The Semi-Forgotten Craw Tube
Those bass anglers among you who are old like me may remember the Mad Man Craw Tube, which for a hot second in the late 1990s threatened to be the latest “revolutionary game-changer” to hit the bass world. They were in high demand…until they weren’t.
While that particular bait may be effectively extinct, the combination of a craw and a tube remains a solid bass catcher, especially when flipped into heavy cover. The Arkansas mafia led by two-time Megabass Champ Doug Garrett tried to keep the flipping tube a secret, but Denny Brauer’s 1998 Classic victory made them a staple. The addition of craw appendages sometimes made them even better – for example, Texas big bass specialist Kelly Jordon won hundreds of thousands of dollars with the version made by Lake Fork Trophy Lures.
Today, I don’t hear much about them, so either they’ve fallen out of favor, or else anglers using them are keeping them a really good secret. The truth is likely somewhere in between – they’ve often been replaced by beavers and other creature baits, and the tubes sometimes have hookup issues, but I’m sure that some fishermen are stocking up on them for the long haul. If you’re among that group, or want to join them, check out the following:
