May 13, 2015
By Ned Kehde
A soft-plastic crayfish has played an important role in some Midwest finesse applications since Dion Hibdon created the Guido Bug for a school science project in 1977. And small soft-plastic creature baits have played similar roles. For several years, several Midwest finesse anglers, such as Clyde Holscher of Topeka, Kansas, Travis Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia, and Steve Desch of Topeka, Kansas, have been impressed with some of the finesse baits that Kei Hayashi of Yamanashi, Japan, has created.
Hayashi is a noted largemouth bass angler, as well as the long-time proprietor of Keitech and esteemed lure designer. Keitech has recently introduced the 2.8-, 3.6- and 4.4-inch Crazy Flapper to U.S. anglers. And in the eyes of most Midwest finesse anglers, these Crazy Flappers exhibit the characteristics of a crayfish bait and a creature bait. But the Crazy Flapper generates a lot of more underwater contortions and pirouettes than most crayfish and creature baits can produce.
Its tail or abdomen is cone- or bullet-shaped and divided into six segments, which replicate the tergum features of a crayfish's tail. The tip of the tail, where the hook is inserted, is flat. The underside of the tale is flat and contains a hook slot. An appendage, which is somewhat claw-like, radiates off each side of the last three segments of the end of the tail. Each appendage is tipped with a small, pointed tentacle or something similar to a crayfish's swimmeret.
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Its torso or cephalothorax is divided into two segments that are similar to the carapace of a crayfish's exoskeleton, and the surface is smooth. From the joint of its tail or abdomen to its head, the middle section of the carapace is divided by a hook slot. The belly of its torso or cephalothorax is flat, endowed with a hook slot, and the surface is smooth.
Its head is embellished with two eyes, and one antenna that radiates from its nose. Two claws branch out from each side of its head. Two of these claws are parallel to the antenna, and they are longer than the antenna and longer and thinner than the other two claws. The second pair of claws are bigger, flatter, and curved more than the other pair, and each of the big claws possesses a flange or ridge that helps to accentuate their movements underwater. The folks at Keitech say that the claws and other appendages "incorporate a revolutionary design," which allows them to exhibit "a wild flapping action." What's more, these appendages will undulate alluringly even when the Crazy Flapper is delicately and subtly crawled along the bottom and periodically resting in a deadstick presentation. Even when finesse anglers affix a Crazy Flapper to a 1/16-ounce jig, its appendages will move radically and beguilingly. According to Kei Hayashi and his colleagues, a lightweight jig will allow the Crazy Flapper to fall and move slowly, which is beneficial when an angler is plying a waterway that is plagued by heavy angler predation or the black bass are in an unresponsive and tentative mood.
The Crazy Flapper is manufactured by a dual-injection process that employs different types of polyvinyl chloride. This process, Keitech says, creates a "perfect combination of softness and durability." It is also infused with a squid scent.
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Hayashi and his staff say that the Crazy Flapper can be attached Texas-style on slip-sinker rigs, Carolina rigs, Mojo rigs, and split-shot rigs. It also can be used as a trailer on skirted jigs. Midwest finesse anglers, of course, will affix it to either a 1/16- or 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig, such as Gopher Tackle's Mushroom Head Jig, and this combo can be employed with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves.
It is manufactured in the following colors: Black Blue, Black Cherry, Blue Back Cinnamon, Castaic Choice, Delta Craw, Electric Brown Craw, Electric Candy, Electric Green Craw, Electric June Bug, Electric Smoke Craw, Gold Flash Craw, Green Pumpkin Fire, Green Pumpkin PP, Green Pumpkin PP Chartreuse, Green Weenie, Okeechobee Craw, Sapphire Blue, Sight Flash, Silver Flash Craw, and Watermelon PP Red.
The suggested retail price for a package of eight 2.8-inch Crazy Flappers is $4.99, and $5.49 for a package of seven 3.6-inchers, and $5.99 for a package of six 4.4-inchers.
