From the guy that brought you the Boob Tube comes

[Fish-N-Fool]

The Backwards Craw Tube;

I'm kinda the mad scientist of bass fishing world. I invent new things all the time like my world famous "Fish-N-Fool knot" as well as new lures (like my soon to be world famous Sink-N-Fool bait) >/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" /> and I'm always looking at things and figuring how to make it different and or better. Last year I posted my "Boob Tube Rig" here and now I've come up with a new off shoot of my "Boob Tube Rig".
I took a couple things and turned it into a new technique that I call the "Craw Weighted Dropshot Rig". First I tie on a dropshot hook like the one in the picture below a ways, (Sorry I forget who makes these) with a double Palomar knot. I like this type of hook for larger minnow baits. I leave about a foot of tag end to tie on my craw weight. Tie a wide gap Gammy Finesse hook on the end of the line. I like to tie it on with a Snell knot on hooks that have a bent eye. Snell knots are very ez to tie and very strong.
To make my "Craw Weight Rig" I take a medium size tube bait in a craw looking color (this is one of my home made tubes by the way) either in a brown or green. I'd like to point out what I do not sell tubes (I only make them for myself) or any of the parts used it this rig. I take a large egg style sinker and push it up into the tube till it hits the top of the tube. See the 5th picture down for what this looks like. Now take an old round worm and cut it into 1/2" long pieces. Note you can add a glass rattle into the tube before you plug it for extra sound effects.



Apply a little glue (clear window silicone works great for this as does some of the soft plastic glues) and push the piece into the tube like so,



That will give you a bait that looks like this



Then after the glue is totally dry I insert the wide gap finesse hook into the center of the plug you glued in place and out the side of the tube. I make these up a few days ahead of time so they are good and cured. It should look like this.



(Note this is a off-shoot of my boob tube rig I showed here last year.)
So with the craw weight rigged under a dropshot hook like so;



The cool part of this in now your dropshot weight that looks just like a crawdad standing up in defense mode and you have a nice minnow bait swimming just above it. So it looks to a big hungry bass like the minnow is after the craw. Another great thing about this rig is the craw tube weight hardly ever gets hung up and if it does you only loose the tube and weight inside it.



I first tried this using the craw weight alone and got some nice fish but by adding the dropshot hook above it it is like fishing two techniques at once.

Now I just shake the rod tip to make the minnow dance and make the rattle in the craw tube clack. If you are in a good rocky area a slow drag works great too.
Check out this short video to see how the craw tube works.
Just click on the pix to watch,



I fish this with a weedless hook a lot if I'm fishing in or around any wood.
I make my own weedless hooks out of the same Gammy 1/0 finesse hook.
I take a short piece of 80lb mono and make a loop out of it and tie it on the hook with the tag ends facing toward the front of the hook and tie it on with some small braid using a snell knot ,like this.



After you get it tied on just bend the mono down over the hook point in a V and trim the ends just long enough to cover the hook point.

So try out my craw weighted dropshot rig next year and give it a shot. I think you will like it!!!! and please tell me what you think of my new rig here.

[brendanc]

Rick... great article and rig you've come up with. You really think outside the box.

[Fish-N-Fool]

I got a buddy that is a writer and he want to do a book about me and title it the "Out of the Tackle Box Thinker" lol

[brendanc]

That would be a good title for sure...