does anyone know anything about crabs?

LOU · 10-18-05, 03:12 AM

Don’t worry, not as bad as it sounds. Ok, like some of you know I’m fishing from down under in South Africa. For the greater part our bass = your bass. They look the look the same as in the states, react the same, the whole thing. There is however one minor difference. From what I believe you guys have an abundance of crawfish in the states and that this makes up a large part of the bass’s diet.
(1)Does the crawfish stay in the water all the time? (I understand that this is a silly question for someone familiar with them, but I have never seen one).

The reason why I am asking. Jig’s like these are fairly ineffective in S Africa.

I think the reason therefore is we don’t have crawfish or swimming crabs. We do however have these okes:

Of all the bass I have caught maybe 95% of them cough up crab shells and about 5% will spit out minnows when kept in the livewell. These crabs do make up a very large part of the bass’s diet in S Africa. These crabs do not swim and keep themselves in very shallow water or up against the shoreline. So much so that we sometimes run a pattern we you look for crabs up against the shoreline or trees as this will indicate there are a few bass waiting below, this has produced quite a few bass.

There has been some attempts in SA to make replicate plastic lures but they have so far proven to be ineffective. Has anyone seen crabs like these in the sates in a part of the country where maybe there are no crawfish? What do you use to replicate them? Or any suggestions from anyone will be welcomed. The variety of tackle that you all come into contact with on a daily basis is much larger than what I see. I strongly believe that if these critters can be accurately mimiced in SA waters you will be able to catch a lot more bass.

thanks in advance

zooker · 10-18-05, 04:51 AM

they make a crab bait-can't remember who right now-for red fish. about 3" or so..across . they are a salt water bait. the only crabs i know of are salt water type.

yeah crawfish have gills. they stay completely in the water..

sounds like a crab problem..needs some quell ? lol

zooker

bassfisherman32 · 10-18-05, 07:49 AM

here crawdads work good but we dont have many crabs in georgia.

bassfisherman32 · 10-18-05, 07:50 AM

Do they make crabs?

Mac1 · 10-18-05, 08:36 AM

Iv'e seen saltwater flies tied as crabs, but have not tried them here. I used to have some soft plastic crabs at one time and tried them for a while, but was fishing a non-saltwater, non-brackish water and got no strikes. Wish I could help, sorry......Mac

Mac1 · 10-18-05, 08:43 AM

You might want to try the following. Get a sheet of craft foam and cut out a pair of claws in the general crab design and placement in relationship to each other.......these claws will be connected by a circular arm of foam as you cut them out. Then stick the foam claws on a jig by running the hook through the circular arm. By cutting the claws the correct size and the connecting arm in the correct position, you might get the claws to just show nicely at the back end of the jig and not be hanging clear out like the craw claws in your picture. If you find the craft foam claws float too high on the jig, you may have to resort to another material such as naugahyde for the claws. You can add small details with a dark brown marker if you think that would help.

If you can't find the sheets of craft foam locally, pm me your mailing address and I'll be glad to send you some.

It's cheap per sheet and I have a bunch. Good fishing, Mac

Rodman_Rob · 10-18-05, 10:03 AM

http://www.berkley-fishing.com

look on their sight under saltwater lures for the Peeler Crab. Its exactly what you're looking for. And being such a large company like berkley, shouldn't be hard to find somebody over there with them or a distributor who will send them over there. good luck.

JB · 10-18-05, 11:43 AM

the crawfish here in ohio make mounds of dirt and a hole to bury in the ground, go in and out of the dirt and water daily

lizardsrule · 10-18-05, 01:30 PM

Probably the closest thing I can think of I've seen would be the "Sweet Beaver" or knockoffs that you could cut all of the claws and tail to look like it has more legs. That would be the closest I can think of. I couldn't find the item Rodman put up, but sounds like it would be what you are looking for. I prefer to eat my crabs(OH YEAH) especially in some fettucini alfredo along with them. I also must say I'm really shocked no one down there hasn't come up with a "Plastic Crab", might be your new money maker. Also you might want to try some ALL PLASTIC craw style baits, not with a Jig combo. For example the Yum makes a crawdad/crayfish that looks really close to crawdad, and have the more lifelike appeal, along with some legs, the Baby Paca Craw, from Netbait has been producing big time for me lately. I say catch one, make a plaster mold out of it, and then pour your own plastcis, and start making a your first million.

