DANG!!!…Can’t Believe How Many Dudes Are Outraged By My Rebel Crawdad Video… 

I've not fished them much but have caught a variety of nice panfish and small bass. You gotta think that as long as they've been around and as many companies makes one like it, that it must work well for people somewhere.

Hey Randy, attach a split shot roughly 18 inches above the bait and drag slowly around rip rap in 6 to 8 feet of water. The key here is slowly. Works for me.

I knew you wasn't gonna get away with that, those lures have a cult following. Lol

Congratulations Big Randy on the 100K subs!! Well earned!!

From Missouri and fished the lake of the ozarks my whole life. Haven’t thrown one in a while, but we used to do great throwing it at the lower end. My great aunt still only uses that lure and will catch more fish us sometimes.

I have wet waded creeks and small rivers and the Rebel crawdad baits were always productive for catching bluegills, rock bass, largemouth and especially smallmouth bass. I caught a 19 1/2 inch river smallmouth while doing a recent river kayak float.

That's one of the first lures i ever bought because i thought, "yeah that looks like something a fish would eat." Ive nevr caught a thing. I also live in the Ozarks.

Randy, you are spot on with this. 45 years ago I bought two of them, one all red for spring and the other more "natural" brown and tan, in the diver model. I have never caught anything in a lake. The creeks are a different story for sure. That's were these things shine in Ohio.

Goes to show how each body of water is very lure specific.

We have some small tidal rivers in Florida. When the crawfish and fiddlers come out it’s on with that crankbait.

The thing with this lure, from my experience, is that these lures are creek, river, and pond/tiny lake specific. I have NEVER had any luck on ANY lake with these. However, I have seen these out perform any other crank bait in those water types. The only time in my fishing life I have seen someone catch 2 fish on the same lure at the same time and called it before he did it, (2 fish jumped... he said, "I'm gonna catch em both") and did, was on one of these lures. But on a larger lake, they are useless. I think this rule applies to many different lures on the market.

Maybe the key to the Rebel Crawdad is to pair it with Livescope LOL. Definitely small-water, creek-type lure!

I've caught fish on the rebel crawdad but mostly creeks, ponds and the white river. I did hook a big bass once in February on bull shoals just casting around from the bank on a flat. I think it has to be shallow water, less than 4'

I live in north Georgia and it works really well for bass and panfish in creeks and rivers.

Those craws are awesome in small creeks! Never caught one in a lake though. The crickhopper is the best. The wee frog is pretty good too. They make two sizes in the craw, frog, and crickhopper. I always did better on the smaller sizes

I absolutely clean up on bluegills using the wee craw. When the gills are on the beds they simply cannot resist it. Must be a Michigan thing.

I do use them in lakes around here in western pa along shallower riprap. I think maybe they just work best in skinny water for some reason. Maybe the wobble is too tight for deep water. Not enough vibration. Some days on the river its the only bait i throw all day.

I bought the same type of bait because of how realistic it looked, but never even got a nible. To be honest it seems like the drop shot for me is what always works no matter what. Even jig heads don't work for me that well.

They work great in shallower rivers. They don’t dive deep enough to imitate a crawfish in lakes. I take off the belly hook and replace the back hook with a larger treble. I’ve caught many decent smallmouth on them over the years, though I use mostly a Ned rig on a Mister Twister Weighted Keeper Hook these days, since I can drag it through rocks without snags.

IM WITH YOU RANDY THAT REBEL CRAW BLOWS

Those baits have caught me so many fish same with the crickets. Love rebel crawfish crankbaits.

Being one of the guys that blasted ya the other day its all in good fun 😅

Dang Randy, I don’t know anybody including myself. The lure just doesn’t catch fish. I’ve tried it in rivers, ponds, and lakes. I’m living in Massachusetts and fished Champlain and all New England states, just can’t catch them ! Thanks Randy !

I remember you saying that these work better in creeks and rivers and they do! I wonder if the wobble on it is why they don't chase it. Just a hunch. Hope you have a good day Randy!!

