Catch Smallmouths Everywhere with YUM Craw Bugs
When I taught myself to smallmouth fish nearly 20 years ago, I learned my ways with the Yum Craw Bug. It caught some of my best smallmouth early on in my career on lakes, rivers and flowages. Then for a long time, it went on a retirement for me. In recent seasons, it’s making a comeback in my tackle box. In mid-summer, it is now one of the boat’s best options for catching smallmouth during the crayfish molting period, and when bass are heavily feeding on crayfish. The 2.5″ Craw Bug fishes well on spinning gear with smaller 1/8 oz. and 1/4 oz. football heads. This smallie snack is a fabulous finesse fishing jigging option. It may also be worked with tube jig inserts, as well as Texas Rigged with my favorite tungsten bullet weights and a Trokar Tournament Tube Hook in 1/0 and 2/0 sizes. The 3.5″ Craw Bug meanwhile is fished in similar ways, except with heavier jigs and weights. For best durability and the most snag-proof rig, consider fishing the craw bug with a weedless ned, as pictured. Gregg Kizewski, of 3G Smallmouth Solutions in St. Germain, WI produces his Next Level Jig that can be Texas rigged. It avoids snags beautifully. Rigged wi