Crawdad Imitators: Willamette Weapon Custom Lures

 

One of the most popular design patterns to #hatchmatch forage species is the CRAWDAD PATTERN. Definitely one of the best patterns to be throwing from Spring into Summer in many parts of the country, especially places like the James River, Potomac River and Susquehanna River in the Mid-Atlantic region but crawdads or "mudbugs" have a vast territory through many river basins in the country extending to both coasts in truth.

The real benefit of the CUSTOM BAITMAKER like Willamette Weapon Lures is finding that right pattern of crawdad to #matchhatch your specific river system throughout the season like crawdad as most understand "molt" during the life cycle so their color patterns become different throughout the season. For example, most anglers see crawdads in "red" shades in summer as opposed to greenish or brownish in early spring. This is due to the fact that by winter all the nutrients and such have entered the ecosystem from the "spring" of grass and such in the fishery along with other species that produce vitamins and minerals that alter the coloration patterns.

The cycle ranges from that green pumpkin in early spring to green pumpkin orange hinge by late spring----this is why green pumpkin is such a popular soft plastic pour coloration and by early summer you get orange brown to mid to late watermelon red to dark red. By Fall craw are dark brown and some dark green depending upon fisheries but by winter all of them before the dig back deep into the mud are a blackish coloration.

As the crawdads come out of the mud during the Spring in many regions almost in conjunction with many panfish specie spawns like Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass spawning periods as the water temperatures warm up in Spring at least on the east coast. So much of the craw burst is based on water and bottom composition temperatures.

Willamette Weapon has been crafting some new designs this year to address the various patterns required. These are designs and elements you will not find at your big box store where many patterns are almost the same being produced by serial bait companies.

Bryan.Chapman ( bryan.chapman44@gmail.com ) of Willamette Weapon Lures offers a variety of patterns. We have thrown some of these lures with great success on both tidal river fisheries and lake impoundments. There are not just offerings like sqaurebills and divers but also jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits. The lipless design patterns are some of the best you will find. 

Bryan offers custom patterns in his 1.5in called "Mako" and 2.5in "Dozer" (length not ounces) each with differing lips from squarebill to diver style so the best method we have found is to have both styles to cover depths from the shallows 1-3 foot to about 6 feet or so with the same style pattern of crawdad. There are offerings to match the target depths preffered.

Here is a pattern that we love because it is so much closer to craw in the rivers of the Mid-Atlantic than anything on the store shelves here. **REMEMBER** store shelves carry the same patterns throughout the entire country especially chain store sporting goods stores and the patterns may not always mirror your local fisheries at all.

Be sure to check out Willamette Weapon Custom Lures on Facebook (@willametteweaponcustomlures) or use the link provided in the BAITMAKER section here on the blod to your left in the drop down menu at top left of the blog.

#baitmaker #baitmakersstudio #customcrankbaits #squarebillcrankbaits #willametteweaponlures