Craw imitation baits are one of the few types of soft plastics that will catch big bass throughout the entire year. Whether it’s cold, hot or somewhere in-between, fishing them around heavy cover is an excellent way to catch tournament winning fish.
I’ve been using the Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty for quite some time and it continues to be a staple in my bass fishing arsenal. Its awesome action, durability and extremely affordable price point make it a must-have for me anytime I’m targeting bass.
Great action
If you fish with craw imitation soft plastics long enough, you’ll realize that each type has its own underwater action—some kick like crazy while some are a bit more subtle. The Craw Fatty has a fairly subtle action, but don’t take it as a bad thing. More often than not, it’s just the thing to fool bass out of gnarly cover.
If you play around with the Craw Fatty in shallow water, you’ll notice it doesn’t flail around on the fall—it gets to the bottom quickly and efficiently. When it reaches the bottom, the claws elevate slightly and slowly wave back and forth. These characteristics make in an outstanding bait for flipping and pitching. When you’re targeting bass in the thick stuff, a bait with outrageous action will often spook the bass more so than entice it to bite. I’ve caught countless bass pitching by pitching the Craw Fatty into small holes in vegetation and thick laydowns and just barely popping my rod tip—big bass don’t get big by being dumb and this bait is very natural without overpowering finicky fish.
Perfect profile for close quarters
Whenever I’m pitching and flipping heavy, shallow cover, I prefer to use soft plastic baits without a bunch of appendages. In addition to spooking the big ones, appendages also have a tendency to hinder the bait’s descent through the cover. Jiggling and wiggling your bait to make it fall through tiny holes may seem harmless, but bass can feel even the slightest unnatural vibrations with their lateral line.
The Craw Fatty doesn’t have any unnecessary dangly “things” to get in the way when you’re fishing in close quarters. It measures just 4 inches long, has a streamlined body shape and the claws don’t wrap around random limbs and grass stems, making it an incredible choice for pitching to laydowns, flipping matted vegetation and even targeting jagged chunk rock.
The thin body design of the Craw Fatty also allows you to skip it underneath docks with ease. While a lot of other craw baits simply cannonball into the water upon initial contact, this bait skips across the surface like a river rock. Even if you’re not very good at skipping, you’ll be able to get this bait into the darkest spots underneath docks.
One bait lasts for several fish catches
It never fails when you’re talking about a crawfish imitation bait—there will always be a few folks who complain about the durability of its claws. In my opinion, however, you won’t find one with indestructible claws. It’s the nature of the beast and it’s something you have to accept when using these types of baits.
With that being said, the Craw Fatty holds up very well to multiple fish catches. Now, you’ll have a few post-frontal days when the fish are “nipping” at it and ripping the claws, but it happens. On an ordinary day of fishing, however, I don’t have any complaints whatsoever regarding the Craw Fatty’s durability. I’ve caught up to five bass on a single bait and, in my mind, that’s a dang good ratio and nothing to complain about.
Ridiculous price point
If you pitch and flip a lot, soft plastic baits can get expensive. They’re not like hard baits where you can unhook a bass and keep on fishing—all soft plastics require special attention throughout the day.
The Craw Fatty, however, is priced at $2.99 per 8-pack. That’s absolutely crazy to me, but you won’t see me complaining about it. For a twenty dollar bill, you can stockpile your collection and be ready to go for weeks, if not months, of fishing. Major kudos to Berkley for providing anglers with baits we can all afford.
If you like to pitch and flip in shallow water, you won’t be disappointed in the Craw Fatty. It looks great in the water, has a perfect profile, lasts a long time and won’t run you broke. A great combination in my opinion.
The Berkley Havoc Craw Fatty is available at OmniaFishing.com and TackleWarehouse.com.
