# I've been reading this book



## Shaggy (Oct 24, 2008)

about the science of Bass fishing. In one of their experiments they counted the number of strikes they got from the Bass, over a specific period of time, on a very good imitation of a crawfish. Next they did the same thing with various modifications to the bait like removing the claws, removing the legs, removing the head, etc. Here's what blew me away. On the whole crawfish they got 10 strikes. On a crawfish where they had removed the claws, the antennae, and the legs, leaving the rest of the body in tact they got 25 strikes. They didn't offer an explanation, only reported their findings.

What do you Bass fishermen make of the Bass' overwhelming interest in a bait that looked less like the real thing?


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

It really just depends... Was this just a one day experiment? If so, that day may have been a non-aggressive day and the bass might have only wanted to strike at something that was smaller in size and with little action. Could have been the exact opposite results the very next day. Bass can be very picky eaters at times. Any bait can be the best bait when the conditions are right.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

It's been known for a long time that bass target younger crayfish for the simple reason they're easier to swallow & digest. In the study, the fish are still thinking they're seeing a crayfish, just a smaller one with less defense tactics, such as giant pincers. 

Same reason a tube works so well. It doesn't look like a crayfish to us, but it's still moving just enough water that the fish mistake it for the real deal.


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## QueticoMike (Sep 25, 2008)

fallen513 said:


> It's been known for a long time that bass target younger crayfish for the simple reason they're easier to swallow & digest. In the study, the fish are still thinking they're seeing a crayfish, just a smaller one with less defense tactics, such as giant pincers.
> 
> Same reason a tube works so well. It doesn't look like a crayfish to us, but it's still moving just enough water that the fish mistake it for the real deal.


I was going to say the same thing about tube baits. It looks like a craw without pinchers more or less, that could explain the reason for the more hits. Also people have always thought you have to have a softcraw to catch fish, but they actually hit a hardcraw just as much. Do you think they actually taste test the Ohio Special before they hit it, no they just hit it, doesn't matter to them if it is hard or soft. My buddy has been killing the smallies on hardcraws over at the Stillwater lately.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

Bass like to eat things that look like their dying/injured and a craw without both of its claws represents an easier target like previously stated. Why pick on something that has two functioning defense "weapons" when they can take one out that's a tad bit easier to eat. Same thing with Lions,they tend to target the animals that represents the least amount of oppostion to them. Why would any predator want to take on something that's full strength when there's something easier to eat?


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

This reminds me of a story this old man told me a little while ago. He said he was creek fishing with hellgrammites. Got a bite, set the hook (or so he thought) and reeled in a 12 inch smallie to find out that he never even hooked it. The hellgrammite had pinched the lip of the fish and apparently was not letting go for anything! Hahaha.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

a university of wisconsin study found that smallmouth prefered crayfish with smaller claws over the same size craw with larger claws.

In studies in the New River in West Virgina, a study of Ohio streams and Ozark streams smallmouths consistently prefered crawdads in the 1 to 2 inch range. in the Ozarks the very biggest smallmouths appeared the most likely to take crayfish less than 1 1/4 inches long!

at least when smallmouth fishing we are all probably fishing craw imitations that are too big or have too big of claws on them.

another thing I learned while looking into this I thought was cool was that as the summer and fall wore on smallmouth bass ate more and more crayfish and less and less of everything else. A study on a lake in Wisconsin had crayfish as 15 percent of smallie's diet in May but a whopping 83 percent in July thru Sept!


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

Interesting information!

I caught a largemouth on Cowan Lake a month or so ago that had a crayfish sticking out of its throat, or at least the two claws. It was smart enough to gobble it up from behind to render those claws useless.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

BassAddict83 said:


> This reminds me of a story this old man told me a little while ago. He said he was creek fishing with hellgrammites. Got a bite, set the hook (or so he thought) and reeled in a 12 inch smallie to find out that he never even hooked it. The hellgrammite had pinched the lip of the fish and apparently was not letting go for anything! Hahaha.


