Lure of the Month: G-Daddy Baits Crappie Shad
by Terry Madewell
To produce a successful bait in the crappie-fishing market, the lure must catch crappie. That gets fishermen’s attention, and to keep that attention the lure needs other attributes such as being tough as nails and capable of catching scores, even hundreds, of crappie without having to be replaced.
That keeps a crappie fisherman’s attention.
Frank Langston developed his first lure, the Crappie Shad from G-Daddy Baits, to meet that criterion, making it the May 2024 Crappie Lure of the Month for CrappieNow Magazine.
Langston’s concept for this lure was born from his personal frustration that lures he was using weren’t tough enough to withstand the rigors of catching multiple crappies without constant re-rigging.
“Replacing jig bodies takes time away from fish-catching, disrupting the enjoyment of the process,” he said. “It was annoying to replace lure bodies after one or two fish. I decided to develop a bait with great crappie-catching action that’s tough as nails.”
The kicker for Langston was the lure must also be irresistible to crappie.
During this lure development process Langston said while talking about fishing baits with his granddaughter and she said “Gee Daddy, will you make me some baits?”
“I had the name of my lure company, G-Daddy Baits, right then,” he said.
With considerable experimentation, and refining formulas for durable lures, Langston developed his Flagship Lure, the Crappie Shad. The lure has a thick, shad-shaped body, with twin tails with balls on the end of the tails.
“It’s a lure profile that attracts crappies, with great action and excellent water displacement, while being as tough as nails,” he said. “I recently received a photo from a crappie-fishing guide on Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma, of a single Crappie Shad he’d already used to catch 350 crappies.”
Langston said the lure manufacturing process is a little more expensive because of his specific formula to make these lures tough, yet attractive to crappie.
“Long-term, a slight extra cost on the lure is an investment for long-term savings, because they continue to produce,” he said.
Dan Langston (Frank’s son), is a full-time crappie-fishing guide in the Texas/Oklahoma border area and he guides on multiple lakes year-round. He said the Crappie Shad is a go-to-lure, not only in May, but throughout the year.
“The Crappie Shad comes in 1.5-inch and 2-inch sizes” the younger Langston said. “My most frequent use of this lure is vertical jigging and it excels when working it straight down around cover. The profile of the lure is very tempting to fish and often just presenting it close to a crappie usually generates a hookup. But the water displacement capability of the lure makes it lethal even when fish are finicky.”
Langston said he’ll use this lure when using forward-facing-sonar and a vertical presentation usually results in a quick bite. But if the fish doesn’t take the lure, he’ll position it just above his target and thump the rod a few times. The vibrations and the water displacement ability get the crappies attention.
“Nothing is foolproof in crappie fishing, but that generates a bite more often than not, even on stubborn fish,” he said.
Langston guides with River Bottom Boys Guide Service. He said cast and retrieve techniques, counting the lure down and swimming it back, is excellent, and working it under a float for shallow or suspended fish is productive.
“I use sizes from a 1/32-ounce jighead to as large as necessary, depending on depth and conditions,” he said.
“I love it for shooting docks,” he said. “Before this lure, a great shot under the dock could be futile because the plastic body worked down the jig. With the Crappie Shad, that’s not an issue.
“As a professional guide and tournament angler, time is crucial,” he said. “One bait will last all day, often multiple trips.”
Options are many with this bait, with lure size options, water displacement and action enhancing presentations. Time management is a bonus, because I’d rather be snatching crappies out of the water, rather than re-rigging plastic bodies on my jighead.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C. has been an outdoor communicator for nearly 50 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.
