5 Spring Presentations for the LIVETARGET Craw
As late winter blends into early spring, nature starts to stir. Among the many creatures that feel the nudge, largemouth bass begin moving into prespawn staging areas, with increasing zeal for their upcoming reproductive cycle. Perfectly timed for this movement is the emergence of crawfish that have mostly passed the colder months in mud holes and beneath rocks. A prime bass forage, craws make easy pickings for bass traversing their habitats and the new LIVETARGET Craw presents an incredibly lifelike representation of something bass instinctively seek. Here’s a rundown of the top spring presentations.
Wobble Head: For hard bottom, whether it’s gravel, chunk rock ,or shell, dragging an articulated football head presentation excels in the prespawn by mimicking the vulnerable appearance of scampering crawfish. For maximum versatility, use a Mustad TitanX Fastach Football Weight, which allows for quick and convenient hook changes. The Mustad Assault Wide Gap works well with LIVETARGET Craw and the Fastach design lets you change sizes to accommodate the different Craw sizes.
Carolina Rig: Another great prespawn dragging option, the Carolina rig also produces over hard bottom, but it’s particularly effective in grass lakes. That’s because the rig’s design places a soft plastic bait 2-3 feet behind a lead weight on a floating monofilament leader. As that weight plows ahead and stirs up the bottom, the bait rises higher in the water column so it’s visible above the grass.
Start by adding a Mustad Tungsten TitanX Carolina Weight your main line and then tying to a Mustad Barrel Swivel. To the swivel’s other side, add a 2- to 3-foot TUF-LINE Biodegradable Monofilament leader and finish by tying on a Mustad Tak Offset Hook.
Swim Jig: When seeking attention from fish drawn to the spawning grounds, it’s all about making sure they can see and/or feel your bait. A swim jig’s flaring skirt is a big part of this, but so is the trailer. A sizable profile like the 3.8-inch LIVETARGET Craw, with its active pinchers and legs, is sure to catch the eye of a hungry prespawner.
Texas Rig: Spawning bass must constantly protect their eggs from nest raiders and crawfish are one of the top threats. Suffice to say, flipping a LIVETARGET Craw on a Mustad Assault Wide Gap Hook will draw immediate aggression.
And don’t overlook the value of prespawn flipping. We tend to think of this as an active, moving baits period — and that certainly does apply — but there’s more to the story. Specifically, laydowns, stumps, docks, and lily pads all offer prespawn staging spots.
Think of these as truck stops along the highways leading to spawning grounds. Fish may be making daily progress, but they’ll occasionally take a break by pausing on a piece of cover. And if a cold front stalls the prespawn movement, these warmer sheltering spots make excellent flipping targets.
Dropshot: When bed fish turn finicky, you may need to break out the finesse strategies and simply outlast their patience. Presenting the 2.8-inch size LIVETARGET Craw on a dropshot fits this plan well.
Start with a Mustad AlphaPoint Apex Dropshot Hook tied to an 8- or 10-pound TUF-LINE XS Fluorocarbon leader with a Palomar knot. Leave a long tag end and pass that excess through the hook eye, top to bottom. This makes the hook stand perpendicular to the leader with the rest of the tag end dangling below.
Attaching Mustad Tungsten TitanX Skinny dropshot weight to the end of the leader allows you to hold that LIVETARGET Craw right in the fish’s face. That’s usually all it takes to push them over the edge.