Lizards

pig n jig · 10-18-05, 04:19 PM

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...rTarget=browse

zooker · 10-18-05, 05:25 PM

here ya go lou bass pro has your hook up -shipping would be high but..
i think a 3/0-4/0 wide gap would do it nice like t-rig it with a heavy bullet and drag it along..

zooker

Rodman_Rob · 10-18-05, 05:49 PM

this is what I was refering to earlier, I tried posting the link straight from the berkley site but it wouldn't allow it. Thanks Pig n Jig for inadvertantly giving me the idea of linking through bass pro
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...=SearchResults

pig n jig · 10-19-05, 03:57 PM

LOU · 10-20-05, 03:03 AM

Thanks guys!!

I will order some. Normally shipping is not that high if I order a bunch of stuff.

the berkley option seems to be what I was looking for. cant believe I havent seen it before.

zooker · 10-20-05, 05:01 AM

umm lou most crabs are made for salt water so they tend to be tougher plastic wise then regular plastic baits..

zooker

lizardsrule · 10-21-05, 11:07 AM

Lou,

I was wondering, do you fish a lot of tidal rivers where you are?

Lizards

basstech · 10-21-05, 12:01 PM

Tidal rivers? That's all we have in Missouri to fish, would be nice if we had some large man made resivoirs that have hundreds of miles of shoreline to bang on.

zooker · 10-21-05, 04:59 PM

um hear nc has a place call norman or buggs island there you go 2 lakes over 100,000 surface acres.

zooker

Rodman_Rob · 10-22-05, 01:53 PM

those berkley crabs smell real good too, well, for stinky crabs at least.

KH. · 10-22-05, 02:50 PM

nice red x zook!!!

pig n jig · 10-24-05, 09:07 PM

Lou, When you get the crabs, will you let us know if it was worth the trouble of getting the crabs or not ?

Sorry I just had to post it, I truely am interested to know if they do catch fish for you. P N J

LOU · 10-25-05, 02:26 AM

I am planning to make up an order from basspro.com so I will be sure to add it to my list.

Will post an update on the hit rate as soon as I get some info.

10-18-05, 03:12 AM	#1
LOU BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: South Africa Posts: 273	does anyone know anything about crabs? Don’t worry, not as bad as it sounds. Ok, like some of you know I’m fishing from down under in South Africa. For the greater part our bass = your bass. They look the look the same as in the states, react the same, the whole thing. There is however one minor difference. From what I believe you guys have an abundance of crawfish in the states and that this makes up a large part of the bass’s diet. (1)Does the crawfish stay in the water all the time? (I understand that this is a silly question for someone familiar with them, but I have never seen one). The reason why I am asking. Jig’s like these are fairly ineffective in S Africa. I think the reason therefore is we don’t have crawfish or swimming crabs. We do however have these okes: Of all the bass I have caught maybe 95% of them cough up crab shells and about 5% will spit out minnows when kept in the livewell. These crabs do make up a very large part of the bass’s diet in S Africa. These crabs do not swim and keep themselves in very shallow water or up against the shoreline. So much so that we sometimes run a pattern we you look for crabs up against the shoreline or trees as this will indicate there are a few bass waiting below, this has produced quite a few bass. There has been some attempts in SA to make replicate plastic lures but they have so far proven to be ineffective. Has anyone seen crabs like these in the sates in a part of the country where maybe there are no crawfish? What do you use to replicate them? Or any suggestions from anyone will be welcomed. The variety of tackle that you all come into contact with on a daily basis is much larger than what I see. I strongly believe that if these critters can be accurately mimiced in SA waters you will be able to catch a lot more bass. thanks in advance __________________ You're South African Bassing buddy!!

10-18-05, 04:51 AM	#2
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	they make a crab bait-can't remember who right now-for red fish. about 3" or so..across . they are a salt water bait. the only crabs i know of are salt water type. yeah crawfish have gills. they stay completely in the water.. sounds like a crab problem..needs some quell ? lol zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-18-05, 10:03 AM	#7
Rodman_Rob BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ocala, FL. 1/2 hour southwest of Rodman Posts: 1,702	http://www.berkley-fishing.com look on their sight under saltwater lures for the Peeler Crab. Its exactly what you're looking for. And being such a large company like berkley, shouldn't be hard to find somebody over there with them or a distributor who will send them over there. good luck. __________________ Lizardsrule may not be able to drive a boat, but he can sure put you on the fish!

10-18-05, 01:30 PM	#9
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	Probably the closest thing I can think of I've seen would be the "Sweet Beaver" or knockoffs that you could cut all of the claws and tail to look like it has more legs. That would be the closest I can think of. I couldn't find the item Rodman put up, but sounds like it would be what you are looking for. I prefer to eat my crabs(OH YEAH) especially in some fettucini alfredo along with them. I also must say I'm really shocked no one down there hasn't come up with a "Plastic Crab", might be your new money maker. Also you might want to try some ALL PLASTIC craw style baits, not with a Jig combo. For example the Yum makes a crawdad/crayfish that looks really close to crawdad, and have the more lifelike appeal, along with some legs, the Baby Paca Craw, from Netbait has been producing big time for me lately. I say catch one, make a plaster mold out of it, and then pour your own plastcis, and start making a your first million. Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too! Last edited by lizardsrule; 10-18-05 at 01:36 PM.

