A New Craw up Hawk's Sleeve

There is no doubt that bass absolutely love to eat crawfish. If you read the Inside Line you know that Bass Pro Tour Angler, Roy Hawk, has throughout his career relied on Yamamoto soft plastic crawfish imitators to put fish in his livewell. There are few anglers who know the product line better than the longtime Yamamoto Pro. Between Tour stops, the Inside Line caught up with Hawk to get his take on the 4” Yama Craw.

“It's a cool one for sure, it is a medium-sized bait with a great profile and the legs have a real good kicking action,” said Hawk. “It really fills a need in the product line. Compared to the Yamamoto plastics that we have had in the past, the Yama Craw is a lightweight bait, it has a lot of buoyancy that comes from the Mega Floater Formula and because of this, it can be utilized in a number of different ways. There is no salt in the bait so the legs will stand up like a crawfish in a defensive posture. The Yama Craw has more movement than say the Flappin' Hog which glides as it falls but does generate some movement from its appendages. Compared to the Cowboy, it (Yama Craw) has less action and a subtler overall movement.”

Key Applications

Hawk is well known for his skills with a jig and it is no secret that the 5” Yamamoto Double Tail Grub has long been his go-to jig trailer. However, during the past season, the Yama Craw has become an essential addition to his jig fishing repertoire. “It's a dynamite jig trailer,” said the Arizona-based Pro. “It's got a very realistic profile and the claws float up and kick as it falls to the bottom. It has a lot of presence and it gets big bites. Once it hits the bottom, it will posture up and that is a great strike trigger. Whether he is fishing deep structure or pitchin' to visible cover, Hawk relies on a version of his aptly named “My Jig” made by Precision Tackle, a jig he helped co-design.

The Yama Craw also fishes great on a Texas Rig. “You can rig it with a ¼oz to ½oz tungsten weight, a Gamakatsu Superline 4/0 EWG Hook, and pitch it around cover such as boat docks laydowns or weed edges,” tipped Hawk. “The Yama Craw is super versatile, it has a sleek profile so it slips in and out of cover easily. The plastic is durable and because the bait is mid-sized, it handles a big hook like a 4/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flippin' Hook, making it a very effective bait for punchin' heavy vegetation as well. I'll pair it with a big 1oz to 1.5oz tungsten weight, add a punch skirt, and punch it on 65lb Daiwa J Braid.

An often overlooked option is to fish the Yama Craw on a Carolina Rig. “It's a sleeper bait C Rig bait for sure, even with a big hook it's neutrally buoyant,” explained Hawk. “It's got a lot of subtle action and real nice movement on a stop-and-go retrieve or just a straight pull.” Hawk likes to fish the Carolina Rig on outside break lines, points, roadbeds, and sloping areas near deep water. His rig consists of a 1oz tungsten sinker threaded onto his mainline and tied to a barrel swivel. On the other end of the swivel, he attaches a three-foot length of 12lb fluorocarbon leader tied to a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Hook.

Final Thoughts

Hawk bases his color selection on water clarity. In clear water, he likes Watermelon Magic (354) and Watermelon Red/Black Flake (208). If the water has a bit of color, then Green Pumpkin (297) is his pick. And in dirty water, he opts for darker colors such as Sapphire Blue (335) or Plum Apple (356).

For the majority of Yama Craw applications, Hawk relies on his Taipan 7'4” Signatures Series 5 power rod. However, if he is punchin', he will move up to a 7'6” 6 power rod instead.

“I am really excited to have the Yama Craw in my arsenal,” said Hawk “It's been a key bait for me this season, it's a tremendous addition to the Yamamoto family and I know that it will be a mainstay for me for a long time.”