September 24, 2016
By Ned Kehde
For several months we have been featuring some of Molix's soft-plastic finesse baits in our gear-guides, and one reader suggested that we should feature their SV Craw, saying it looks as if it is a soft-plastic bait that Midwest finesse anglers might use as a substitute for a solid-body tube.
This 2 3/4-inch crayfish-style bait is devoid of a crayfish's abdomen. Its cephalothorax, which is what anatomists call the combination of its head and thorax, is 1 10/16 of an inch long. The skin on the belly of the cephalothorax is smooth. The thorax is 1 1/8 of an inch long. The back of the thorax has four segments, which many anglers describe as ribs rather than segments. The thorax also has a hook slot that is seven-eighths of an inch long. The hook slot is situated in the center of the thorax. The head is a half of an inch long. The top of its head is crowned with two bulbous eyes. Two antennas radiate from the tip of its head. A claw-like appendage extends from each side of the cephalothorax and at the first segment or rib of the thorax behind the head. When the claw is fully extended, it is 1 15/16-inches long. There is a prominent ridge that stretches along the outside edge of each claw. This ridge is 1 1/8 inches in length, and according to the folks at Molix, the purpose of the ridge is to cause the claw to move with an "extreme flapping action" as an angler executes a retrieve. The portion of the appendage between the thorax and the claw's ridge is flat and thirteen-sixteenths of an inch long and about a quarter of an inch wide. At the tip of the claw, there is a V-shaped gap that simulates a tiny pincer. On both sides of the thorax, a short appendage, which is a half of an inch long, branches out from each of the three segments behind the segment that is affixed to the claw.
A Blue Notte SV Craw affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Gopher Tackle's Mushroom Head jig. All of its appendages are delicate, which will affect its durability. Therefore, it is a finesse bait that Midwest finesse anglers will employ only when they are confronted with a population of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, or spotted bass that are very tentative and unresponsive to the standard Midwest finesse baits and presentations.
It is manufactured in the following colors: Bloody Pumpkin, Blue Notte, Chartreuse, Cola, Green Pumpkin, June Bug, Marron Glace, Okee Craw, Pumpkin Orange, Special Craw, Watermelon Black Red Flakes, and Watermelon Gold Chartreuse. Each color is impregnated with Molix's exclusive crawfish scent.
According to Molix, it was designed to be a trailer on a skirted jig, such as Molix's Kento Jig or its Tenex Jig, which is a flipping jig. Midwest finesse anglers will choose to rig it on a small mushroom-style jig the way they rig a soft-plastic worm or soft-plastic stickbait or soft-plastic grub or solid-body tube.
The price for a package of six ranges from $5.89 to $5.99.
Endnotes
1) For more information about the SV Craw and other Molix's baits, please contact Casey Tucker at Anglers International Resources, 1272 E. Dundee Rd., Palatine, Illinois, 60074. You can talk to him at 847-991-3200. This is the link to their Web site: https://www.fishingurus.com/ .
(2) Here is the link to Molix's Web site: http://www.molix.com/en/ .
(3) Here's a link to a column that describes the six Midwest finesse retrieves that can be used when the SV Craw is rigged on a small mushroom-style jig: http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/.
(4) Here is a link to a Midwest Finesse column about Molix's Caleo Craw: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/molixs-caleo-craw/.
(5) Here is a link to a Midwest Finesse column about Molix's Sator Worm: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/molixs-sator-worm/ .
(6) Here is a link to a Midwest Finesse column about Molix's Swimming Dragonfly: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/molixs-swimming-dragonfly/ .
