Crickets for Combs

Most bass fishing fans know Keith Combs for his prowess with a crankbait. There’s a reason for that – most of his big wins, and seven figures in earnings, have come with a diving plug – but they sometimes overlook how good he is with other techniques. Increasingly in recent years, particularly when bass are shallow, he’s put his faith in Strike King’s Thunder Cricket vibrating jig. 

“It works everywhere,” he said. “If you have a practice where you don’t catch much of anything, put on a white Thunder Cricket and start covering water.” 

Here are some of his thoughts on how, where and why he chooses a particular Cricket: 

Tungsten vs. Original Thunder Cricket – “Tungsten has become my total go-to.  I use it 80% of the time. I use the regular one when I want to bring it up a little shallower. That ½ ounce tungsten model runs pretty deep so if you’re plowing into moss or the bottom, you can use the same weight in the regular one and keep it just under the surface.” 

Thunder Cricket vs. Swim Jig – “I use a swim jig when there’s heavier cover that the Thunder Cricket won’t come through.” 

Thunder Cricket vs. Spinnerbait – “I hardly throw a spinnerbait anymore except may when I want to keep the lure high in the water column around heavy cover or smallmouths.” 

Thunder Cricket vs. Square Bill – “A lot of times they’ll catch the same fish, so I’ll have both tied on to see which one they prefer.” 

Biggest Mistakes Anglers Make – “Early on I thought it was a spinnerbait. Now I think of it more like a crankbait. I was missing so many fish. Then I went to a more forgiving rod and that changed everything. Now, my reaction is a bit delayed and they’re consistently hooked deep.” 

Key Colors – “I like white or white and chartreuse in the fall, back in creeks around shad. In the spring through early summer I like green pumpkin or black and blue.” 

Trailer Choices – “Either a Strike King Blade Minnow or Menace. They’ll both work at the same times but if I want the bait to ride a foot or so higher I’ll go with the menace. A lot of times I’ll have both tied on and switch up.” 

Trailer Colors – “I usually match the color of the trailer to the Thunder Cricket, especially with the white colors, but sometimes with the darker ones I’ll experiment with contrast. I’ll use black and blue with green pumpkin. Or green pumpkin with black. Or green pumpkin with fire craw.”

Rod – Lew’s KVD Composite Cranking Casting Rod LKVDCC5 – 7’4” Heavy.  

Reel – Lew’s HyperMag TLH1SHG2—7.5:1

Line – 20 lb. test Seaguar InvisX Fluorocarbon. “A lot of guys use braid, but this is the right choice with the softer rod. It’s castable and I think that fluoro gets you a few more bites – and it’s still heavy enough that you have no trouble with 8-pounders.”