Join the Inside Line staff as they throw a craw boil! Each take turns boiling up some good craw tips! So get that big black kettle in the backyard boiling. We'll throw plenty of tips about craws into the pot. We'll let it simmer for some time...till the hot haze of the New Orleans summer air becomes too sultry for the tourists to handle.

While you're out in your bateaux, we'll chill down some long necked Buds...and call up the boys from the zydeco band! We'll stew up craw tips aplenty! There's some nice and spicy stuff from Todd, Dean, Russ and Don already in the pot below. So come on over and get a bucket of mud bug tips here!

"Whoooeee, Marcel...I smell a good boil burning in the neighbor's backyard!"

"Yeah, Beaudreaux. I hear da band playing already."

"Here's my two claws worth!" says Todd "Toad" Crockett. I use plastic craws in three basic methods. I will split shot them, Texas rig them with brass and glass, and as a jig trailer. I like to use the large size 5" craw with a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook (series 63).

Split Shot. I'll use the split shot in open water or next to cover such as weeds, willows or such. I will rig a small 1/8 oz. Mojo type of weight approximately 6" to 10" above the hook. Split shots will also do if that's what you've got handy. I use a 6'6" spinning rod rigged with 10 pound test line. This is also a good setup if the bass are somewhat hesitant to eat the bait. The small distance of 10 lb. line between the weight and the craw makes the craw swim and dance as it is slowly worked forward. If I feel the need to further attract the fish I may insert a glass rattle into the plastic to generate a clicking noise as the craw wanders around.

Jig Trailer. The second method I use is the craw as a jig trailer. For most jig fishing I will use a 6'6" heavy action rod spooled with 20 pound test line. You see in my three craw applications that I've ramped up from 10 lb. test gear in open water and next to cover, to 15 lb. test gear directly into cover, and ultimately to 20 lb. test gear and jigs. With jigs and craws, I'll sacrifice a few less bites from finicky fish to assure that the bigger fish I hook will come out of the cover. I tie my own jigs with a very heavy hook and in two colors, either brown or black. Any further color adjustment comes from the trailer.

Blend colors to surroundings says Toad.  For colors I like to something that blends into the surroundings. On light brown decomposed granite banks I'll throw a bait that doesn't stand out such as 176 (cinnamon w/black), 236 (rootbeer w/green & copper), 284 (rootbeer w/red & gold) or 196 (pumpkin w/black & green). Likewise if I'm fishing around weeds or green willows I'll use a greenish bait that will blend into the cover. For this application color choices would be 194 (watermelon w/black), 208 (watermelon w/black & red), or 297 (green pumpkin w/black). If the area has boulders I'll again match the surroundings with a color like 197 (clear w/black & red), 238 (smoke w/black & hologram), or 334 (smoke w/red). The only time I like a color that stands out is if I'm fishing stained water. Then I will use a contrasting color on my jig such as 184 (grape w/blue & silver), 185 (red w/black & silver), or 156 (chartreuse w/black).

Texas Rig with Brass 'n Glass. Finally, I use a Texas rig with brass and glass. For this method I use a 6'6", medium action baitcasting rod spooled with 15 pound test. I like to throw this when I'm fishing directly into cover. I will peg the weight and leave a small gap between the bead and the weight so the bead can click against the brass when I shake it.

I agree with you Toad, about the shaking. If you haven't tried this, you are missing out on some great fishing says Inside Line writer Don Applegarth. You can't fish a soft plastic bait on Lanier or most other clear southern lakes here without at least one small 6 mm glass bead. And I am a shakin' fool when I am fishing those deep brushpiles for Spots and largemouth. Here, we catch a lot of both in 20 - 30 feet in summer as well as winter, and often deeper than that. It is strange for someone to watch if they have never seen this type of fishing before. I rarely even cast, but rather drop the bait down into the cover, and shake it wildly until the bass attack. I make sure to hit all the limbs and branches I can while shaking it. Most guys don't realize that while you are shaking your rod tip 8" to 12" or more, with all that line dangling below plus the stretch of the lighter monofilament used here, it will only make the bait actually move 4" or so. That's all that's needed to shake deep Southern bass out of the trees.

We hope you've helped yourself to some good craw tips!

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