Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2018 - 53
Mark Fortna's handcrafted plugs and store-bought
Rebel Crawfish.
Bottom-bouncers
Rocks devour lures and deflate the day's fun.
Leaving a river with your lures is no guarantee.
When Smallmouth Bass are shutdown, I know
bass will not eat my fast-moving baits, which
rarely snag. Instead, bass want a slow, bottomhugging imitator. Fortunately, soft plastics, jig
heads and plain hooks are less expensive.
Crayfish plastics can standalone or
accompany hair or rubber-skirted jigs. In any
case, it is a finesse application where the lure
remains in the zone for an extended period.
Tubes are the renowned crayfish plastic.
Standard procedure calls for rigging with
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photos-Megan Eisenhower
patterns with brown, olive and red base colors.
I prefer dark, silhouetting lures (some with
rattles) in stained water over bright colors.
Smallmouth Bass will scrutinize these lures
most by size, eating what is suitable to the
environment. I typically downsize for smaller
creeks and tributaries. A few lure sizes between
2- and 4-inches covers all bases.
The biggest consideration is where the
bait travels. To best mimic a crayfish, the lure
should swim near the bottom. On my first river
trip, Fortna taught me to reel slowly and let the
crankbait do the work. Its diving lip would dig,
and the bait would shimmy up-and-over-rocks.
The plug looked like a crayfish, swam like a
crayfish and ran right where the Smallmouth
Bass were looking for food. When the lure
deflected off a rock, the bass ate.
Braden Eisenhower with a Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass.
insert jigs and dragging and hopping along the bottom to emulate a
scooting crayfish.
The appendages on standalone plastics prompt the use and
rigging method. Claws that flap and flutter work best as jig trailers.
Those with minimal movement serve well when rigged Texas-style
and tossed into grass. Swimmer styles take the place of traditional
grub substitutes. I swim these lures inches off the bottom with
random pauses to tap the rocks below.
Bottom-bouncers expose themselves to close examination.
Low-diameter lines improve success. Color selection should offer
detail from contrasting hues like blue, orange or tan. In any water,
match the base color of the plastic closely to the river bed color. A
crayfish's best defense against predation is its ability to blend into its
surroundings. Therefore, plastics matching the bottom look most
like the natural crayfish population.
I will always remember my first day on the Susquehanna River
catching Smallmouth Bass with Fortna and my dad. Memories
lasting a lifetime, made possible with a small crayfish plug.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * July/August 2018
53
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