CRAW PATTERNS FOR DIRTY / MUDDY WATER Rapala Ott ’ s Garage Slim 06 in red crawdad , Strike King 3XD Crankbait in chartreuse belly craw , Rapala Custom Ink DT4 in Ike ’ s Demon .
“ Strike King has so many different crawfish patterns for their crankbaits and they ’ re all good , but I have some favorites ,” he says . “ When the water has a little color to it , chartreuse belly craw is a good one . When the water is clear , I like green craw or DB craw . I ’ ll also pay attention if a bass has a crawfish in his mouth or spits one up so I can match it even closer .”
The Exceptions to the Rule
Crawfish hues are the way to go during the winter and spring months , but they have a place year-round and definitely in the fall , according to VanDam .
“ There are certain lakes where a crawfish pattern is always going to work , no matter what the season ,” VanDam observes . “ Table Rock comes to mind as well as places like Dale
“ There are certain lakes where a crawfish pattern is always going to work , no matter what the season .”
Hollow . Lakes with a lot of natural rock , not riprap , are lakes that you can always fish a crawfish pattern crankbait even if they are eating shad .”
Another exception to the shad-tocrawfish color debate is lake-specific , according to VanDam .
“ There are lakes like we have here in Michigan where there are no shad and they ’ re the exception to all of this ,” he says . “ In the fall , I ’ m going to be cranking bluegill and perch patterns like Strike King ’ s bluegill and yellow perch colors . Then , you have places like Lake Hartwell where you need to be cranking something that looks more like a blueback herring .”
DeFoe sticks with the general rule of shad colors in fall and crawfish hues as it gets colder but is willing to break the rule if needed .
“ I ’ ve seen bass chasing shad with water temps in the mid-40s , so I won ’ t hesitate to throw shad patterns if I see that , even though all of the common thinking says to throw a craw color when it ’ s cold ,” he says . “ Then you ’ ll have times where the water is warm and bass are spitting up crawfish left and right , so crawfish-colored crankbaits could work every month of the year . The key is to pay attention to everything that ’ s going on around you and look for those little clues .”
When it comes to crankbait colors in the fall-to-winter transition , two of the best to ever hold a crankbait rod each agree that shad-to-crawfish color changes go right along with the changing colors of leaves . But with everything else in fishing , there are exceptions to the rules , and it pays to keep tabs on what is happening around you and be willing to make slight adjustments based on water clarity and weather conditions .
PATTERNS FOR NORTHERN LAKES WITHOUT SHAD Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill in bluegill , Strike King Series 3 Crankbait in yellow perch .
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 75