Crank-Crawler rigs on Willard 6-11-24 (With Video)

[obifishkenobi]

 I may have to give the worm harness high bred a go, they remind me of a similar set set up we would back troll with live sand shrimp for steelhead in hells canyon.

I have experimented with various ways of presenting baits behind lures over the years.  And I have read articles or watched YouTube segments of other anglers rigging up crawler harnesses on assorted lures...from spoons to spinners to Flatfish to cranks.  The principle is the same.  Use a wiggling, flashing, vibrating lure...with or without rattles...to draw fish in from further away...and then seal the deal with a properly rigged and presented bait.  

Originally, the floating jigs (fligs) were developed by walleye guys to simply present a worm, minnow or leech above the bottom for walleyes.  Using the right color seemed to help too.  That's how I started with my stuff...but have since added all kinds of different blades and other attractions.  And I have been encouraged by the initial results of rigging bait behind the small cranks.  I am putting together some new models with single bait hooks for minnows or strip bait...on a short wire drop back leader.  Caught some fish on early models last year and plan to give them more of a workout this year.  

If you fished Steelhead back trolling you may have also used some of those "Hot Shot" plugs.  Those were the hot thing on northern California's Smith and Klamath Rivers back in the 70's.  I sold off most of my stash before moving to Utah but kept a few.  And they were the first ones I modified for worm harnesses...and the worked.

My preference are Brads Wigglers, that are essentially a Wiggle Wart, in fact they are made from Wiggle Wart molds. I have several boxes I haven't used in years, Ill have to pull them out and give them a go.