10-18-05, 05:25 PM	#11
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	here ya go lou bass pro has your hook up -shipping would be high but.. i think a 3/0-4/0 wide gap would do it nice like t-rig it with a heavy bullet and drag it along.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-18-05, 07:49 AM	#3
bassfisherman32 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 68	here crawdads work good but we dont have many crabs in georgia.

10-18-05, 07:50 AM	#4
bassfisherman32 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 68	Do they make crabs?

10-18-05, 08:36 AM	#5
Mac1 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 183	Iv'e seen saltwater flies tied as crabs, but have not tried them here. I used to have some soft plastic crabs at one time and tried them for a while, but was fishing a non-saltwater, non-brackish water and got no strikes. Wish I could help, sorry......Mac

10-18-05, 08:43 AM	#6
Mac1 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 183	You might want to try the following. Get a sheet of craft foam and cut out a pair of claws in the general crab design and placement in relationship to each other.......these claws will be connected by a circular arm of foam as you cut them out. Then stick the foam claws on a jig by running the hook through the circular arm. By cutting the claws the correct size and the connecting arm in the correct position, you might get the claws to just show nicely at the back end of the jig and not be hanging clear out like the craw claws in your picture. If you find the craft foam claws float too high on the jig, you may have to resort to another material such as naugahyde for the claws. You can add small details with a dark brown marker if you think that would help. If you can't find the sheets of craft foam locally, pm me your mailing address and I'll be glad to send you some. It's cheap per sheet and I have a bunch. Good fishing, Mac

10-18-05, 11:43 AM	#8
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	the crawfish here in ohio make mounds of dirt and a hole to bury in the ground, go in and out of the dirt and water daily

10-18-05, 04:19 PM	#10
pig n jig BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Avoca, NY Posts: 3,508	http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...rTarget=browse

10-18-05, 05:49 PM	#12
Rodman_Rob BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ocala, FL. 1/2 hour southwest of Rodman Posts: 1,702	this is what I was refering to earlier, I tried posting the link straight from the berkley site but it wouldn't allow it. Thanks Pig n Jig for inadvertantly giving me the idea of linking through bass pro http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...=SearchResults __________________ Lizardsrule may not be able to drive a boat, but he can sure put you on the fish!

10-19-05, 03:57 PM	#13
pig n jig BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Avoca, NY Posts: 3,508

10-20-05, 03:03 AM	#14
LOU BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: South Africa Posts: 273	Thanks guys!! I will order some. Normally shipping is not that high if I order a bunch of stuff. the berkley option seems to be what I was looking for. cant believe I havent seen it before. __________________ You're South African Bassing buddy!!

10-20-05, 05:01 AM	#15
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	umm lou most crabs are made for salt water so they tend to be tougher plastic wise then regular plastic baits.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-21-05, 11:07 AM	#16
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	Lou, I was wondering, do you fish a lot of tidal rivers where you are? Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too!

10-21-05, 12:01 PM	#17
basstech BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rockford, Ill Posts: 489	Tidal rivers? That's all we have in Missouri to fish, would be nice if we had some large man made resivoirs that have hundreds of miles of shoreline to bang on. __________________ The words just won't come to me!:confused:

10-21-05, 04:59 PM	#18
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	um hear nc has a place call norman or buggs island there you go 2 lakes over 100,000 surface acres. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-22-05, 01:53 PM	#19
Rodman_Rob BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ocala, FL. 1/2 hour southwest of Rodman Posts: 1,702	those berkley crabs smell real good too, well, for stinky crabs at least. __________________ Lizardsrule may not be able to drive a boat, but he can sure put you on the fish!

10-22-05, 02:50 PM	#20
KH. BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,316	nice red x zook!!! __________________ and god said let there be bass, and there was bass

10-24-05, 09:07 PM	#21
pig n jig BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Avoca, NY Posts: 3,508	Lou, When you get the crabs, will you let us know if it was worth the trouble of getting the crabs or not ? Sorry I just had to post it, I truely am interested to know if they do catch fish for you. P N J

10-25-05, 02:26 AM	#22
LOU BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: South Africa Posts: 273	I am planning to make up an order from basspro.com so I will be sure to add it to my list. Will post an update on the hit rate as soon as I get some info. __________________ You're South African Bassing buddy!!

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