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Fall 2024
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turn bright red due to the exposure of their shells to the intense sunlight and heat associated with summer.
In the fall, as water temperatures cool and sunlight becomes less intense, colors shift again to dark green pumpkin with blue and orange accents depending on the species. A second mating period occurs, and crawfish disregard their own safety by exposing themselves in search of a partner. After mating crawfish begin migrating to their winter homes in mud and their coloration tends to blend in with dark bottoms to camouflage their presence. Their accent colors of blue and orange help break up their silhouette and blend into the bottom substrate.
During the winter season, crawfish coloration is at its darkest in cold climates where it blends into the color of the available mud it burrows into. In red clay areas this can be dark red, and in other locations it could be black or brown to match the mud.
MAKING CRAWS WORK FOR YOU
Studying the predator/prey relationship between bass and crawfish leads to fishing success. One example I learned many years ago when fishing Lake Washington in the fall illustrates this point.
The weather had been cold for several weeks and the water temperature had dropped to about 54 degrees. I was using an underwater camera in 35-feet of water on a flat and noticed these unusual tracks in the mud. They looked like grooves carved into the bottom. To identify their origin, I followed the tracks until I came to
one end of a track. There I found a large Signal crawfish crawling on the bottom. Since then, I learned to crawl a three-quarter ounce football jig with a 5-inch Yamamoto Hula Grub or 4-inch YamaCraw on that mud flat during the fall season.
This creates a similar trail in the mud and the color #297 in dark Green Pumpkin is similar in color to a Signal crawfish. I believe big smallmouth bass have learned to follow those tracks to their crawfish dinner, and to my football jig.
When fishing on the San Joaquin River Delta, many are familiar with the red and black crawfish that are predominant there and use lures of those colors with great success.
Smallmouth bass especially target crawfish as a favored forage. In the summer, when fishing tournaments on the Columbia River, my livewell needs to be cleaned of all the orange crawfish parts at the bottom of my Ranger’s livewell. As a sidenote I have also found hard white “stones” in my livewell after holding large smallmouth bass. These are like pearls in an oyster and are made of the exoskeletal remains of consumed crawfish.
To determine crawfish coloration in your area, consider both native and non-native species that may inhabit your waters. For example, the Signal crayfish is native in Washington and Oregon waters and quite predominant.
Although they are not native in California, they have invaded and may be present. Rusty and Red Swamp crayfish along with Virile and Ringed crayfish have all invaded into western waters. Learning their seasonal color variations increases your bass fishing success by using lures that mimic them in the waters they inhabit.
If you are unsure what species and colors are active in your waters, use a crayfish trap (check your local regulations on rules). Bait the trap with cat food or fresh fish and leave it in the water for a day or two. The crawfish you capture can be photographed and their color patterns will help you match lure colors specifically for the water you are fishing.
When it comes to bass fishing, we are the predators and bass are the prey. To catch the bass, learn more about their prey, the crawdad, and how to imitate it. Ciao! •