YUM Money Craw.. worth every penny!

The Yum Money craw has been on the market for a few years now, and since day 1 it has garnered rave reviews from the high profile anglers who use them.. that being said I was a little skeptical. For the most part I saw them used by anglers sponsored by Yum and talking them up on various TV shows but i saw little of them in local stores or on the water. They came in at a whopping $8 (or more) a pack and came in packs that I could not open to look, feel or even sniff the bait (yes I’m one of those people).

Recently while placing an order on with tacklewarehouse  I saw a sale on the Yum money craw. Thinking this was my chance to give it a test I picked up a pack. When it arrived I was a little disappointed to find that it was the smallest version and not really what I was hoping for. But, it it did give me the chance to put it through the look, feel and sniff test. And I liked what I saw.

The next day I headed down to my local tackle store and picked up a couple packs to give it an official test drive, (I opted for the middle size ,just under 4inches)

(F2 Version Shown here)

Test Results:

Right off the bat I’m a fan of the feel and consistency of the plastic used in the Yum money craw, it is soft, yet durable, the fish held on well without destroying the bait after just one bite. They are heavily salted (the F2 Version) and this combined with the plastics consistency make for a bait that the fish wont let go

Like many other creature baits (or flipping baits in general) the body of the Yum Money craw has a ribbed textured look and feel, the most aggressive part of the bait is its claws or arms. The designs allows for maximum movement when the craw is falling or swimming yet they are thick enough to withstand the bite and the fight. To me this is smaller profile bait, but it does have “bulk” it is dense and durable and makes a great commotion while in the water.

Techniques:

I have been using two techniques with success. First off, the Money craw is a great flipping jig. The slender profile allows it to slip through cover with ease but the design still gives it great action and a slow fall. I love to flip it around docks, pads and thicker shoreline slop. They money craw is a great bait for getting in between boats and docks in any marina. 

Pitching in and around weed beds will also bring you success. This bait is built to stand up and whether you throw in on a shaky head or a bullet weight it will fall properly and give a raised profile when paused.  When pitching this bait  I also like to swim it between cover, the arms of the money craw act very similar to the legs of most frog baits. When swimming it over short distances I have experienced some pretty explosive strikes and many of my larger fish have come from the swim of the jig presentation. Pitch the jig to the desired cover, lift, pause and twitch, when you want to move on to the next piece of cover slow roll or burn the craw to the next spot. Many fish watching you previous presentation will hit the craw as it swims away.

Color & Size:

There are two versions of the money craw still available. The standard craw comes in three sizes starting at 2 ¾ inches and going up to 4 ¾ inches. It has a few color options and painted on eyes

The F2 series that came out this year is only available in one size; a 3 ¾ inch model and the painted eyes are no more. It has the F2 scent as well as heavy salt. I prefer the color options available in this line to the original, and the bait still has the same slow falling action.

In the short time I have been using the Money craw I have had great success, I have gone from skeptic to believer, now I guess I just have to work on my lack of confidence in the Yum Money hound!

Weapons of Choice:  Dobyns DX795 or 735c
                                 Shimano Curado