I have had a lot of luck with the rebel crawdad in Iowa and Minnesota. In Canada it usually a bust except for a couple weeks a year when the smallies crush at a rate greater than anything else I throw all year.

In Louisiana when Atchafalya Spillway drops and the crawfish come out they will bite them along with Rebel tiny deep wee r , bandit louisiana shad, Tennessee shad, olive shad like color, or crawfish or any bait with a similar wobble. I watched in less than a foot of water a 2 lb bass chase it. I never done well with it except for that small window of water falling out of the swamp in the canal and they are targeting on crawfish. Biggest bass I caught was 3 lbs which in the spillway is like a 9lber in Toledo Bend or Big bass lakes.

It was a very popular bait with New River Smallmouth guides back in the 80's in WV where the there is lots of white water rapids & strong currents between pools with eddies. In the marketplace back then it had a competitor that some will recall & pushed by Billie Westmoreland the 'Bass Magnet' that I had some success with. I found both worth casting for largemouth in ponds as far south as Franklin Tenn where my folks retired too back in the day as my lure box was just starting out but this was a must have bait in WV. for rivers as you stated.

Randy now I want to buy one and see if I can catch fish on it here in the Ozarks to test my skills

I don't have an emotional attachment to any lure but I've caught tons of bass and large bream in small lakes, ponds and creeks.

Went out a couple days ago and caught a smallmouth buffalo, 2 smallmouth bass, 3 walleye, and a 13lb carp all on the Rebel Crawdad. I was fishing on a river below a dam however. I wouldn't recommend these guys for lakes unless you know that's one of the main sources of food for the fish in the lake.

I liked the video...sense I have 1 And haven't ever thrown it yet I'm intrigued by what u had to say and now looking forward to throwing it and see what happens

It’s my # 1 go to fishing Pennsylvania creeks. Smallmouth can’t resist it. Hands down the best lure I own.

If you ever fish the New River in WV. Put a small split shot 8-12" above it to help it with current. I grew up there and still have a box of just them. I've caught more small mouth and red eye on them than any other lure I own

I have caught a TON of rainbow trout on the lure in creeks. A few smallies too. Never targeted bass with them because they have crappy hooks.

Totally agree. I’m from the ozarls in Missouri. I’ve caught many huge smallmouth on the rebel crawdad out of the ozark streams but I wouldn’t even bring it to the lake.

I totally understand your video on the wee craw. If I spend time throwing it I catch a bunch of bluegill, rockbass, and crappie.

I never threw that on the lake but when me and my grandfather used to float the Gasconade and Niangua river, we slayed the bass on it.

I knew once I saw the title yesterday and the picture of the bait that people where gonna disagree. Those rebel crawdad have been great river cranks for a lot of people and they work really well. If u tune them a bit. Getting them too slowly sink really helps sometimes vs having it float.

I'm caught many fish with them over the years. Rebel has one called "Bumble bug" that little thing will sure get them. From the rivers of South Georgia

Ive caught my share of bass on those crawfish here on Santee Cooper around the Cypress trees. Copper color.

I have them, in several sizes. Only caught bream on the small size, at one lake. The hooks are sharp and small and if something hits it they are hooked.

ThTs one of my favorites here in the creeks of west by God Virginia that wee craw just smoked the small mouth in the bluestone and new river here in west by God Virginia

It’s a creek and river bait. There are several baits folks slay them on and I can’t get a bite on. It’s mostly regional with most baits.

That crawdad kills it on the Mississippi north of Minneapolis , I have floated the river early July targeting 1 foot from the riverbank.

0:59 - _" ... these guys had an emotional attachment to the ... crawdad."_ 😆

Doesn't work too good in the Midwest either, i just tried to use one of these the other day on lake St Clair for like 3 hours in my best spot and it didn't produce for me either, switched over to Berkeley frittside 5 in a craw pattern and started catching lots..

