Crawfish colors throughout the seasons.

[TNtransplant08]

I have become a fan of skirted jigs, particularly football jigs, as my confidence in them grows. I'd like to expand my color selection. Right now I have green pumpkin, watermelon, and black/blue. I was wondering what colors crawfish are during the different seasons so I can "match the hatch".

I was also wondering if any of you have any experience with the slow sinking skirted jigs such as the Warhead made by pure poison and the Zero Gravity jig. They fall at a rate of one feet every 5 seconds. They seem like they could be effective around structure like docks and chunk rock when the bass are spooked or sluggish.

Thanks on advance!

[lilmule]

Well they all dont change color at once,sort of an individual thing,its the skin molting,and in order to have something to match a great majority at one time would have to be at same level of molt.
The good news is all those colors are generally good one place or another,black and blue matches a species found in the tn river,yearound.
If one wants to match as close as possible check what one spits up when placed in the livewell.Green pumpkin with black an blue tinges ,red rust etc.
Slow falling keeps it in front of the fish longer but also takes longer to cover water,let the fish tell you how and when they want it as well as color.
Any jig can be altered on fall rate a larger stiffer trailer tail will fall make it fall slower and a more slender one faster.
I tend to let water color tell me what to try to fish first color wise,yet black and blue works in very clear water here due to the species black and blue that does exist here.
In a matter of hrs after ingestion all they would cough up would be rust colored,so not always an indicator.And bass taking the jig on the fall suspended under docks,one wants slow and one taking it halfway back to the boat fast.
I myself like green pumpkin but tend to think it plain so mix bits o brown and black in them like cumberland craw and spring craw a bit brighter.
That molt is what also creates a soft craw its not a seperate species soft when fresh molt,light in color and vulnerable,darken with age.
At the end stage any can turn black but never totally like as in our skirts,lil flecks of brown ,blue flecks ,rust etc,nature tends to blend not stand out.

[Travis C.]

First on fall rates. I adjust that on any jig with trailer size/shape from big chunks to grub as a trailer. Never have tried the zero gravity jig but it sounds interesting.

Colors.

On or around full moons in summer and in spring can't beat having a orange somewhere on the jig.

In spring a pumpkin/orange jig with pumpkin craw trailer then color claw tips orange is deadly.

Throughout the year a brown/orange jig with green pumpkin craw trailer is my favorite for less than 20ft.

Deeper I go to black/blue with black trailer for better shadow.

I have seen the a lot of craws from Old Hick and as long as you have a jig with green, brown, orange you will be in the ballgame. The rootbeer bandit is as close as you can get for the them with fake stuff. Of course not all are the same species or colors but the majority will be in that color scheme.

[TNtransplant08]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I pretty much already have the needed colors, except for some jigs that contain orange in it. I'll probably pick up some shad colors and bluegill colors such as the Okeechobee (for spawning time).

I'll probably order one of the two jigs I mentioned and let you guys know the results. The Warhead jig is actually made by someone in east tennessee.