That's funny stuff. I got pinched by one of those down in West Virginia and it wasn't a pleasant experience.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

the in fisherman show had a segment where they used a shrimp imitation to catch smallies. They said that even with the missing pinchers the shrimp looked a lot like a craw which smallies are programmed to eat.


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## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

Last week before dark I was out smallie fishing and not having very good luck with my craw imitation lures...I looked down in the rocks and seen this huge 4" Crawdad...I ended up finally catching him and removed both of the pinchers, hooked him and tossed him out...within seconds of hitting the water, I had a MASSIVE strike...the craw was gone and I was left wondering what could have been!


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

oldstinkyguy said:


> In studies in the New River in West Virgina, a study of Ohio streams and Ozark streams smallmouths consistently prefered crawdads in the 1 to 2 inch range. in the Ozarks the very biggest smallmouths appeared the most likely to take crayfish less than 1 1/4 inches long!
> 
> at least when smallmouth fishing we are all probably fishing craw imitations that are too big or have too big of claws on them.
> 
> another thing I learned while looking into this I thought was cool was that as the summer and fall wore on smallmouth bass ate more and more crayfish and less and less of everything else. A study on a lake in Wisconsin had crayfish as 15 percent of smallie's diet in May but a whopping 83 percent in July thru Sept!


While i generally am a fan of upsizing baits (usually minnow ype), i have been preeching for a while now, "Don't overlook that smallest rebel craw for big smallies in the fall (especially llate fall)". I wasnt aware of these studies, but they make sense to me based on my experiences.


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## Aqua Man (Aug 8, 2011)

eatwhatyoukeep said:


> the in fisherman show had a segment where they used a shrimp imitation to catch smallies. They said that even with the missing pinchers the shrimp looked a lot like a craw which smallies are programmed to eat.



I do a lot of Saltwater fishing down the the tampa / St. pete area and have a tackle box of salwater lures & equipment. A lure that I use a lot is the DOA shrimp.

Recently I tried the DOA shrimp here in ohio (GMR) with the thought process that it would mimic a crawdad. In stronger current I couldn't get it to swim correctly or get down near the bottom where I wanted it. However in calmer water it swam properly and did catch fish. I caught LMB, SMB, Flathead and a white bass using the DOA shrimp.

I haven't fish this lure real hard in fresh water (yet), it was more of an experiment and a hunch I had. The opinion I developed was The DOA shrimp couldn't be fished out in the stronger current where the majority of the fish I was targeting would be so I didn't use it to much. But now I am wondering if I should work this lure harder in the slack water or eddys adjacent to stronger current. I guess more experimentation and trial & error is needed to see if it's worth while.

I used 3" DOA's in Rootbeer, Red Flake and gold Flake colors but I am wondering if other colors may be more productive. The newer Fire Tiger color seems like a good one to try. I'm going to buy some next week while in Florida and bring them back and see how they do. 

I'm not aware of any shops that stock them locally, for those interested or curious about this lure, here's a link;

http://www.doalures.com/store/index.cfm/category/25/paks.cfm


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

The in fisherman guys were lake fishing it with a slip float


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

JamesT said:


> While i generally am a fan of upsizing baits (usually minnow ype), i have been preeching for a while now, "Don't overlook that smallest rebel craw for big smallies in the fall (especially llate fall)". I wasnt aware of these studies, but they make sense to me based on my experiences.


I think that part of all that is that in the spring, before there is a bunch of fry hatched, the food most available to smallmouth are adult minnows left over from the year before (or large crayfish they really don't want to tangle with). As the year wears on, the bass key more and more on young crayfish instead of big nasty adult ones. So...big minnow baits and little crawdad baits actually make sense.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

Fishing Flyer said:


> Interesting information!
> 
> I caught a largemouth on Cowan Lake a month or so ago that had a crayfish sticking out of its throat, or at least the two claws. It was smart enough to gobble it up from behind to render those claws useless.


I saw these two you tube videos of bass eating craws and was reminded of your post. Its enteresting how alike the laremouth and smallmouth bass act in each video as the attack the crayfish...


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