I have caught some fish mostly in ponds but not in big lakes. I don’t even keep them in my tackle box any longer. They will catch fish on water that has practically no pressure but I can use other baits and catch more fish on the same waters.

Don’t put down my Rebel Crick hopper😂🤪

I'm with you ,never had any luck with them

You actually alluded to what I feel is the issue in the first video, when you compared it's lack of productivity to "banana plugs" (eg, Lazy Ike, Flatfish, etc). The design of the lure makes it swim gently, with a wide, slow wobble, much like those banana lures. It does not work very well at all as reaction lure. Doesn't created much vibration when fished hard and fast, and goes dead instead of bouncing violently off rocks and stumps and such. Anglers who favor tempting fish over forcing them to react with speed and erratic action, can do well with it. That's my theory, anyway.

I didn’t see the other video yet. My experience with the crawdad, it’s ok. The rebel cricket works better for me for some reason and I put some scent on them every once in a while. I did loose a few big bass on them while fishing for panfish but I think it was because the forage the bass where eating was about the same size. I have a few spots around here that those rebel lures catch nice size panfish. I don’t bass fish with them.

I am originally from Pennsylvania, and i knew lots of guys who thought it was the best bait in their box.

Bunch of Canadian ex rugby players get together at my buddy’s place on Lake St Clair for bass opener every year. “Fly” (my buddy) has caught buckets of Smallmouth using that Craw. St Clair aint no creek, it’s Big, and it holds a TON of fish. You could do an experiment: head up to St Clair sometime and try your old Rebel’s there. Bet you’d get some. And, some real nice ones too; that lake is no stranger to BIG fish.

Ya done it now randy!!

Caught a lot of trout in Ozark streams on rebel crawdads. Never tried them in a lake for bass .

Used a fire red one of those and caught a ton of bass on a reservoir in Kentucky. Banging it off rock/ slate bluffs.

I can catch a fish about anywhere on a rebel crawdad.. smallmouth candy 😊😊 .. it was a summer time go to lure me and my buddies used in high school .. we slayed smallmouth and rock bass

I was in the military for 22 years and moved a lot. I used that bait in Virginia lakes across to California lakes and caught nearly no fish. I thought I was the only person who couldn't catch any. And once, on a trip, we stopped in a Bass Pro Shop. And I heard other guys saying the same thing. Thanks for sharing.

You nailed it buddy. I'm up here in NH and know guys that's all they even bring with them. I say it a river smallmouth thing.

Funny - but I had some of these lures forever and never used them. A week before you made this video, I was on a S.E. Mo Ozark River and tied one on. I caught a bass the first cast. Then I caught a bass the second cast. Caught a few more on it before I tied something else on experimenting. At the end of the day I told myself that I needed to fish more with the Rebel Crawdad and might need to pick up some spares Then you made your video. I've never thrown one in a lake and probably wouldn't after hearing your experience, but I'll sure be throwing them more here in the river! One thing for sure - I don't get "mad" over fishing videos.

Those guy don't work for me here in Central California

The only thing I catch on those are huge bluegill for better or worse...usually worse because they always shit all over me.

Never fished Rebel crayfish in lakes. It's great in rocky creeks fished very close to bottom. For smallmouth and trout. I think it works best in water with excellent crayfish habitat, like rocky creeks and rivers with good currents....not slugish, muddy bottom creeks

You need to start a Randy Blanket "garage sale" link and list stuff like this. Sign it and put a $20 price tag on if guys what them so bad. Old rods, reels, baits and whatnot. I'd have bought that old minnow trap you had up on the shelf for years :).

I think many baits are very regional or for specific techniques. These baits don’t always work on your favorite lakes.

I have the same problem with most rebel crankbaits.....there are a few exceptions but not many.

