Entry 263-4
Greg Hackney on His 2008 Bass Fishing and Strike King’s New Lures
Editor’s Note: Tiger Woods doesn’t always win, and one of the greatest hitters in baseball before the days of steroids was Babe Ruth. In addition to setting the homerun record for his day, he set the strike-out record. Sometimes when we go fishing, we’ll strike out. But the difference with the Strike King Pros is that when they work hard all week and strike out, they don’t go home with their paydays. We talked with Greg Hackney of Gonzales, Louisiana, to learn how pros deal with this problem.
Part 4: I’ll Have the Lobster
Question: What’s the Lobster Craw?
Hackney: The Lobster Craw is the Rage Craw’s big brother.
Question: How big is the Lobster Craw lure, and why do you like it?
Hackney: The Lobster Craw is about 5-inches long, whereas the Rage Craw is about 3-1/2- inches long. The Lobster Craw has big legs and lots of action. It’s a really-good big-fish bait. When you’re fishing a lake with a lot of bass weighing 5 pounds or more, that Lobster Craw is a big factor in how many you catch.
Question: How will you rig the Lobster Craw, and how will you fish it?
Hackney: I’ll put it on a big flipping hook and fish it similar to the way I’ll fish the Space Monkey or the Rage Craw. I’ll use a No. 6/0 straight-shank heavy-wire hook. If I’m fishing shallow water during the spring, I may only use a 1/8-ounce sinker. Very-little weight will get those Rage legs to moving on the Lobster Craw. 
Even as big as the Lobster Craw is, you can still use a sinker as light as 1/8-ounce. In cool, shallow water I’ll fish the Lobster Craw on the 1/8-ounce sinker, and even with lead that light those craws are going to flap. If I’m flipping it through heavy grass or timber, I may use lead as heavy as 1 ounce. I’ll also use that heavier lead when I’m fishing deep grass. Another way I’ll be fishing it is to hang that big sucker on the back of my Strike King jigs when I’m really hunting a big kicker bass. When I want a really-big profile bait with that Rage action, I’ll use the Lobster Craw.
Question: What color Lobster Craw do you like?
Hackney: I like them all, because I’m choosing my lures according to water color. My favorites are black and blue, green pumpkin and black neon. The color I’ll use depends on sky color, water color and wind condition.
Question: Is the Lobster Craw your kicker fish bait?
Hackney: It really is. Most of the time, I’ll put the Lobster Craw on the back of a 1/2- or a 3/4- ounce jig after I’ve reached my limit of bass. Then I’ll start hunting for a monster-sized bass. When I’ve got a limit of bass in a boat, I have an awful lot of confidence that the Lobster Craw on the back of a jig will help me catch that big kicker fish I need to increase my weight of bass. I believe this is a target-oriented bait, and I’ll probably be flipping it when I’m hunting a big bass.
Question: Will the Lobster Craw catch small bass?
Hackney: Absolutely. A bass is an aggressive animal. Even a 12-inch bass will jump on the Lobster Craw. However, I do believe that fishing big baits catches big bass.
Contents:
- Part 1: Even Babe Ruth Strikes Out
- Part 2: I’m Looking Forward to Monkeying Around
- Part 3: Catch The Wake
- Part 4: I’ll Have the Lobster
- Part 5: There’s a New Creature Living on The Bottom
