V&M has had the Wild Craw in their soft-plastic lineup for a while now, but only recently have they unleashed its smaller sibling for anglers to try.
Zack Gagnard got his hands on a few bags back in October before they even hit the market, and his very first trip fishing the Wild Craw Junior was such a success that he is of the opinion the lure will be a major player for him during 2016.
“I rigged one and fished those docks at Phil’s Landing,” Gagnard said. “That’s the day I caught 22 bass, and the best five would have gone 16 pounds or so. I also had a 5-pound fish, and every one of them came on the Wild Craw Junior.”
The regular Wild Craw is known for its pulsating claw action due to a chunk of plastic at the end of each claw rather than flat claws that hardly move any water.
“This junior version has the same kind of claw action, but it’s more subtle,” Gagnard said. “That’s why I think it’s going to be a perfect finesse pitching bait for winter out at Saline-Larto.
“The neat thing about the claws, though, is that the entire arm moves and shakes rather than just the claws — seems to me fish key on that action.”
Gagnard said the best application of the Wild Craw Junior will be fishing a line of docks or set of cypress trees youhave already fished with a jig and spinnerbait.
“Sometimes when you come back through with something smaller you can pick up a few more bites,” he said. “I think during winter out at Saline-Larto, the regular black/blue and black neon are going to be really good.”
Although he’s looking forward to fishing it at his home lake, Gagnard was really pumped about being able to use it during the 2016 BASS Central Opens.
“It’s going to be a major player during the spring,” he concluded. “Especially at the Atchafalaya Basin in February.”