HOME | TACKLETOUR FORUMS  | EDITOR'S CHOICE | REVIEW ARCHIVE | ABOUT US | 

Reels | Rods | Lures | SwimbaitsBFS Lines | Term. Tackle | Tools | Storage | Apparel | Enthusiast | Watercraft | Interviews | Events | Autopsy


 


 

 


Lure Review

 

 

Creature Fever : O.S.P.'s DoLive Craw

 

Date: 10/14/21
Tackle Type: Lures
Manufacturer: O.S.P.
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.67 - GOOD

Introduction:
JDM products are not limited to rods, reels, and hard baits. Dedicated enthusiast tackle aficionados are well aware many Japanese Tackle Manufacturers also produce soft plastic baits that may or may not be easily available outside of Japan. O.S.P. is a company whose product seems to be continually in flux regarding availability here in North America. A fact that can fans of their product, but those who enjoy fishing effective, difficult to source products get a strange sense of satisfaction out of products like this. Today, we take a look at a soft bait product from O.S.P. that you might want to add to your wish list. Introducing the DoLive Craw by O.S.P..

 

O.S.P. DoLive Craw Specifications

Type Creature Bait
Material Soft Plastic
Colors/Patterns 37
Sizes 2, 3, 4, 5 inches
Scent/Plastic Treatment Shrimp Scent
# per package 10, 7, 6, 5 respectively by size
Resealable Bag Yes
MSRP $9.99


Introducing O.S.P.'s DoLive Craw

Impressions: Our first look at a soft bait product by O.S.P. was back in March of 2019 with their DoLive Stick. Today's product is a creature like bait that is more realistic than creature and very much resembles its namesake, the crawdad. It is available in four different sizes and features a long body with claws coming out of the shoulders and several miscellaneous appendages and antennae to complete the look. The claws are very well defined and look like they should be filled with air, but they are not.


This bait is available in 4 sizes, we fished the 5"

Real World Tests: I've had these DoLive Craws for quite some time but my most recent venture with them on the water was while rigged at the end of the my ten pound (10lb) test Berkley Fireline Ultra 8 in smoke spooled onto my Megabass LIN258 mounted on my Megabass F4.5-74XXS Enforcer.


The bait's body shape is kind of old school

Back before baits like Reaction Innovations's Beaver became popular, crawfish imitator soft plastics had a body that more closely resembled that of a crawfish. The DoLive Craw is reminiscent of these baits making the five inch version very straight forward to rig on a 3/0 - 4/0 sized hook.


But it does flatten out a bit in the middle to help with hook placement and penetration

Once rigged on a hook and pitched into the water, the DoLive Craw behaves as expected with the bulbous claws waving in the water as you hop the bait along. At rest, the claws will float up for a period of time and easily pick up any current or other movement in the water for lifelike action.

 

The claws come out of the bait's sized not right from the tip
 

O.S.P.'s DoLive Craw is made from a soft, but not too soft plastic to have some durability. Naturally, aggression varies from fish to fish and day to day, so there are instances where appendages will be ripped off, but for the most part, the DoLive Craw can withstand a few bites before having to be replaced with a fresh copy.


Speaking of claws, here's a closeup - they are not filled with air

Design & Ergonomics: O.S.P.'s DoLive Craw is a well established bait as is evidenced by the fact it's available in 37 different colors and four different sizes. The baits are packed in a re-sealable bag and are infused with a shrimp scent. Clarity in the bait's soft plastic material is pretty good lending well to intricate color patterns.


The bait's consistency is very soft

Price & Applications: If you like fishing difficult to find baits, O.S.P.'s DoLive Craw will be right up your alley. Retail is roughly $9.00 per bag, but that's if you can find it for sale somewhere. Distribution of O.S.P. baits is somewhat limited.


This is an effective, but difficult to find bait.

Ratings

O.S.P. DoLive Craw Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality This is a quality little soft plastic 8.5
Performance Easy to rig and fish 8
Price JDM soft plastics are not immune to the higher cost of acquisition 6
Features Infused with scent, good plastic consistency 7.5
Design (Ergonomics) Resealable bag, several sizes, and plenty of colors from which to choose 8
Application Typically versatile crawfish imitator bait 8

Total Score

7.67
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
+ Familiar bait profile - Availability is the biggest obstacle
+ Many sizes from which to choose  
+ Available in plenty of colors  

  

Conclusion: Were the DoLive Craw from O.S.P. more accessible, it would likely be a very popular bait. Perhaps it already is and has a discreet, cult following. Most realistic, craw imitators are less effective at eliciting strikes than you'd think but the DoLive Craw seems to strike a nice balance between realistic and effective.

 


The DoLive Craw is difficult to find, but very effective

 

The baits are slimy and scent filled coming out of the package so perhaps that's part of the appeal - that oily finish. Whatever the case, fish seem to like them and I bet that two inch version would make a great drop shot bait. For now, we'll simply have to admire this bait from afar, but if you're curious, and want to go through the effort of finding them, be careful because you might get hooked.

 

Looking for a OSP DoLive Craws?

Try TackleWarehouse


 

   

Google
  Web
  TackleTour

 

 

 
 





 

 



Copyright 2000-2024 TackleTour LLC All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy information