Lure of the Month: G-Daddy Baits Crawdad
by Terry Madewell
Limiting lure options stagnates an angler’s ability to adapt to changing crappie fishing situations.
Crappies eat minnows, but they eat a lot of other critters, too. A study of the profiles of lures designed to target crappie find the minnow profile, via many forms, abundant. But other aquatic life forms fill important forage niches, and crappie often respond aggressively to different profiles. One of those profiles is the everyday crawfish.
It may not be the most prolific forage profile, but it is a critter crappie love to devour.
G-Daddy Baits owner Frank Langston wanted to tap into a lure profile he felt was overlooked, so he developed a realistic crawfish profile.
The result was the G-Daddy “Crawdad,” a lure that’s won major crappie tournaments this year and fills an essential niche in a crappie angler’s arsenal of lures. The G-Daddy Crawdad is the CrappieNow Lure of the Month for September 2024.
The concept behind creating this specific lure is unique because Langston employed the memories of youthful fishing trips with his granddad as inspiration.
“When I was 12 years old in 1962, grandad and I went to ponds and seined crawfish for bait,” he said. “The predominant size of the craws were 1 -1/2 inches long, and although we caught many species, it’s the big crappie I remember most. I’ve talked about those experiences to crappie anglers, and many were surprised that crappie eat crawfish.
“I wanted to introduce a different profile, so I produced the crawfish profile in the 1.5-inch size, which was so productive for Granddad and me,” he said. “It’s caught crappie like crazy.”
Langston said this lure’s small, realistic profile is highly appealing to crappie and it’s a proven winner in crappie tournaments in 2024. His son Dan Langston, a professional crappie guide and tournament angler, won two tournaments this spring fishing the Crawdad.
In April 2024, the younger Langston used the Crawdad to win the Crappie Masters National Qualifier on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula. He and tournament partner Colby Barnett set a record for the heaviest stringer of 10 crappie (Five-fish-limit each of the two days, 24.52 lbs.).
The younger Langston said he’s used the lure extensively with his guide business this year and has had excellent results.
“Both white and black crappie attack and destroy this lure, but the black crappies are like demons attacking the bait,” Dan Langston said.
Langston guides with River Bottom Boys Guide Service said the lure is fished effectively in multiple ways. The basic pattern for tournament wins was using forward-facing sonar to find fish in the one-to-five-foot depth in the water column. He presented the lure vertically and worked it with a slow twitch, realistic crawfish, action.
“At the Crappie Masters, we found fish suspended near the surface in 30 feet of water,” he said. “But the technique works when crappies are found in shallow water around cover, too.”
Langston said anglers don’t have to fish near the lake bottom to be successful with this lure, and it is highly effective employing a cast-and-retrieve technique.
“When rigged properly, it’s incredible about avoiding short strikes,” he said.
Langston employs a small jighead—1/16 is ideal—combined with a number two-or-four-size hook. He works the hook from the back toward the head and brings it out between the antennas, leaving the claws free to move naturally.
“Short strikes seldom occur, and this tough lure catches multiple fish without adjusting, so I’m fishing, not rigging,” he said.
Color is important, and Langston said that as live crawfish color patterns morph throughout the year, he’ll match the current color phase for the best results.
He said fall fishing with the Crawdad is fantastic, rivaling spring for productivity. Using it in post-spawn this spring, I caught some slabs using the Crawdad, and I’m eager to fish it even more this fall.
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.
