Kevin Van Dam Forums

Hi, I am new to the forum and just turned 18 so I am finally able to go fishing more on my own and want to improve my game. I am new to chigger craw but I hear a lot of discussion on their efficiency. I have a few simple questions about their use and best area to use them. In what depth of water does everyone use them and what style of rigging do you use on them I have heard Texas and Carolina. Also what is some of the better ways to work them threw the water like rapid movements or just slow reeling. Three baits I am working on mastering are Senko Worms, Crank baits, jigs, and the chigger craw.

Thanks for all your help

First off welcome to the forum!

The Chigger Craw are a great bait and one that I have quite a bit of confidence in. I primarily fish them on a texas rig and flip and pitch them to cover. The depth really doesn’t matter as long as it the area I am fishing them in holds bass. I rig them up with a 3/16oz, 3/8oz, or 1oz weight and and a 4/0 Trokar Flippin hook. I choose the size weight depending on the type and thickness of the cover I am fishing. If I am pitching to sparse cover or shallow docks I will use 3/16oz. I will use the 3/8oz for fishing deeper water, thicker cover, or moderate thick weeds. I will use 1oz for fishing the nastiest of nasty cover or thick weeds…. I fish them with a lift , shake, and drop retrieve for the most part. This means I lift the bait up a couple of inches or a foot or two, shake my rod tip to impart some action, and then let it fall back down. I do this until I am out of the cover and when I am out I bring it back in quickly and do the same thing to a different part of the cover.

Another great way to fish these are on the back of jigs. I like to bite off 1 or 2 sections of the body and thread the bait on the hook

BrMoore134 - 18 May 2012 06:58 PM

Also what is some of the better ways to work them threw the water like rapid movements or just slow reeling.

Thanks for all your help

most of the time your not gonna want to just reel it in. you want to drag or hop it along the bottom until you feel a pickup, then slam that fish!

The Chigger Craw is pretty versitile bait,  you can fish it from just inches of water out 40 and deeper.  You can flip/pitch it texas rigged on a 4/0-5/0 flipping hook with a 1/4 oz weight up to a 1 1/2 oz sinker for punching through the thickest cover.  You can also rig on a jig as a trailer and flip/pitch in around docks, rocks, wood and weeds.  Rig it on a big football jig and drag the deep water ledges, humps and flats.  Pick the colors best for your lakes and water color, match the jig color or contrast with your jig but just have fun and experiment to find what the fish in your lakes prefer.