Crayfish: Favored Forage of the Bass Family

It’s that time of year again and the water has either warmed enough to bring the crayfish from their wintering haunts or we're in one of the warm water periods!

Crayfish are one of the favored forage species on the bass’ menu.   So the next time you head out to your favorite honey hole and include a few “crayfish-type” baits in your box …

Here are a few pointers to consider when selecting “crayfish-type” baits for your tackle collection:

1. Though crayfish patterned crankbaits work well for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, the best color patterns vary by season.  During the spring bass fishing season crayfish are often colored with green or green-blue hues, while red or dark colors tend to work best in summer.  Select different shades of brown being tops through the fall season.
2. Plastic crayfish imitations work well from spring to fall but remember to use the color patterns mentioned in tip #1.
3. Never forget to add a few jig and pig combos to you tacklebox in colors ranging from all black, black/blue, black/green and brown/orange.

Here is a short video from the folks at Wired2Fish discussing crayfish color transitions…

Is One Soft Stickbait Better Than Another?

One question that regularly pops up when discussing the myriad of soft stickbait choices in the bass fishing market today…

Is one soft stickbait better than another when it comes to catching bass?

Though many sponsored anglers tend to claim their supporter’s bait is best, they will also often quietly admit they will default to the grand-daddy of soft stickbaits, the Yamamoto Senko, when the chips are down and money is at stake!

There are also quite a few “regular” folks touting the features of the Senko and how it outshines all other softstick bait brands at catching bass…

I will admit, there have been many days when the Yamamoto Senko came through for me even after starting with a competing, usually less expensive brand at the beginning of the day.

A couple of years ago I was introduced to Mister Twister’s soft stickbait version, the Comida and started fishing it with considerable success on many outings.

Since the Senko vs Comida (as well as other brands) question seems to always loom, this past season I tracked how the Comida fared vs the Senko on numerous days on the water…

What I discovered is very interesting as explained in the following video…

So what are your thoughts?

Does your favorite soft stickbait produce as well as the Senko?

Is the question really that simple?

Curious minds want to know 

Summertime Spinnerbait Fishing

Is the spinnerbait a lure that is "outa sight, outa mind" for bass anglers during the summer months?

For some bass anglers perhaps but not 2022 Classic champ Jason Christie! 

Take a moment and hear what JC has to say about the conditions and specific style of spinnerbait he fishes during the summertime...

Pretty interesting thoughts though in off colored water during the summer I tend to lean more Indiana  opposed to willow leaf blades.

Two other times I lean heavily on summertime spinnerbait fishing:

1. When night fishing for bass a dark colored spinnerbait with single Colorado blades (black, gold or copper) play a major role;
2. Bright colored (primarily chartreuse) double willow leaf bladed spinnerbaits burned over shallow flats for summer smallmouths.

Spinnerbaits are a great tool for many bass fishing situations even during the summer.

Looking to build up your spinnerbait arsenal? 

Click the link below and see the spinnerbait selection available from the folks at Omnia Fishing!

Omnia Spinnerbait Selection

Solunar Tables for Bass Fishing

Bass movements and moods (as well as other fish and game) have been related to changes in the Earth-Moon-Sun orientation (and therefore energy) for much of human history.  Even early hunters recognized different animal movements during different Moon phases and adjusted accordingly.

I even have to admit, when I took the time to check, bass feeding activities often seemed to coincide with major or minor solunar periods.

Following is an excerpt from a recent solunar table which was derived based using Moon and Sun phase information (it also links to current Bassmaster page):

Meaning of the data in the columns:

• Best Days – based on position of Earth-Moon-Sun with a rating of 0-100 where the higher the number, the higher the Sun-Moon influence;
• Lunar Periods refers to the times the Moon is either overhead or underfoot on a daily basis also with a solar symbol indicating when the tow periods overlap;
• PrimeTime data based on astrophysical data and research conducted on wildlife/fish movements and activity levels.

Here is a link to the Astro Tables page @ Bassmaster,com for current Solunar info…

Bassmaster Astro Tables

Other options exist for best fishing time info such as the tables provided via InFisherman (<== link) or area specific times provided by US Prime Times (<== link)…

Crankbait Fishing 101 Via Kevin VanDam

After a quick video interview of KVD on the new Strike King crankbait by APbassin’, Kevin VanDam takes his position at a sportsman show demo tank discussing, what else, crankbaits…

KVD provides a fantastic primer on crankbait fishing covering everything from proper rod, line selection,and types of crankbaits to select for different situations (depth range, rattle vs. silent, square bills, etc.) in this 14 minute presentation…

Talk about giving a live, at-the-tank class in Crankbait Fishing 101… Way cool!

Definitely worth taking the time to watch, listen and take a few notes…