Cash In With The Crushcity Creeper

Given the countless curl-tail grubs on the market, an angler might find themselves wondering why Rapala bothered adding one to the CrushCity collection. The reasoning and justification come fast and furious as soon as one starts fishing the little gem and hauling-in fish.

A major advantage of the Creeper is it’s made of Super TPE, an ultra-durable, stretchy, buoyant plastic material. This makes the Creeper incredibly resilient, and avoids the problem common with PVC (plastisol) grubs of having their delicate tales torn off easily by fish. 

Super TPE isn’t all brawn though. It’s actually quite supple and, along with its durability, buoyancy, give the Creeper an incredible lifelike action — even at the slowest of retrieves.   

Two rows of reversed legs running along its belly also makes the Creeper distinct features from other grubs on the market. These legs add movement, visual appeal and vibrations to initiate strikes from the wariest of predators. The appendages also make Creeper’s scent dispersion better than tubular style grubs.

It’s no secret a curl-tail grub on a jig is a classic walleye and bass presentation. Put a Creeper on a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce Ned Rig Jig or Neon Moon Eye Jig and it will mop up either of these species in short order from your favourite waters.

This only scratches the bait’s multi-species catching capability, though. It’s an outstanding bait for whitefish and various trout species — and, at 2.5 inches, the Creeper readily fools crappie, yellow perch and other panfish. 

The Creeper’s versatility makes it effective for a range of different casting and jigging fishing tactics. The following are just a few options to whet your appetite on how to catch fish with this twister-tail gem. 

A Creeper on a jig is going to catch fish no matter how you fish it. Though, you’re wise to pay attention to rod positioning when casting.

A rod held at the 10 to 11 o’clock position following an upward jig stroke causes the Creeper to pendulum downward with a gliding, swimming action. Conversely, immediately returning the rod to a 9 o’clock starting position results in the presentation falling on slack line, encouraging it to drop vertically and faster back to the bottom.

Each of these cast-jigging variances can trigger strikes thanks to the multi-talented Creeper. Your job is figuring out what the fish like best on the given day.

Fishing a soft plastic on an underspin jig is a popular tactic in the smallmouth bass, walleye, trout and trophy panfish crowd right now. It’s fascinating how something as simple as a little extra flash, movement and vibration from a little belly blade on a jig can initiate strikes. 

Things get even more interesting when you put the Creeper on an underspin. Its fluttering twister tail and paddle style legs make the offering even more irresistible. To maximize the Underspin Rig’s potency, thread the Creeper straight, legs down and directly behind the jig’s blade.

Oh my goodness, did Rapala walleye pros get excited when they first saw the Creeper and the Black Nightmare, Banana Prawn, Bloodworm UV and Motoroil UV colours. Any of these on a 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jig is the closest thing to a perfect presentation you’re going to find for catching fussy walleye during a mayfly hatch. 

Work it slow. Nice and easy. No erratic moves. The goal is imitating an ascending mayfly painstakingly travelling from the bottom to the surface, with plenty of stops for rests and slight falls along the way. 

A Creeper brings the business up front and the party at the back when used as a trailer for the Bucktail Jig, Moontail Jig, Hot Skirt Glow Jig and other hair jigs. Thanks to Super TPE, the Creeper delivers a solid hold on the jig’s keeper. If you prefer the Creeper’s tail to stick out further beyond the hair, add a bit of high-strength glue to the hook shank before threading on the plastic.

At the back, the twister tail flutters and flaps, creating vibrations. It also adds another dimension of natural movement, complementing the hair jig’s ultra-lifelike flow as it travels through the water.

The Creeper isn’t a jig-only wonder. Thread a natural coloured Creeper on a RedLine Finesse Neko Hook tied 18 to 24 inches behind a 1/8-ounce Tungsten Worm Weight or split shot on 6- to 8-pound Advance Fluorocarbon line and you’ve got one of the best clear-water finesse presentations for shallow smallmouth and inland trout. Cast, drag, pause and hold on!

The CrushCity Creeper’s also dynamite for drop-shotting smallmouth bass, walleye, perch and crappie. Pitch it to edges and opening in weeds and sand grass, drag it over sand flats, or fish it straight down over mid-lake humps. 

Pro Tip: Check out this blog  for more details on how to catch smallmouth and walleye drop-shotting.

With lifelike action, industry-leading durability, strike-triggering scent and multi-species appeal, there’s no question the Creeper is a winner. Give this 2.5-inch CrushCity curl-tail plenty of water time this season and you will catch a ton of fish.