As a lure designer, I am constantly at odds with my instincts as an angler and guide and the expectations of the mass market. The battleground is rarely something superficial like cosmetics. It almost always comes down to weighting.
Most anglers walking the aisles of The Musky Shop or a big box store are looking for a throw and go bait. They are often unaware of, or unconcerned with, the range of applications beyond what is printed on the back of the package.
Meanwhile, the devil on my other shoulder is my inner guide voice, screaming for a lure that runs deeper, digs harder, and behaves more aggressively. From a design standpoint, I have been able to solve much of that tension by creating an integrated weight system for my hard lures like the Titan, Kraken, and Magnus. These insert weights allow for endless tweaking, keeping the average consumer happy while quieting the guide devil on my shoulder.
Soft baits, however, do not allow for interchangeable weight systems. That means lures like the Mustang, and the forthcoming Critter and Menace, need to be tweaked for different scenarios by means of external weights. Whether you are targeting muskies in open water around deep structure or contending with rough water that influences speed and depth control, the right modification can be the difference between simply casting and actually catching.
Over the years, I have ruined more musky lures than I care to admit. Bad mods, bad ideas, and poor execution are the fast track to turning a good bait into something that belongs in the trash instead of your tackle box. To save you the headache and heartbreak of botched modifications, I am putting together a series covering practical, on the water tweaks that actually work for the Critter, Menace, and Mustang. We will start with the Critter.
Critter Mods
At the time of writing, only myself and a few elite Livingston pro staffers have gotten their hands on the Critter. There will undoubtedly be many more modifications in the future as this bait spreads across the musky world.
When I designed the Critter, I had three core principles in mind: small, heavy for its size, and versatile. The Critter can be straight retrieved, worked like a mini tube, or jigged vertically. That flexibility opens the door to endless retrieve combinations, and the lure was built with modification in mind.
Critter Blade Mods
The Critter comes standard with two small Colorado blades attached to a three way swivel. That swivel connects to the rear anchoring point via a split ring and is covered with heat shrink tubing. In seconds, you can remove the heat shrink and begin experimenting.
When you change blades, you are altering three things: vibration, lift, and fall rate. All three must be considered before making a change.
Critter Blade Rule: The bigger the blade, the higher the lure will run and the slower it will fall.
Lopsided Blade Mod
The simplest modification is removing one of the two Colorado blades.
Removing a blade reduces surface area, which decreases lift and allows the lure to run slightly deeper. It also creates an off balance action. With only one blade on the three way swivel, the blade stutters, flips, and flares unpredictably.
I like this setup when fishing open water or deeper structure. The Critter falls faster, and the erratic blade behavior adds a chaotic trigger element that pressured fish often respond to.
Single 500 Indiana Blade
The Critter can be extremely effective with a single larger blade. I have had success using a short barrel swivel paired with a 500 series Indiana blade like those found on small bucktails.
This compact single blade configuration is excellent for casting over shallow sand and weeds. Fish it like a bucktail, but take advantage of what bucktails cannot do. Pause it. Let it fall. Flutter it into weed pockets and along edges. It becomes a hybrid between a small bucktail and a jerkbait, especially effective in shallow water.
Bigger Colorado Blades
Swapping to a size 6, 7, or 8 Colorado blade creates a very slow falling, hard thumping Critter that excels at waking and displacing water over thick cover.
I have used this configuration in situations where slow speed and a compact profile were critical. It also works as a subsurface bulging presentation that rides just under the surface, flirting with topwater territory.
Small Willow Leaf Blades
Willow leaf blades increase the Critter’s rate of fall while adding flash and a tighter vibration. Small willow blades like those used as secondary blades on spinnerbaits work extremely well.
A single willow leaf produces a faster fall. Running two increases vibration and flash while still maintaining a quicker drop than dual Colorados. This is a strong option for mid depth edges and open water fish that are positioned lower in the column.
Combination Blades
My current favorite combination, aside from the stock double Colorado setup, is one small willow leaf paired with one of the original small Colorado blades.
This mix produces a highly erratic, unpredictable thump. The willow increases fall rate slightly, while the Colorado maintains low frequency vibration. The visual whipping action when popping or hopping the bait becomes exaggerated. This is my go to configuration when fishing the Critter like a compact tube style presentation.
Critter Weighting
The Critter weighs just under three ounces, which is unique for a bait of its size. In free fall, it drops at a little over two feet per second. In most scenarios, that fall rate is ideal.
There are times, however, when getting deeper quickly is critical.
The cleanest way I have found to add weight without disrupting the action is using Savage Gear clip in weights. These weights happen to fit the nose of the Critter almost perfectly, aligning with the contour when clipped in place. Adding a half ounce or even a third ounce instantly increases fall rate while keeping the lure balanced, since the primary internal weighting sits just behind the nose.
Another option is attaching a small bell sinker to the line tie. It is not as streamlined as the clip in weights, but it accomplishes the same goal of increasing depth and fall speed.
Critter Hooks
Livingston Lures outfits the Critter with high quality VMC trebles. That is the framework I design around. That said, muskie anglers know hooks take abuse.
When replacing hooks, I have been running BKK 1/0 trebles. They are premium priced, extremely sharp, and highly durable. BKK sizing runs slightly larger than some other brands, and the 1/0 provides a slightly bigger profile that can handle big muskies and repeated punishment.
There will undoubtedly be many more Critter modifications as anglers begin experimenting. The ideas above are a starting point.
Keep in mind, straight out of the package the Critter is ready for battle. With heavy duty through wire construction and quality hooks, it is built to tangle with giant muskies as is. Spend time with the production version before going wild with modifications so you understand its baseline performance.
At its core, the Critter was designed to solve a specific problem: how to present a small profile deeper in the water column while still delivering heavy, erratic, triggering action. Right out of the package, the Critter does exactly that, and it does it exceptionally well. But don’t overlook the power of fine tuning the Critter to unlock its full potential.