Hey all, just wanted to share with you a bait that is quickly becoming a go to bait for me. It is something that I picked up last year to be a punching bait and now is proving to be more versatile then I could’ve hoped. The bait is the Kompak Craw from Evolve Baits. If you don’t want to read the whole blog post and have a short attention span like me, just watch the quick video. I show several rigging techniques in this video.
For those that want every detail, keep reading!
Last summer, I had excellent results using the Kompak craw behind 3/4 – 1oz flipping milfoil on lakes like Minnetonka and others, honestly kind of what I expected based on first glance of the bait. Then in September, I was looking for a follow up to my sweet beavers down in La Crosse to go back through areas and show the fish something new. My eyes were opened to the potential of this dimunitive craw when I went through an area after going back and forth twice with a beaver only to catch 3 bass including a 4lbr on the Kompak craw on my 3rd pass and my partner not getting a bite on his offerings. This gave me confidence to keep flipping this craw on lighter 3/8oz weights to wood, cut banks, etc and caught both smallmouth and largemouth.
Fast forward to November and December last year, where a buddy an I found deep schools of smallmouth on a river in 25-25ft of water. Football jigs worked deep with just about any trailer worked until the water temps dropped into the 30s. I then rummaged through my options to find a subtle trailer, after trying a couple, the Kompak craw became the deal on the back of a 1/2oz football hair jig. I continued catching nice smallies and occasional walleye on the Kompak craw through the winter on a different winter location, by presenting them on 3/16oz EWG Football Shakey heads.
Fast forward again to this spring, fishing pool 2, getting a few bites but not what I was hoping or expecting. After scouring a harbor with my usual offerings, I pick up a Kompak craw rigged on a Jika Rig and catch a 4lb fish plus several other bass in water that I and another boat just fished pretty hard. Fishing the Kompak craw on the Jika rig and small texas rigs has been in a regular mix for me so for this year, catching bass on little lakes in MN, the Mississippi river from Minneapolis to La Crosse and all the way over to Lake Winneabgo.
There are a lot of good plastics and baits on the market and most of them have a time and place, but I think the Kompak craw is something for you to try, it is quite the versatile bait and the bass just seem to eat it! Don’t take my word for it, just ask the fish!
Rich