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Lure Review

 

 

Creature Fever Feature : Damiki's Air Craw

 

Date: 10/3/18
Tackle Type: Lures
Manufacturer: Damiki
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.58 - GOOD

Introduction:
Back in the Fall of 2014, we spent some time on the water with Damiki's FLW pro Brian Thrift where we fished a variety of baits with one in particular, catching our attention for the way it stands up on the bottom as a crawfish imitator. Here, finally, is our take on Damiki's Air Craw soft plastic bait.

 

Damiki Air Craw Specifications

Type Craw Bait/Trailer
Material Soft Plastic
Colors/Patterns 8
Sizes 3" & 4"
Scent/Plastic Treatment None
# per package 10 (3") : 8 (4")
Resealable Bag? Yes
MSRP $5.79

 


Introducing Damiki's Air Craw.

 

Impressions: Damiki's Air Craw is an interesting bait in that it's kind of a mix between a lizard, craw, and Senko - it's a true creature type bait with appendages, floating claws, antennae - the works!

 


The Air Craw is a true creature type bait.

 

The bait's main body has a Senko type texture with three, leg-like appendages extending from the middle of the bait on both sides (for a total of six). The bait's claws aren't attached at the very end of the main body, but instead come out from about a third of the way up on one side. At the very end of the bait, there are two antennae.

 


There are three legs on each side of the bait.

 


The claws actual extend from about a third of the way up the bait, not the very end like traditional craw style baits.

Performance: Both Zander and I have been fishing Damiki's Air Craw off and on for several years and had just assumed the other had already written a review on this bait. Looking back through our archives, I realized we were missing a write up on this fun little bait, so here we are today.


Bryan Thrift, Damiki Pro Staffer, showing us the bait he's using on Clear Lake, CA - the Air Craw.

 

What's interesting about the Damiki Air Craw is its outstanding versatility. You can fish it in a traditional Texas style presentation, tipped at the end of a jig, as your primary bait on a shakey head presentation, Carolina rigged, etc.. What really makes this bait standout is the buoyancy of those claws.

 


Punching through weed patches, Bryan is hooked up!

 

The Air Craw's claws are actually hollow (hence it's name) and float up when the bait is at rest mimicking a craw in a defensive posture. This is great when fished alone on a jig or shakey head as you can work it like a crawdad walking backwards with its claws raised up trying to defend itself.

 


Your typical Clear Lake, CA chunk courtesy of the Damiki Air Craw.

 

I also fished it with good success on a punch right on the CA Delta. The bait's sleek profile make it a good candidate for punching and when you drop that bait down through the vegetation, you can just imagine those claws waiving around enticingly as you bounce it up and down trying to get the bass to strike.


Here you can see the buoyancy of those air claws.

Design/Ergonomics: The Air Craw by Damiki is available in two sizes, three and four inches. The four inch bait is what's pictured throughout this review and the version of the bait we've fished. The three inch version is more compact, as expected, but it also looks different with a stubbier body, the same sized legs, and stubbier claws.


Another look at the Air Craw back at the lab.

 

Both sizes come in re-sealable packages and are available in twelve (12) different colors. The Air Craw is not infused with any type of fish attractant scent so popular in our soft plastic baits these days and the actual plastic of the bait is maybe medium in terms of softness. Durability is about average. The claws rarely break off accidentally, but as with any soft plastic, can be pulled off if the fish are short striking your bait.

 


A close up of the rear of the bait shows that Senko like texture we alluded to earlier.

 


Here's a closer look at those hollow air claws.

Price & Applications: Creature baits are great because there's an endless way you can fish them. With the Air Craw, if you're one to customize your soft plastics, you can pinch off the legs, antennae, shorten up the body, etc., all until you find out what the fish want that particular day. The baits come in packages of ten (3") or eight (4") and sell for $5.79.


Used as part of a punch rig on the CA Delta.

 

Ratings

Damiki Air Craw Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Very consistent out of the packaging 8
Performance Easy to rig and holds up relatively well 8
Price roughly 60 - 70 cents a bait 7.5
Features Floating claws present a bait in defensive posture 7
Design (Ergonomics) Available in up to 12 colors and a re-sealable bag 7
Application Customizable and flexible, the Air Craw can be fished in many different ways 8

Total Score

7.58
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ True Creature Bait - No fish attracting scents infused in the plastic
+ Floating Claws  
+ Nice variety of colors  

  


A nice little smallie from Lake Berryessa, CA.

 

Conclusion: Damiki's Air Craw is a versatile little bait with the only real criticism we can think of being it's not one of those soft plastics infused with a scent right out of the package. That's a minus only if you like your soft plastics packaged that way. I actually prefer my baits to not have that infusion so I can either apply my own or just fish it straight (which is how I usually fish my soft plastics). Otherwise, the way those claws float up and make the bait stand up in defensive posture is a nice benefit to have in challenging a bass to hit your bait.

 

Looking for the Damiki Air Craw?

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