizeable soft trailer.
On a recent trip to a natural lake in the northwestern portion of the state, Eck revealed his prowess with the big jig, plucking several 2- to 3-pound largemouths from the edges of the submerged weedgrowth on a day when bites were tough to come by.
On weedy lakes, Eck likes to use the heavy weight of the jig to penetrate the tiny cuts and corners along the outside edge of the weeds, which often serve as ambush points for largemouth bass. He also pitches back into open pockets within a weedbed.
As fall progresses, weedgrowth will die. Any remaining stands of green weeds tend to be bass magnets.
Eck relies on the larger profile of a heavy jig and sizeable trailer to trigger bites from bigger bass, which tend to like a big meal during the late fall. But if the fish are finicky, he'll drop down in size to a half-ounce. Downsizing can result in bites when the fish aren't in the mood for the larger offering.
The best weed jigs have bullet-shaped heads, which allow them to slide through weeds more efficiently.
Dave Lehman, a frequent fishing partner of mine, uses crayfish imitators in a variety of fall venues.
On the Allegheny River, one of Lehman's favorites, when the water cools down into the 50s, is a Booyah Baby Boo jig dressed with Yum's 3-inch Craw Papi.
For river smallmouth bass, Lehman drags or hops the three-sixteenth-ounce jig along rocky or gravel bottoms.
On largemouth waters, such as the weedbeds of Presque Isle Bay and Conneaut Lake, Lehman relies on a skirted jig and Zoom chunk trailer well into the fall. He fishes the jig very slowly when the water temperature gets down into the 40s, which is where it is now.
The rocky ledges and points on lakes collect bass, both smallmouth and largemouth, depending on the particular species the water supports.
In these situations football-shaped heads, such as Booyah's Football jig, are good options. The broad shape of the jighead makes good contact with the bottom, transmitting information about its composition to the angler. The shape also provides a good pivot point, which translates into the ability to present the lifelike action of a crayfish.
Even in the cold water of fall, deep-diving crankbaits can be effective on bass, lake-dwelling ones in particular. Models with tough Lexan lips can be furrowed along the bottom, with the lip kicking up lots of silt and dirt, which can provide a strong triggering action. The trick is using a bait capable of diving significantly deeper than the water you are fishing. If you are working over a 6-foot flat, try using a bait designed to achieve depths of 12 feet.
Any discussion of crayfish-imitating baits would be lacking without a mention of the tube jig. Tubes in the 3- to 4-inch range do an excellent job of duplicating crayfish.
I use Yum tube in the Mardi Gras pattern to take a 5Z\x-pound smallmouth last fall from Conneaut Lake. Last week, Lehman and I used tube jigs to dupe more than 30 smallmouths on the Allegheny River.
Bass will feed on crayfish deep into the fall, even early winter. I often hold bass in the livewell to be photographed and released later. Even in late December, the fish will spew out crayfish parts.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.
