Meramec Craws

[Seth]

I figured it probably had something to do with how they see purple. It seems to be effective regardless of the water clarity as well. When it gets really clear, I don't do as well on it but I don't fish bottom baits much when the water gets that clear anyways.

[Mitch f]

In my opinion, the contrast in colors makes it look more like a real critter

[Smalliebigs]

33 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

I know this has nothing to do with what you are talking about really, but it's still interesting.  

 

cool video

[Smalliebigs]

1 hour ago, Mitch f said:

Yep, I always think the contrast is what catches the fishes attention. The biggest color items missing in most skirts is that gap of color/contrast between the rostrum and the carapace in front, and the carapace and abdomen in middle. In other words there is a light patch in the middle that no one seems to duplica correctly.

wow!!!!!..... I had no idea I was painting the Cervical groove or carapace???.....sounds kinda hot

[Mitch f]

9 minutes ago, Smalliebigs said:

wow!!!!!..... I had no idea I was painting the Cervical groove or carapace???.....sounds kinda hot

Stick it up your telson!!?

[snagged in outlet 3]

It doesn't surprise me that Smallie doesn't know his way around female anatomy.

[Hog Wally]

I'm actually liking the small craw for the spawn bite.  They can't Carry it away by the pincers without eating the whole thing.  

[Hog Wally]

I'm starting to like this pose. 

[Al Agnew]

There are seven or eight different species of craws in the Meramec river system.  All the more common ones have that dark and light banding to some extent, though it's not obvious on the spot-handed crayfish.  There is one species native only to the Meramec that doesn't have any banding at all, but is covered with tiny dark spots on a light olive background.

From my experience fishing upper Big River with live craws as a kid, I found out that there was a pretty common crayfish in upper Big River and tributaries that was grayish olive in color, with slightly darker markings but no actual dark bands.  It was thinner shelled and had smaller pincers than the typical golden crayfish that is so common on most Ozark streams.  The bass preferred that one far and away over the golden crayfish.  I've never been able to identify it as to species, and it's been a long time since I actually dug around in the rocks and logs (it seemed to prefer dead limbs and hunks of mud over rocks for cover) and found some.  As I remembered it, it looked like the papershell crayfish, but everything I've read about Missouri crayfish says the papershell is mainly native to streams north of the Missouri River and doesn't occur in the Meramec river system at all.

When I saw some of Mitch's craws that Hog Wally had, there was a color that was that same grayish olive, with lighter pincers and legs and belly.  Hog Wally said they'd done them that color in order to color them with markers over it...but it looked very much like those craws I remembered, just as it was, and I snatched up a handful of them.  They worked.

[snagged in outlet 3]

After seeing Hogwally's pictures I went and bought some green pumpkin and orange TRD's for a lake we fish often.

You know you're on the right bait when the first fish of the day spits this in the boat.  The photo doesn't show how well this color matched the little crawfish but it did.  We whacked them solidly for 5 hours yesterday.  Thanks Hogwally!!!