I think what most are doing is simply defending the effectiveness of this lure and they're own experience with it. What I took from it was also from your title, that this lure only catches fishermen and not fish and that's based on YOUR experience with it. So all these guys, including myself, simply responded back to you that it's not just a fisherman catcher, it's a fish catcher, at least for us. And I also included in my response that yes, I've been caught by lures that mainly catch fishermen; I've got a bunch of money I wasted on one-hit wonder baits. Maybe they work for others, but didn't work for me. So I totally got that part of your point in your vid; but remember, you called it Lures That Catch Fishermen And Not Fish and many feel that's a hit on fishermen.

I ain't mad at cha! Not like you gave me the "safe and effective" you know WHAT! Lake Simcoe was all rock bottom probably why it worked there! ✌💖

The fish must have gotten "too smart" to eat that lure....lol

It seems to be a regional lure.just like saying how many anglers throw a tube and a jighead for bass in Florida?

Some bass are still hitting flat sided square bill’s as well, depends on the lake.

You can use them in creeks and streams in Kentucky

Table Rock? Try Rebel Crawdads along the 1/2 mile of rip-rap North of the dam. It has both Smallmouth and Crawdad habitat. The "thump" action of a Rebel Crawdad is Not a Shad bait!

It's a current tidal thing in my area seems like alot of people feel the same but it catches bass !

Those DID rule the small creeks n rivers n Ohio 4 smallies back when I was a kid. Personally, I never really fished em much but when I did they seemed to do good. This was early 90's til 2000.

I used to crush it in the creeks late 80s and the deep diving model but its kinda died out now im kinda noth northern ky small 200 acre lakes it worked to havent fished it in 25 years though

Randy in your defense I have never done good in the lakes around Southwest Virginia in Northeast Tennessee with them. But in the creeks in Southwest Virginia and and the rivers in Northeast Tennessee . Mainly southfork in North fork holston River it is one of the best that I've used for smallmouth

Definitely for creeks and streams

I have caught fish (trout) on it in creeks and rivers but not lakes here either!

I used to use the small version to catch trout when I was a teenager

I've had luck on these rivers and streams, New River specifically. Dare you to make fun of the plastic worm lol.

I have never catch a bass on the is lure . I tried it under various conditions. Didn’t work in the Midwest for me.

Love the title

They really work well......well for a key chain that is.

Have to admit it has been a great stealhead lure for me while back trolling on the northwest coastal rivers. Also bass fish a lot and it hasn’t been very good for me. If you ever want to sell any those rebel crawdads let me know.

The rebel crawdad is one of the best baits to consistently catch shoal bass or other upland stream specialists.

That bait works great in the Susquehanna River in the northeast

Pissed? No! I like yourself can only share my experience. Mine is sand & rock shallow water (5' max) and yes I do live in the north east. We've one grassy lake in New York the only thing that would bite it would be crappie. So I do think it's a composition thing. After all communication is a two way thing after all.😊

I had one of my best days ever with this bait and won our club tournament with a little over 16 lb that being said after that day I haven’t done much at all with it and I used it a lot after that day. The day I did well with it Windy mostly sunny deep banks with lay downs thrown right in the middle of them and with rocky banks I had 30+ fish that day and. After that day I had no luck with it

I don’t use that model. But they do make diving models that I use. I use it in the NE mostly in the Adirondacks for smallies. I like to walk them down steep drops. Target made a crawdad that was just as good.

I haven't caught nothing but one blue Gill on my rebel crawl and I live in Lebanon Missouri

Great small pond lure

I tried it at lake Guntersville and the lakes up here in North Alabama and I don't do any good with that plastic bait. I have better luck with rubber crawdads. To each their own.✌️ Good luck fishing!

I have one never used it. It's one of those lures that I look at it and think to myself this isn't going to work.

hahaha, Hey Randy, I dare you to try talking about the dang grasshopper crankbait that looks like the crawdad. They don't catch fish for me either.

Didn't fish the craw but did very well with the little frog.

Northern Mississippi River bass take to it. Lakes around here, not so good.

LOL I have the same results you have, I can’t catch a bass on that lure. My son caught a trout on it…once.

I’m like you Randy I never caught a single fish using one

Don’t know about bass but I caught my personal best trout on one of them bad boys!